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everlastingdusk's review against another edition
This book found me. I was browsing at a local book sale, and the orange Penguin spine caught my eye. The back summary mentions the Certified Master Chef exam, a grueling 10-day course where aspiring chefs are put through rigorous tests on classical cooking. I immediately thought of Shokugeki no Soma (Food Wars), which I love. But it was Anthony Bourdain's glowing blurb on the front cover that sealed the deal for me. I later learned he and the author Michael Ruhlman were friends. I found the book on June 24th, a day shy of what would have been Bourdain's 63rd birthday.
Reeling from a hard scifi run, I decided what the hell, I would read a book I'd just bought, ignoring the other titles that have been on the TBR for months. It turned out to be my quickest read of the year. It was fun, light, and engaging.
The Soul of a Chef was published in 2000, I guess at a time when people were hungry for insider studies of chefs and their culture. An obsession with food and cooking was emerging. It was also the year Bourdain's own Kitchen Confidential, also a favorite, came out. The two books are similar to me, with the confident and compelling writing, and an obvious love of the subject matter.
The book begins at the CMC exam. Here, Ruhlman focuses on Brian Polcyn whose sensibilities are somewhat at odds with the rigid standards of the exam and, by extension, the CIA (Culinary Institute of America). We then move on to the hip Cleveland restaurant Lola with its warm, boisterous chef Michael Symon, whom Ruhlman refers to as the "antithesis of the certified master chef." Finally, Ruhlman takes us to the restaurant Mecca, The French Laundry, presided over by its wily, exacting chef Thomas Keller. It is through these three charismatic chefs that Ruhlman attempts to unravel what it means to have the soul of a chef.
The three chefs in the book have gone on to become superstars, but I enjoyed reading about their early evolution through Ruhlman's effusive writing. I literally had goosebumps on my head where I suppose the pleasure center might be.
A fun read at the right time. Worth a return, again and again.
Reeling from a hard scifi run, I decided what the hell, I would read a book I'd just bought, ignoring the other titles that have been on the TBR for months. It turned out to be my quickest read of the year. It was fun, light, and engaging.
The Soul of a Chef was published in 2000, I guess at a time when people were hungry for insider studies of chefs and their culture. An obsession with food and cooking was emerging. It was also the year Bourdain's own Kitchen Confidential, also a favorite, came out. The two books are similar to me, with the confident and compelling writing, and an obvious love of the subject matter.
The book begins at the CMC exam. Here, Ruhlman focuses on Brian Polcyn whose sensibilities are somewhat at odds with the rigid standards of the exam and, by extension, the CIA (Culinary Institute of America). We then move on to the hip Cleveland restaurant Lola with its warm, boisterous chef Michael Symon, whom Ruhlman refers to as the "antithesis of the certified master chef." Finally, Ruhlman takes us to the restaurant Mecca, The French Laundry, presided over by its wily, exacting chef Thomas Keller. It is through these three charismatic chefs that Ruhlman attempts to unravel what it means to have the soul of a chef.
The three chefs in the book have gone on to become superstars, but I enjoyed reading about their early evolution through Ruhlman's effusive writing. I literally had goosebumps on my head where I suppose the pleasure center might be.
A fun read at the right time. Worth a return, again and again.
wmhenrymorris's review against another edition
That Ruhlman later writes books with two of the three chefs profiled in this book and appears to be friends with the third shouldn't diminish the fact that he does say some interesting things about, well, the souls of chefs. You gotta get close to the subjects in order to get the material that he does.
On the other hand, those with allergic reactions to Thomas Keller deification should probably skip this book.
And Ruhlman never quite fully interrogates the deeper aesthetic underpinnings to his concepts of soulfulness and perfection.
But many of the details and anecdotes are fantastic and some of the food descriptions -- and even more so the descriptions about how the food is created -- are quite lovely.
And really, for all the hype, Keller is a fascinating example of craftsmanship and the few pages where Ruhlman gets in to an analysis over whether Keller's food is in some way ironic (and what that then means for American cooking) prove that he is capable of interesting, even trenchant cultural criticism.
On the other hand, those with allergic reactions to Thomas Keller deification should probably skip this book.
And Ruhlman never quite fully interrogates the deeper aesthetic underpinnings to his concepts of soulfulness and perfection.
But many of the details and anecdotes are fantastic and some of the food descriptions -- and even more so the descriptions about how the food is created -- are quite lovely.
And really, for all the hype, Keller is a fascinating example of craftsmanship and the few pages where Ruhlman gets in to an analysis over whether Keller's food is in some way ironic (and what that then means for American cooking) prove that he is capable of interesting, even trenchant cultural criticism.
bookwormjimmy's review against another edition
4.0
What does it take to be a chef?
Michel Ruhlman explores this question in his book, The Should of a Chef: The Journey Toward Perfection. He spends a third of his time observing chefs as they try to attain the ultra elusive Certificated Master Chef (CMC) at the Culinary Institute of America. To this day, the total number of CMCs number less than 100. Is this what it means to be a true chef? The next third he spends observing the inner workings of the Lola restaurant in Cleveland, Ohio. Has Michael Symone, the owner of the restaurant, shown what it takes to be the ultimate chef? Lastly, he spends some time at one of the most popular and famous restaurants in the country, French Laundry, in Napa Valley, California. Does the story of failure to success of Thomas Keller exemplify what it means to be a chef? Read and you'll find out.
Ruhlman writes with an easy prose, captivating the reader in and describing in enough detail to get your mouth watering as you try to decide if you want to make the dish yourself. I did find that his narrative did seem to drag on a various points throughout his book, primarily near the end of each of the respective three sections. It really came down to Ruhlman asking himself the questions of what makes a chef a chef. And like most things in life, it really depends on the context of the situation. There's difference ways to measure, and perhaps his observations eventually led to his own self-discovery of what the answer to the question is.
It's a wonderful read, and it did require me to look up a few of the cooking concepts described. He even ends with a few complicated recipes at the end of the book. Perhaps one day if I feel up to the task, then perhaps I will look into these recipes.
Michel Ruhlman explores this question in his book, The Should of a Chef: The Journey Toward Perfection. He spends a third of his time observing chefs as they try to attain the ultra elusive Certificated Master Chef (CMC) at the Culinary Institute of America. To this day, the total number of CMCs number less than 100. Is this what it means to be a true chef? The next third he spends observing the inner workings of the Lola restaurant in Cleveland, Ohio. Has Michael Symone, the owner of the restaurant, shown what it takes to be the ultimate chef? Lastly, he spends some time at one of the most popular and famous restaurants in the country, French Laundry, in Napa Valley, California. Does the story of failure to success of Thomas Keller exemplify what it means to be a chef? Read and you'll find out.
Ruhlman writes with an easy prose, captivating the reader in and describing in enough detail to get your mouth watering as you try to decide if you want to make the dish yourself. I did find that his narrative did seem to drag on a various points throughout his book, primarily near the end of each of the respective three sections. It really came down to Ruhlman asking himself the questions of what makes a chef a chef. And like most things in life, it really depends on the context of the situation. There's difference ways to measure, and perhaps his observations eventually led to his own self-discovery of what the answer to the question is.
It's a wonderful read, and it did require me to look up a few of the cooking concepts described. He even ends with a few complicated recipes at the end of the book. Perhaps one day if I feel up to the task, then perhaps I will look into these recipes.
eunicek82's review against another edition
5.0
I love food and cooking and all things related. So naturally, I loved this book...made me want to eat the whole time I was reading it.
ferocity's review against another edition
4.0
I read this mostly because I wanted to see Ruhlman's take on Grant Achatz and, of course, Thomas Keller. Ruhlman and Keller almost make me want to try brains. Almost.
darthchrista's review against another edition
4.0
Now this book about cooking I found riveting. Such an interesting journey and look into what it takes to be a chef.
thisgrrlreads's review against another edition
4.0
Better than his other book, The Reach of a Chef, because he doesn't talk about his own experiences as a chef. Really, Ruhlman does best describing the lives and work of other people. His food writing has actually gotten me interested in some of his other works, about doctors and boys and other such interesting topics.
jsnyder5's review
5.0
Excellent book! Great interweaving of 3 very different worlds in the world of cooking. I found the underlying meaning behind all the stories can be applied to all aspects of life: Determination, fun, and excellence!
jgordner's review
4.0
I can't quite tell if I liked this book because of the book itself, or because I felt like I had something of a personal connection to each of the subjects. I've eaten at, and loved both Lola and the French Laundry, and while this last one is tenuous, the CMC exam seems like it was the inspiration for the format of Top Chef, a show I've spent a lot of years loving. So reading this book gave me a nice insiders view into some areas of the food world that I have personally experienced in one way or another.
I thought the book was written in a compelling way. It did seem like the author made a couple tenuous connections to try to tie all of the stories together, but regardless of that, seeing those three stories together was a lot of fun. If you're a fan of food or the food world, then this is totally worth a read.
I thought the book was written in a compelling way. It did seem like the author made a couple tenuous connections to try to tie all of the stories together, but regardless of that, seeing those three stories together was a lot of fun. If you're a fan of food or the food world, then this is totally worth a read.