Afbeelding auteur
3+ Werken 347 Leden 13 Besprekingen

Werken van Kwame Onwuachi

Gerelateerde werken

The Best American Food Writing 2020 (2020) — Medewerker — 72 exemplaren

Tagged

Algemene kennis

Leden

Besprekingen

In this culinary memoir, Kwame Onwuachi describes how he arose from a rough-and-tumble childhood selling drugs to putting himself through cooking school and emerging as a 2019 James Beard "Rising Star Chef of the Year."

Every time I read memoirs from the culinary world, my mouth waters at all the descriptions of food preparation and regret that no one has yet invented books you can taste. I enjoyed Onwuachi's impressive and detailed life story (so far). The narrative flowed at a steady pace and was always interesting. I selected the version "adapted for young adults" to fulfill the Read Harder category "a YA nonfiction book," but I think I would have appreciated something meatier (no pun intended), so I would recommend prospective readers to reach for the other edition.… (meer)
 
Gemarkeerd
ryner | 2 andere besprekingen | Feb 17, 2024 |
(I am using this book for my "A Book with X, Y, or Z in The Title" Category of Extreme Book Nerd.)

I say it all the time to people and in my reviews, but I am a sucker for food memoirs. They take me into a life that I will never know--that of being behind the line at a restaurant. I will never eat at a Michelin star restaurant (or let me put it this way, I highly doubt it). I will never travel to the full extent that some of these chefs have. I will never be on a reality TV cooking show. I also don't have their story, their history, their cultural heritage and identity that makes them, well, them. I have mine; I know how I have been influenced and what drives my cooking. I enjoy reading their stories.

I had never heard of Kwame Onwauchi before; I had not watched his season of Top Chef. But wow, for a guy my age, he has come so far. Growing up in the projects and feeling more support from gangs than his own father, Kwame has many a chef's story. He did drugs. He didn't have much going for him. He started in kitchens because he had to get a job. THEN he discovered a passion for cooking; a passion he had always had thanks to people in his life. He works at some of the most high profile restaurants: Per Se (A Thomas Keller) and Eleven Madison Park. Yet he has dreams for himself. He wants to share his story, his culture, through food.

I have been a recipient of "white privilege." I don't know what it is like for people to assume I'm just going to cook fried chicken and collard greens. I have never had someone tell me I'm not "Southern" enough because I'm black yet cook different types of food. Kwame has had experiences where people judge him based on the color of his skin. I find this wrong. He should be judged on the food he puts out. Frankly, I don't want African American chefs only cooking fried chicken (though I love me a good fried chicken). I want to try Kwame's Creole/African inspired food. Because when you are passionate about where you come from (as Kwame came to be), that food tastes infinitely better. Plus African food is an area where I need to expand my palate and my knowledge.

Kwame came off as a little....millennial...in the book. He did not always take credit for his failures. He even admitted that he had different personas that he can put on at certain times. However, I like the food behind the man. THAT is why this gets a five star review.
… (meer)
 
Gemarkeerd
msgabbythelibrarian | 9 andere besprekingen | Jun 11, 2023 |
I enjoyed this book. And adaptation of his adult novel, this will definitely appeal to Readers who have a passion for food and a determination to succeed at some thing they put their minds to. This is definitely a book you don’t read when you’re hungry. All I kept thinking about was having the opportunity to try out some of the foods and recipes he talked about during the novel.
 
Gemarkeerd
Z_Brarian | 2 andere besprekingen | Dec 12, 2022 |
Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
 
Gemarkeerd
fernandie | 2 andere besprekingen | Sep 15, 2022 |

Lijsten

Prijzen

Misschien vindt je deze ook leuk

Gerelateerde auteurs

Statistieken

Werken
3
Ook door
1
Leden
347
Populariteit
#68,853
Waardering
3.9
Besprekingen
13
ISBNs
16

Tabellen & Grafieken