Dirt

Adventures in Lyon as a Chef in Training, Father, and Sleuth Looking for the Secret of French Cooking

By: Bill Buford

Narrated by: Bill Buford

“You can almost taste the food in Bill Buford’s Dirt, an engrossing, beautifully written memoir about his life as a cook in France.” —The Wall Street Journal

What does it take to master French cooking? This is the question that drives Bill Buford to abandon his perfectly happy life in New York City and pack up and (with a wife and three-year-old twin sons in tow) move to Lyon, the so-called gastronomic capital of France. But what was meant to be six months in a new and very foreign city turns into a wild five-year digression from normal life, as Buford apprentices at Lyon’s best boulangerie, studies at a legendary culinary school, and cooks at a storied Michelin-starred restaurant, where he discovers the exacting (and incomprehensibly punishing) rigueur of the professional kitchen.

With his signature humor, sense of adventure, and masterful ability to bring an exotic and unknown world to life, Buford has written the definitive insider story of a city and its great culinary culture.

Wonderfully Delicious

A master storyteller. Although I’ve never been to Lyon I feel like I can taste it’s food and culture.

even if you don't cook

an adventure told with passion, insight and honesty. I think I will try to cook a chicken.

Exquisite

Buford navigates his subject with impressive ease, instilling a joie de vie based on humor, adventure, family, food, and history. Many thanks Bill

Buford is a great storyteller!!!

Buford is a great storyteller!!! He speaks with enthusiasm.
An impressive account of Lyon and French cuisine.

Heartwarming story of adventures in culinary quests

Loved this book and the authors narration with so much personality! The adventure he embarked upon with his family was a bold move by any means and they seemed to take much of it in stride. Bill’s love of learning the French culture and cuisine seethed thru all the chapters with plenty of detail and I delighted in listening to each next challenge. A great listen inspiring to take a visit to Lyon!