Sample
  • Kitchen Confidential

  • Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly
  • By: Anthony Bourdain
  • Narrated by: Anthony Bourdain
  • Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (36,692 ratings)

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Kitchen Confidential

By: Anthony Bourdain
Narrated by: Anthony Bourdain
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Editorial review


By Seth Hartman, Audible Editor

WITH KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL, ANTHONY BOURDAIN SPILLED HIS GUTS AND MADE HISTORY

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.

Continue reading Seth's review >

Publisher's summary

Recently, The New Yorker published chef Anthony Bourdain's shocking, "Don't Eat Before Reading This." Bourdain spared no one's appetite in this tell-all about what happens behind the kitchen door.

Now, the author uses the same "take-no-prisoners" attitude in his deliciously funny and shockingly delectable audiobook, sure to delight gourmands and philistines alike. From his first oyster in the Gironde, to his lowly position as a dishwasher in a honky-tonk fish restaurant in Provincetown, from the kitchen of the Rainbow Room atop Rockefeller Center, to drug dealers in the East Village, from Tokyo to Paris and back to New York again, Bourdain's tales of the kitchen are as passionate as they are unpredictable.

Kitchen Confidential will make your mouth water while your belly aches with laughter. You'll beg the chef for more, please.

Anthony Bourdain is the author of the novels Bone in the Throat and Gone Bamboo. This is his first work of nonfiction. He is the executive chef at Brasserie Les Halles in New York City.

Hear an exclusive interview with Bourdain.

©51
2000 Anthony Bourdain
(P)2000 Random House, Inc.

Featured Article: The Best Memoirs to Make You Laugh, Cry, and Think


The memoir, as an art form, is one of the most difficult and complex to pull off. That’s why these titles are so impressive: not only are they excellent works in their own right, but they’ve achieved cultural acclaim, resonating with listeners of different ages, genders, races, religions, and identities. Often narrated by the authors themselves, these audiobooks allow listeners to be immersed in each story and feel all of the raw and unfiltered emotion that comes with them.

What listeners say about Kitchen Confidential

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read this years ago...had to revisit

wanted to hear Anthony bourdain one more time....he will be missed by all who lived better lives with his honest stories

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Food Obsessed

His description of food and his vivd stories of his life in the food industry made me feel like I was there.

I heard this book every morning and every evening from work and I’m sad that it had to end. I loved it.

He will be sorely missed.

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I love that this is read by Anthony

I love hearing Anthony’s voice read the story. Such a great book. I recommend to anyone who loves Anthony or a great story.

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Just went back for 2nds

I listened to this book a while back and really enjoyed it. I enjoyed the fact that Bourdain was just another cook going from job to job but his honest description of his lifestyle makes you feel like you are there with him. After recently hearing about Bourdain's death I gave the book another listen and it was even better after watching his TV show and feeling as though he was a friend that was taking you deep into his journeys I decided to go back to where I first found out about him in an audio book that he reads himself. RIP Anthony Bourdain

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I miss you Anthony

I loved hearing him narrate his own book and will probably re read this over and over because he was one of the best of us. Excellent, funny, irreverent and completely unique. Loved every minute.

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A Classic

Only Anthony Bordain could read his own book. His distinctive voice is what we all have come to know and love. The combination of humor and dark clear truths is what makes him such a compelling author and figure. As someone who works in the restaurant industry, there are so many little morsels within this that are even more enjoyable and appreciated. I highly recommend this to anyone who has not read it. I also would suggest anyone who has only read the print copy to give it a listen!

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Wonderful

I thoroughly enjoyed this memoir! I learned things about the man and about the knives you really need.

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love it

narrator is amazing and story is so real and accurate. I really recommend this book

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Detail, attitude and honesty

I have enjoyed Anthony Bourdain's TV shows and I always thought of him as a straight shooter. And that is precisely what you get in this honest, explicit and fast paced book. I have always been wary of "celebrity chefs" because they are no longer about the food that made them famous. Bourdain on the other hand is all about he food and more importantly, all about the culture behind the food. This book reflects that. It's definitely not for the faint of heart or those with delicate sensibilities. I lover it. I thought it was honest and straight from the heart. It has also given me a greater appreciation of the many faceless and hard working people in the restaurant business who work long hours for not too much money.

I will never order fish on a Monday unless it's in Japan :).

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as a cooks it relatable

It was great and good for anyone who work as a cook new or old

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