Come for the celebrity chef tea; stay for the trainwreck. I could not put down this memoir which describes the author's life in the restaurant and foodie world. By her own admission she was in many ways very fortunate because working for Batali and Bourdain opened doors for her professionally and allowed her experiences that most would envy, but constant gender-related harrassment, long hours working in an environment where substance abuse was the norm, and living on a financial knife edge took a toll.
Although there are plenty of anecdotes about her famous former bosses and some celebrity mentions, this book was actually quite dark and depressing because the author spent those same years as an addict with mental health issues who engaged in behavior that was destructive to herself and her family. She does not spare the reader, and it was particularly difficult reading about the very slow dissolution of her marriage to a man who seemed like a nice person and good father.
The author has been sober for 6 years and is doing fine, but wow.... this book was not what I expected.
Although there are plenty of anecdotes about her famous former bosses and some celebrity mentions, this book was actually quite dark and depressing because the author spent those same years as an addict with mental health issues who engaged in behavior that was destructive to herself and her family. She does not spare the reader, and it was particularly difficult reading about the very slow dissolution of her marriage to a man who seemed like a nice person and good father.
The author has been sober for 6 years and is doing fine, but wow.... this book was not what I expected.
