A buffet of food memoirs

Recommending Kitchen Confidential, Anthony Bourdain's drug fuelled expose of what really goes on in professional kitchens, as good holiday reading to my friend S on the weekend reminded me of some other chef’s autobiographies and food-related memoirs I’ve enjoyed. Here are a few of my favourites:

Humble pie, Gordon Ramsay
I admit I had a bit of a crush on Gordon Ramsay when I read this enjoyable and surprisingly insightful autobiography but who could fail to be fascinated by the life story of arguably the most f****** controversial celebrity chef of all time.

I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti, Giulia Melucci
This deliciously funny and sometimes poignant tale is Giulia Melucci’s account of her dating history, the dishes she used to seduce the men in her life and the comfort food she consoled herself with after her relationships fizzled out – with recipes! (For more on this fabulous book, see my post from 20th July, “Food + relationships = a perfect partnership”)

Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise, Ruth Reichl
The editor of the now defunct Gourmet magazine focuses on her life as a food critic in this great book, dishing up a feast of fabulous meals enjoyed during her time as a restaurant critic at The New York Times, often dining in disguise.

Lilla’s Feast, Frances Osborne
This is the story of Lilla Eckford, Frances Osborne’s great-grandmother, a British colonialist who sustained herself through three years of semi-starvation in a Japanese camp during the second world war by writing the cookbook that lies at the heart of lovely memoir.

Eat Pray Love, Elizabeth Gilbert
Only a third of Elizabeth Gilbert’s gloriously evocative spiritual travelogue is about food but it makes me want to abandon everything, right this second, and hop on a plane to Italy in search of la dolce vita.


And some that I’d like to read:


White Slave, Marco Pierre White
Another British chef with a fearsome reputation, most of what I know about Marco Pierre White comes from Gordon Ramsay’s Humble Pie. I’d be interested to read White’s version of their falling out.

Waiter Rant: Behind the Scenes of Eating Out, The waiter
This book is based on the blog Waiter rant and has been described as "a front of house version of Kitchen Confidential".

Julia Child: A Life, Laura Shapiro
After watching the movie Julie & Julia recently, I’m fascinated with American cookbook writer and TV chef Julia Child and think that she deserves a full bio-pic. I’d certainly like to read more about her amazing life.

Heat: an amateur's adventures as kitchen slave, line cook, pasta maker, and apprentice to a Dante-quoting butcher in Tuscany, Bill Buford
Journalist Bill Buford recounts his experiences as "slave" to chef Mario Batali in the small, chaotic, only-the-best-will-do kitchen of three-star New York restaurant, Babbo.

Down and Out in Paris and London, George Orwell.
This classic book is often quoted by foodies and apparently contains a remarkably graphic behind-the-scenes look at restaurant kitchens in the ‘20s and ‘30s.

Any other suggestions?