Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly - Anthony Bourdain

When a light such as Anthony Bourdain is extinguished too early, there's a desire to revisit his work and try to grasp for just a moment a little bit of that lost light. That is what reading Kitchen Confidential is like, two months after his tragic suicide. 

Bourdain was a troubled but gifted young adult who grew, truly grew, to be an influential and curious traveler and culinary mind. In Kitchen Confidential, you can see the beginnings of his later works - No Reservations and Parts Unknown. Through his early stories of personal and financial failure and his burgeoning influence as the Chef of Les Halles, it's just possible to see the thread of the force he would become. 

To say he's gone too soon is an understatement. It's a loss for the world at large that this voice of understanding and global fellowship is now silent. The things I enjoyed most about his shows, was his unending curiosity of the people and the culture of whatever location he was visiting, and also his gratitude for the hospitality he was shown. He was un-entitled and warm. In Kitchen Confidential, you see hints of that, especially in the chapter detailing his trip to Tokyo, where he confesses to the ultimate travel sin of McDonalds and Starbucks. ("See, this famous chef is just like me when confronted with strange food!")

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and its look at the inside workings of a kitchen. I am saddened all over again at Bourdain's death. But am thankful for the gifts he gave us along the way.

4.5/5 Stars.