I’m Not High-Maintenance (As Long as Everything’s Perfect)

A Chef’s Diary- 30 Years of Cooking, Kitchens and Chaos

By: Matthew Gladstone

Narrated by: Matthew Gladstone

MATTHEW GLADSTONE
THIRTY YEARS. A THOUSAND KITCHENS

I’ve had more burns, long nights, and impossible clients than I can count in my thirty years as a chef. A few thought that a “private chef” meant personal therapist — they weren’t wrong. This isn’t a cookbook; it’s a confession — the unfiltered truth about what really happens behind those perfect families.

From kitchens with too many egos to estates with too much money, from whispered chaos to dinners for people who don’t actually eat — it’s all held together with sarcasm, salt, and a stubborn refusal to quit.

If you’ve ever cooked for crazy, or just wondered what happens once the kitchen door swings shut, pull up a stool. Thirty years. A thousand kitchens. Still standing. Still laughing. Still not sugarcoating a damn thing.

©2025 Matthew Gladstone (P)2026 Matthew Gladstone

Gifted Storytelling

I was laughing out loud in my car. I can relate to so many moments. I highly recommend this book to all hospitality professionals.