Kitchen Confidential Paperback – 23 May 2013

Called the original rockstar of the culinary world, Anthony Bourdain, pens a fascinating account of his journey.Annotated by the man himself, the book throbs with the energy and livewire atmosphere of a commercial kitchen.In Anthony Bourdain's own words, the fallout of his unconventional choices, persona and temperament, made him, "the poster boy for bad behaviour in the kitchen."Even if one knows zilch about cooking, the atmosphere he conjures, draws one into the high stress, burning, fighting, swearing, cussing, charged environment of chefs, waiters, suppliers, bartenders, dishwashers - all the denizens of the restaurant business.Exploring street food, travelling extensively, tapping into local flavours and delicacies, Bourdain was at home, in both the gourmet and basic spheres. Love for food and his wry humour and life lessons have spun many memorable quotes.Highly readable window into the backstory of kitchens.

A very entertaining and enjoyable read. The backdoor activities that go on to make a restaurant popular or otherwise is well explained with humour and simplicity. The writers candour is amazing!!!

Book Review: This is the book, his first which catapulted Anthony Bourdain to celebrity chef status and made him world famous....success on television followed and though he is now no longer a Chef he clearly hasn't forgotten his roots, his struggles both personal ( among others a serious cocaine addiction problem) and professional.....this memoir about his professional life (by no means a biography) takes you into one of the toughest industries in the world...the world of professional cooking and becoming a chef....the road is paved with mighty struggles, blood and gore, blisters and calluses, sweat and fights, struggle to keep down your job, surviving the gruelling 12 - 16 hour work shifts, practically no holidays, no sick leaves, cramped workstations and getting alongwith (if in US) coworkers who would be a combination of several immigrant nationalities...all the while dish out the same recipes day after day, keep oneself abreast of the politics in the kitchen, anticipate your staff's moves (while you try to poach others!!) all the while making sure your restaurant doesn't close down given the failure rate .....Written honestly (brutally if so), I would give this book a 9.9/10 for entertainment value (and use of cuss words :)), highly recommended not just to foodies and aspiring chefs (in US since he worked mostly there but am sure many commonalities in kitchens everywhere) but everyone who wants a peek into this fascinating stormy world....the next time your food comes out from a well heeled restaurant's kitchen you might appreciate the efforts of the numerous people who created it :)This latest edition (originally published in 2000) is updated with handwritten notes by Anthony which gives the book a unique feel....

Bourdain, in a conversational manner and almost as if we are talking over a beer, walks through his journey as a professional chef. In his own unique and inimitable style, he weaves in stories about his life, the restaurants he worked in, the people he worked with, the challenges, the good, the bad, and the ugly part of this industry…and does so with great humour. I frankly have a new found and profound respect for what it means to be a chef, to manage a restaurant or catering business, to day-in and day-out turn out consistent and high quality fare, etc. Too bad that he is gone!! RIP

Absolutely insane this book is, never knew a book could give you anxiety attacks all in good way of course, believe me I'm a line cook and this is not just a one time read I'm definitely reading this one again for it relates to my life so so much Anthony Bourdain even though is no more with us his whole life story with very small details of all the important things definitely will be with me forever, can't emphasis enough as to how good this book is with after though notes written in his own handwriting, beautiful work by the chef as well as by Bloomberg the publisher, ive read devil in the kitchen by marco but trust me this is 10 Times better.

Anthony Bourdain's "Kitchen Confidential" is a wild ride behind the scenes of the restaurant world. He dishes the dirt on everything, and it's both shocking and hilarious. You'll never look at your dinner the same way again.

Not much to say except it's a must read for a kitchen guy.

As a long time Anthony Bourdain fan I was ecstatic to find his book while browsing on Amazon.It relives everything this shows were, in his inimitable style.Loved it!