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axmai's review against another edition
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Racism
ribbonreuben's review against another edition
4.0
I really loved reading this book! I wish I could try more of the recipes (most of them are meat and I'm a vegetarian), because the way they're described sounds absolutely dreamy. The pacing and chronology were a little wonky, but all in all, I highly recommend it!
kmthomas06's review against another edition
4.0
Fascinating read - I realized while reading I would at times be very uncomfortable. I rarely read stories from a black male perspective so this was startling at times as it was clearly outside my experiences. Kitchens in fine dining sound terrifying but you add Onwuachi's race and the dynamic becomes even more perilous at times. You root for him the entire time but it's hard to miss how stacked the deck is against him at times as well.
arirose's review against another edition
4.0
I still feel weird reviewing nonfictions & memoirs, but I'm trying to get over that fear. So they're 3-5 stars from now on, no less than 3 lol This one was pretty good, pretty alright at times, so a nice middle grade of 4 stars.
There were times where I wasn't really vibing with the writing. Especially in the beginning it felt amateurish. But as we continued on, the style either grew on me or didn't bother me anymore. Overall, I didn't really connect with the memoir but that's not a bad thing. I still found it very inspiring how Kwame was so hopeful even after such a devastating failure (which arguably was the fault of society, at least to some degree). It just all seemed to end so suddenly though. Not sure if Kwame should have given more time before writing the memoir, or what exactly.
There were times where I wasn't really vibing with the writing. Especially in the beginning it felt amateurish. But as we continued on, the style either grew on me or didn't bother me anymore. Overall, I didn't really connect with the memoir but that's not a bad thing. I still found it very inspiring how Kwame was so hopeful even after such a devastating failure (which arguably was the fault of society, at least to some degree). It just all seemed to end so suddenly though. Not sure if Kwame should have given more time before writing the memoir, or what exactly.
brea_by_the_beach's review against another edition
3.0
A wild ride of a story about a young ambitious chef, whose tale spans the disparate lifestyles of the Bronx, to reclaiming a lost Nigerian heritage, to apprenticing in some of the most prestigious restaurants in the world, to Food Network appearances of Top Chef. Along the way, he embraces the multi-faceted sides of his identity, and uses his knowledge, skill and hustle to open up a high end dining restaurant in Washington, D.C. Unfortunately, the arc of ambition isn't perfectly linear, and our protagonist learns some humbling lessons along the way.
What I liked - the sheer audacious brilliance of this guy - it clearly takes some balls to achieve the success he has, and so early in his life. I admired his perfectionism, attention to detail and drive. I loved some of the stories - cooking on a oil recovery rig, the stainless steel bastion of Per Se, the recipes.
Where this fell short was that I think there was more to be said after the business of Shaw Bijou and its demise, and some life learning that he could have done more of a deep dive into, but I suspect he rightfully doesn't have time for that. Maybe this suggests he could have waited a bit before penning a biography.. but I think perhaps that was intentional. He clearly has a big, glittering culinary career still ahead of him.. which is why this is just "Notes" to other young chefs in training, or some advice, to those considering a career in the culinary world?
I would probably rate this a half star higher if that were an option, because his life story thus far is really interesting. I'm always a sucker for a good food story, especially one with the behind the scenes tid bits that are so enticing.
What I liked - the sheer audacious brilliance of this guy - it clearly takes some balls to achieve the success he has, and so early in his life. I admired his perfectionism, attention to detail and drive. I loved some of the stories - cooking on a oil recovery rig, the stainless steel bastion of Per Se, the recipes.
Where this fell short was that I think there was more to be said after the business of Shaw Bijou and its demise, and some life learning that he could have done more of a deep dive into, but I suspect he rightfully doesn't have time for that. Maybe this suggests he could have waited a bit before penning a biography.. but I think perhaps that was intentional. He clearly has a big, glittering culinary career still ahead of him.. which is why this is just "Notes" to other young chefs in training, or some advice, to those considering a career in the culinary world?
I would probably rate this a half star higher if that were an option, because his life story thus far is really interesting. I'm always a sucker for a good food story, especially one with the behind the scenes tid bits that are so enticing.
mudboywa's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
how can you not love this guy. and damn his food sounds dope
pennsnape's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
jacktheblackcat17's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
3.25
I liked it. Typo on page 233 “technoogy” is taking me out. but it’s one of those books that feels like it’s just someone’s train of thought and not like actually structured writing. Like you can tell they didn’t write this because they’re into literature and I guess I prefer a memoir that is more literary. Which is fine. But fhere were a lot of weird time jumps especially every time Top Chef was mentioned, all the events around that period I couldn’t tell whether they were before or after Top Chef, also why didn’t he just tell the quick story of his fiancée instead of just randomly mentioning her name like twice? Still very interesting! I love learning about cooking a lot.