• 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 (36,061 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.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Kitchen Confidential

This is one of the best books I've listened to; or read for that matter. It was addictive. I was swept away by the author's own narrative, he is the only one who could possibly do his own book justice. All the French & Italian terms and the ease with which he describes his experiences...this was a mind-visual-smell-and mostly tasty escape into someone's life which I'd always thought glamorous. Well, what a fun ride, and how enlightening! This man is a BRILLIANT writer, and so much fun to listen to. Give it a try, and even if you don't like food, you WILL love this book. This is the one that finally got my husband into audiobooks...we couldn't "put it down", and were so sorry when it ended!

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183 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Funny, witty, insightful...and brutally graphic

Ok, so color me "sensitive" if you like, but I found myself at least wishing for some sort of warning about the vulgar language and graphic depictions of base (usually sexual) behavior. I'm not saying you shouldn't listen to it for that reason--I could have turned it off any time, and did not--but rather just trying to warn similarly constituted listeners what they're in for. The book *is* very entertaining, and Mr. Bourdain is an engaging story teller. The theme did seem to wander about a bit, from expose to documentary to lecture to diary...back and forth. All in all, though, a witty and entertaining (if brutal) look into life of a professional chef. You'll never look at a restaurant meal in quite the same way again, and, as Mr. Bourdain advises, you'll definitely want to "be polite to your waiter."

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112 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A Crazy, Hyper Dance From the Kitchen to the Table.

There is a certain thrill to being the first person to reach the top of a mountain, the first to eat at a soon-to-be famous restaurant, the first to discover an author, a band, a new food or experience. Well friend, the thrill of a late discovery (even when you are 15 years late to the party) is still pretty damn sweet. I might have seen Bourdain's books as I wandered through a bookstore. I might have seen him on CNN, the Travel Channel or the Food Network while searching for another show on another station. I didn't hardly notice him. He was, like that girl you know in class, but have never given much real attention to (only later to discover she is witty, wicked, and everything you want in a lover and fear in a daughter.

Over Christmas, while visiting and bonding my foodie brother in Arkansas, he introduces me to Parts Unknown on CNN. I am hooked. I love Bourdain. I'm addicted to the show. It mixes things that mix well: my love for travel, my love for food, my love for a good damn story with interesting characters. So, I figure, I might need to actually read his book. Yeah this one. The one that put him on the map. The one that turned him from an executive chef with personality to THE chef with personality.

The book is a quick read. It dances. It seems to operate with a certain mechanical, hyper-caffeinated efficiency. Whatever money it made Bourdain, he probably deserved even more. Right now, I've muted my desire to put it on the bookshelf next to my other just reads. I want my wife to read it first. Oh, I've got a friend who would love it too. My initial reaction to finishing this book is the same I get when I discover a fantastic new restaurant (Republica Empanada in Mesa, AZ) -- I want to take friends and family to it. I become not just a disciple, but a crazy-eyed evangelist.

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38 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

SPELLBINDING

I found this audio book spellbinding. If you read this book, you cannot put it down. I was amazed at how well Bourdain narrated the book. I learned plenty about food and the chef's world. I listened to his narration in my car. Some times I would sit in my driveway for half an hour before going into the house, I was so entranced by the book. Listen to a sample and you will be hooked. ENJOY!

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35 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

It's Cooking

Hey, he swears, he talks about drugs, sex, food. Especially the food. He clearly loves his food.
I cannot believe that some reviewers take against the author for honesty and being himself. He swears! Aaargh! He is honest about his past: "I was a jerk" - and I imagine he was. Perhaps is. Who knows? He writes what comes out of his head, what he feels, no holds barred. And he narrates it very well.
I am a Brit, so a lot of the references to restaurants, chefs, places meant diddly squat to me, but it doesn't matter. The book is funny - laugh out loud in places - it is informative, profane, full of foodie terms I have no idea about (but so what, it ain't a recipe book). It is a good listen.
I mark it down a point because I think the quality of recording could be better - a strange fade-in thing going on at the start of sentences/sections, but not so bad that it is to the detriment of the tale. Kitchen Confidential? AB will hate it - but I say 'well done'. Arf.

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34 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

For the food service in us ...

If you've ever worked in a kitchen, this is how it really is. Not how it "should" be, but most of the time how it actually is. This book is written by Anthony, but could have thousands of other names as the writer. But only he, it seems, could have put it in the words that he has. A great tribute from all of us that have gone through it.
This is a must read for anyone even remotely interested in the writer (good or bad), ready to eat in a fine food joint (when to order certain foods, when not to, and why), or thinking of working in the kitchen industry. Very well written, full of very logical and technicial facts from the food industry, a very good and enjoyable read, and just down right funny! My very first full 5 star rating and I just don't give those ratings away.
I respect the writer much more after seeing where he came from and what he went through, though I must say I found him entertaining before reading it. This was a wonderful glimpse behind the kitchen doors written by a person able to tell it better than most. Very well done Mr. Bourdain!! Learn from his decisions, and hope to be as fine a Chef as he actually is. Very well written indeed.

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30 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

What a Great Read!!!

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 while eagerly awaiting his next effort!

If the workings of a professional kitchen intrigues you, you must read this book!!!

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24 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

AUTOBIOGRAPHY MASTERPIECE

I was a fan of "Kitchen Confidential" TV Show and I Decided to read the book it was based upon, and I loved It!!!!!

Sense of humor and facts of the story make it unbelievably good.
Excellent narration of the author himself giving it final touch making it better than TV show.

PS
I began listening it through the loud speakers of my phone during my meal time break in one of my usual restaurants, and in 20 minutes 3 tables closest to me asked me to make it louder, I have no doubt they BOUGHT a copy of their own.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Disgusting, tasteful, enlightening and disturbing

A captivating listen as Anthony Bourdain takes you through a wild ride of his restaurant grind, from the bottom to the top. This book was an incredible opportunity to see a life that is more foreign to me than almost anything I can imagine. I regret that it's the news of his recent suicide that turned me on to his book. Honor this man by giving his book a listen, you won't regret it.

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19 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

One of the funniest books I've ever heard...

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..."

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19 people found this helpful