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1-Page Summary of Kitchen Confidential
Overview
In his book, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly (2000), celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain shares his experiences as a young cook and how he transformed into one of the best chefs in the world. He gives tips for at-home cooks to impress family and friends with their cooking skills. However, he also warns people away from becoming restaurant owners if they’re not willing to work long hours slaving over hot stoves.
Bourdain’s love for food started in France, a country well-known for being the birthplace of many famous chefs. Bourdain was born in New York City and his first exposure to French cuisine came when he visited relatives while on vacation. He initially disliked the rich dairy products (cheese) and unusual dishes that were different from what he was used to at home. But one day, after his parents left him alone with his brother in an upscale restaurant car park, he decided never again to pass up the opportunity to sample new foods. From then on, he chased down every strange delicacy that crossed his path during their summer trip.
Anthony Bourdain was a high school dropout who took classes at Vassar College but didn’t complete them. He preferred to chase girls and get drugs rather than study, so he dropped out of college. After leaving college, he went to Provincetown where some friends introduced him to marijuana, cocaine, and food from roommates until someone set him up with a dishwashing job at the Dreadnaught. This restaurant gave Bourdain his first glimpse into the life of a chef. The cooks were charismatic and fearsome; some had criminal histories while others had been hippies who couldn’t adjust to typical jobs. Drugs were used rampantly by everyone in the kitchen, including customers as well as staff members (sometimes). It was an exciting atmosphere that made Bourdain want to become a chef himself one day.
It was not easy to get into the cooking world. First, Bourdain had to give up his entitlement as a private school student. When he worked at Mario’s restaurant in Provincetown, he was cocky and complained about an injury on his hand when it touched a hot pan that another employee owned. The other employee pushed his hands into Bourdain’s face and humiliated him for complaining about the pain of kitchen work.
After Bourdain got insulted, he realized that he needed to become a better chef. He applied to the Culinary Institute of America and was accepted. At the CIA, his skills were basic since he had worked in a few restaurants before. However, as time passed and more classes came along with harder professors, Bourdain learned new techniques and improved his cooking skills. During this time period, Bourdain also took up a job at a bar in the West Village while completing his coursework at the CIA.
After graduating from the CIA, Bourdain returned to work at the Dreadnaught for a while but eventually left to start his own catering company with Dimitri. He then began working as a caterer in Provincetown for wealthy families and started dreaming of catering banquets in New York City. Instead he took a job at the Rainbow Room where he learned how to defend himself against harassment and follow orders quickly.
When Anthony Bourdain was given the opportunity to work under a former classmate, he jumped at it. The friend had been named chef de cuisine of a restaurant called Work Progress. Bourdain and his friends used their experience in the industry to turn the restaurant into one that reflected their depraved behavior from Provincetown. They took advantage of new owners’ naiveté by mocking any suggestion they made about improving business because they resented them for being new to the industry. As money came in inconsistently, and customers were sparse, members of the kitchen staff blamed management instead of themselves for poor performance.
