The Making of a Chef

Mastering Heat at the Culinary Institute of America

By: Michael Ruhlman

Narrated by: Jeff Riggenbach

Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

In the ultimate food-lover's fantasy, journalist Michael Ruhlman dons chef's jacket and houndstooth-check pants to join the students in Skills One at the Culinary Institute of America, the most influential cooking school in the country. His goal is to document the training of America's chefs from the first classroom to the Culinary's final kitchen, the American Bounty Restaurant. The result becomes more than a rote reportage of a school for cooks. Ruhlman learns to cook as though his future depends upon it, and this complete immersion enables him to create the most vivid and energetic memoir of a culinary education on record.

©1997 by Michael Ruhlman (P)1998 by Blackstone Audiobooks

Valuable tool for any profession, hobby, etc

Read it, it will benefit you! It doesn't matter where you apply it, it will elevate you!

I’d listen to it again

Listened to it while working, easy to follow. Entertaining and bits of funny, actually laughed out loud. Bought the paperback to spend more time with it.

wonderful

This was one of the most enjoyable books I have heard in awhile. I stayed up all night to listen to the entire thing- almost 12 hours! I couldn't put it down.

It was so interesting to learn about the CIA and so interesting to learn about food in general. And the author can write!

Just don't listen to this if you are hungry.....

everyone was right about the narrator

fantastic material, but my god it takes a while to get past that dry delivery

Brown Sauce

Interesting insight into the making of a cook and chef (they aren't the same, I learned). A bit long winded at times, but worth the time.

Audio quality is pretty dismal in places. Whoever they've got splicing these tapes together really did a crummy job. Nothing is missing, but it is annoying. A less forgiving person would have tried to get his credit back.

Great book, poor narration

I loved the story and all of the minute details that the author added, it’s a very engaging story. The narrator is quite boring and monotone and mispronounces many culinary terms as well as some other things such as “Barnard” college.

Needs better narration

I really enjoyed the content of the book. It would have been much better if the author narrated the book. The narration was choppy and poorly edited. At times I wondered if it was a human narrating or a computer.

Must read for culinary students.

Read it because my daughter's been accepted to the CIA. I hope she's really prepared! I recommended that she read it as well. She will as soon as high school finals are over. The info is almost 10 years old, but still good ... and eye opening.

An author and a cook

A very good book. It gives a reader general idea what it's like to attend the Culinary Institute of America and some of the courses and skills taught there. it's a good book to read for anyone interested in the culinary arrests. The editing of the audio book sounds choppy in some sections, but overall, it's a good book.

Great book

well read and very enjoyable.
I love culinary books and this tops my list. I hope this author keeps writing more on this subject.