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mayakanga's review
4.0
I love books that make me feel like part of the in-crowd of an industry, and this book did an excellent job. It didn’t hurt that the author narrated the audiobook which gave it an added feel of earnestness and authenticity. I only wish there was more about the author in it, his marriage and life events in the later half of the book were mostly omitted, but I understand the constraints of trying to cover a 35 year career.
alittlewrightreading's review
4.0
Michael is a great narrator for his book. I loved his stories, some of them were so crazy. I liked seeing his perspective of the restaurant industry.
karenleagermain's review
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Libro FM for providing me with both digital and audio copies of Michael Cecchi-Azzolina’s memoir, Your Table is Ready: Tales of a New York City Maitre D’.
I appreciate having access to both the digital and audio arcs, but decided to go with the audio, as it was narrated by the author. Authors are not always the ideal person to narrate their books, but Cecchi-Azzolina is a larger-than-life type of person and a riot. His memoir is filled with outrageous stories, but hearing them in his heavy New York accent with the thrill in his voice, lended to the overall experience.
Your Table is Ready is a great pick for anyone who would like a behind-the- scenes look at the restaurant industry. It has shades of Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential, but instead of a chef’s perspective, Cecchi-Azzolina gives us a glimpse of the chaos happening in the front of house. The chaos that professionals in high-end dining manage to conceal from patrons, usually giving us a calm restaurant experience. Primarily set in the 1980’s, Cecchi-Azzolina’s career in the restaurant industry was drug-fueled and rife with sexism among other aspects of the era that would be considered taboo now. He also speaks of the many friends and colleagues that he lost to the AIDS epidemic, ending the memoir with a very touching tribute. As much as his memoir is a look at the restaurant industry, it is also a peek into the norms of a different era.
Cecchi-Azzolina has plenty of wild stories, including getting entangled with the mob. I’m not going to give the story away, but it’s intense and will have you worried as it unfolds.
Towards the end of the book, I had the surreal experience of realizing that I have friends in common with the author. Cecchi-Azzolina is also an actor and my friends were producers of one of his films. However, the story is better than that, as one of Cecchi-Azzolina’s customers helped fund the film. I immediately paused the audio and called my friend, who had only nice things to say about Cecchi-Azzolina, mentioning that he was the kind of guy, who “always knows a guy.” This confirms my impression of him from his book- he’s a character in the best possible sense!
Your Table is Ready is a fun, fast-paced, engaging read. I’ve never worked in the restaurant industry, but I find the behind-the-scenes of it to be fascinating. It has made me more aware and appreciative of the complexities of running a successful restaurant.
I appreciate having access to both the digital and audio arcs, but decided to go with the audio, as it was narrated by the author. Authors are not always the ideal person to narrate their books, but Cecchi-Azzolina is a larger-than-life type of person and a riot. His memoir is filled with outrageous stories, but hearing them in his heavy New York accent with the thrill in his voice, lended to the overall experience.
Your Table is Ready is a great pick for anyone who would like a behind-the- scenes look at the restaurant industry. It has shades of Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential, but instead of a chef’s perspective, Cecchi-Azzolina gives us a glimpse of the chaos happening in the front of house. The chaos that professionals in high-end dining manage to conceal from patrons, usually giving us a calm restaurant experience. Primarily set in the 1980’s, Cecchi-Azzolina’s career in the restaurant industry was drug-fueled and rife with sexism among other aspects of the era that would be considered taboo now. He also speaks of the many friends and colleagues that he lost to the AIDS epidemic, ending the memoir with a very touching tribute. As much as his memoir is a look at the restaurant industry, it is also a peek into the norms of a different era.
Cecchi-Azzolina has plenty of wild stories, including getting entangled with the mob. I’m not going to give the story away, but it’s intense and will have you worried as it unfolds.
Towards the end of the book, I had the surreal experience of realizing that I have friends in common with the author. Cecchi-Azzolina is also an actor and my friends were producers of one of his films. However, the story is better than that, as one of Cecchi-Azzolina’s customers helped fund the film. I immediately paused the audio and called my friend, who had only nice things to say about Cecchi-Azzolina, mentioning that he was the kind of guy, who “always knows a guy.” This confirms my impression of him from his book- he’s a character in the best possible sense!
Your Table is Ready is a fun, fast-paced, engaging read. I’ve never worked in the restaurant industry, but I find the behind-the-scenes of it to be fascinating. It has made me more aware and appreciative of the complexities of running a successful restaurant.
bkdrgn303's review
4.0
Interesting look at the restaurant industry from the front of the house. Very gossipy. Glad I never ate at a high end restaurant in NYC in the 80s. One hopes things are less...hectic. At least there are no smoking laws in place now.
kystark1201's review
4.0
I actually enjoyed this book a lot.
Its a story that set in the 80s, i wasnt surprised with the sex, drugs and alcohol.
after seeing someone DNF because of that.
The later part of the story wasnt much about all these 3 already.
myself too started working in the restaurant business at ages of 16. It wasnt the 80s, his story opened my eyes to the history of restaurant business.
.
I was feeling the vibes and sharing his feeling during the time.
How i felt exactly the same as he talked to the guest, facing difficult guest etc.
How I felt when guest pass me 100 pound bill in my hand.
the upside down life, the late life. how he have mixed up bio-Clock.
.
I was feeling every bit of it. I was almost tearing up as his memoir came to and end.
I am glad he did what he did and not giving up on the industry.
Its a story that set in the 80s, i wasnt surprised with the sex, drugs and alcohol.
after seeing someone DNF because of that.
The later part of the story wasnt much about all these 3 already.
myself too started working in the restaurant business at ages of 16. It wasnt the 80s, his story opened my eyes to the history of restaurant business.
.
I was feeling the vibes and sharing his feeling during the time.
How i felt exactly the same as he talked to the guest, facing difficult guest etc.
How I felt when guest pass me 100 pound bill in my hand.
the upside down life, the late life. how he have mixed up bio-Clock.
.
I was feeling every bit of it. I was almost tearing up as his memoir came to and end.
I am glad he did what he did and not giving up on the industry.