Why it's essential
Complemented by his one of a kind vocal performance, Anthony Bourdain's musings on the intense and decidedly strange world of high cuisine are as relevant today as they have ever been.
Featured in The Top 100 Listens of All Time.
What is Kitchen Confidential about?
Beginning with his humble roots shucking oysters in the French Riviera, Anthony Bourdain lays out his rise to the top of New York City's hyper competitive restaurant scene. Known for his acerbic wit, Bourdain spares no details about his career and personal life, from working the line at a Cape Cod tourist trap to running some of the finest dining establishments in the world.
Editor's review
Seth Hartman is an Audible editor and a certified podcasting fanatic. He lives for historical fiction, music and film analysis podcasts, and well-placed Oxford commas.
Drawing from his experience and pedigree as a seasoned chef in New York City, Anthony Bourdain brings an honest, impassioned, and aggressively pretense-free perspective to this seemingly glamorous life. As a lifelong eater and obsessive patron of all types of cooking shows, Kitchen Confidential left a special impact on me.
Rather than providing a "view from the mountaintop," Bourdain meets the listener at eye level, narrating a brutally honest and relentlessly detailed account of life in the kitchen in his own voice. While I am sure he would hate to be described as such, Anthony Bourdain arguably created the punk rock, alternative bad boy aesthetic that has become a popular trope among celebrity chefs. Through this book, he spares no details recounting the long hours, strained relationships, drug abuse, and insomnia that colored his experiences working at some of the finest dining institutions in New York and beyond. While stories like this are more commonly told in today’s media landscape, Bourdain really kicked the doors open for public discourse about restaurant life.
While I love to be in the kitchen and think of myself as a decent cook, I still consider what goes on behind closed doors in a restaurant to be magical. After falling in love with Bourdain as a television personality, I thought I would try to deepen my connection with my burgeoning passion in the kitchen by listening to his memoir. I always loved Anthony Bourdain for his ability to "take off the gloves" when speaking about some of the industry’s best kept secrets. I honestly don’t think I would have the courage to push myself in the kitchen if it wasn’t for his sarcastic yet encouraging voice pushing me along. With his signature dry sense of humor and absolute refusal to muzzle himself, Kitchen Confidential is full of Bourdain’s almost dogmatic "dos and don’ts." For example, he absolutely refuses to eat fish on Mondays in New York City based on of what he knows about fish suppliers and when restaurants tend to buy stock. One of my favorite parts about this book is that it makes you not only a better home chef but a better restaurant-goer as well.
After his tragic demise in 2018, I felt something that I rarely feel from a celebrity death. Anthony Bourdain was a one-of-a-kind soul, an unparalleled talent, and a man who truly brought a never-before-seen look into his craft to the general public. This book encapsulates everything I love and admire about the man. While some people are put off by his blunt, profane, and occasionally jaded point of view, I think these qualities made him the greatest foodie there ever was.
While this memoir is certainly ideal for those wishing to understand more about the inner workings of the restaurant business, it has a very wide appeal. No matter if you are an industry professional, long time hobbyist (like me), or couldn't care less about haute cuisine, Bourdain's wisdom will reach you somehow. His musings on life, passion, addiction, and love are feelings we can all relate to one way or another. If you are looking to make a change in your life or are searching for some kind of creative inspiration, there is a lot of gold to be found here.
Did you know?
A few years after publication of Kitchen Confidential, Bourdain was approached by The Travel Channel to begin No Reservations, an international travel show focused on hyper local cuisine.
Bourdain became somewhat infamous for his hatred of expensive and showy food trends.
Bourdain's inspiration to become a chef came from his summers in France as a young boy.
What listeners said
"Funny, insightful, irreverent, articulate ... all fit this outstanding effort by Anthony Bourdain. My first read of his material and I can't wait to download his earlier works ... if the workings of a professional kitchen intrigues you, you must read this book!!!" -Karen M, Audible listener
"Besides containing great information about what to order where and when, and what really goes on to make a restaurant run, the author is absolutely hilarious. His description of restaurant lingo was beyond funny. This is one of the funnest books to listen to ever. But be warned that the language is graphic, but, as the saying goes, 'if you can't take the heat...'" -Justin G, Audible listener
"I loved this book. After reading it, I felt I really learned what it REALLY is like to be a chef. Anthony Bourdain's reading is fantastic. He is at times crude and vulgar, while at other times down right hilarious. What I loved about this book: Honest. If you love the food network and would truly love to get down and dirty with the 'real' cooking, read this book. He does not sugar coat a thing. I loved it!" -Cindy, Audible listener
"I've worked in the restaurant industry for 10 years starting as a server and moving my way up through the ranks. Anthony Bourdain paints an accurate (to the point of being offensive) depiction of life in the hospitality industry. I was so impressed by his candor and exposure. His success is the true example of conquering the American dream." - Harry, Audible listener
Listen if you loved
Quotes from Kitchen Confidential
"Skills can be taught. Character you either have or you don't have."
"I've long believed that good food, good eating, is all about risk. Whether we're talking about unpasteurized Stilton, raw oysters or working for organized crime 'associates,' food, for me, has always been an adventure."
"No one understands and appreciates the 'American Dream' of hard work leading to material rewards better than a non-American."
"To me, life without veal stock, pork fat, sausage, organ meat, demi-glace, or even stinky cheese is a life not worth living."
"My love for chaos, conspiracy and the dark side of human nature colors the behavior of my charges, most of whom are already living near the fringes of acceptable conduct."
About the author and performer
Chef, author, and raconteur Anthony Bourdain is best known for traveling the globe on his TV show Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown. Somewhat notoriously, he has established himself as a professional gadfly, bête noir, advocate, social critic, and pork enthusiast, recognized for his caustic sense of humor worldwide. He is as unsparing of those things he hates, as he is evangelical about his passions. Bourdain is the author of the New York Times bestselling Kitchen Confidential, Medium Raw, and the cookbook, Appetites; the collection The Nasty Bits; the novels Bone in the Throat and Gone Bamboo; the biography Typhoid Mary: An Urban Historical; and two graphic novels, Get Jiro! and Get Jiro!: Blood and Sushi. He has written for The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Times of London, Bon Appetit, Gourmet, Vanity Fair, Lucky Peach, and many other publications. In 2013, Bourdain launched his own publishing line with Ecco, Anthony Bourdain Books, an imprint of HarperCollins. He was the host of the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning docuseries Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown on CNN, and before that hosted the Emmy Award-winning No Reservations and The Layover on Travel Channel, and The Taste on ABC.
