Kitchen Confidential Audiobook By Anthony Bourdain cover art

Kitchen Confidential

Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly

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Kitchen Confidential

By: Anthony Bourdain
Narrated by: Anthony Bourdain
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About this listen

Recently, The New Yorker published chef Anthony Bourdain's shocking, "Don't Eat Before Reading This." Bourdain spared no one's appetite in this tell-all about what happens behind the kitchen door.

Now, the author uses the same "take-no-prisoners" attitude in his deliciously funny and shockingly delectable audiobook, sure to delight gourmands and philistines alike. From his first oyster in the Gironde, to his lowly position as a dishwasher in a honky-tonk fish restaurant in Provincetown, from the kitchen of the Rainbow Room atop Rockefeller Center, to drug dealers in the East Village, from Tokyo to Paris and back to New York again, Bourdain's tales of the kitchen are as passionate as they are unpredictable.

Kitchen Confidential will make your mouth water while your belly aches with laughter. You'll beg the chef for more, please.

Anthony Bourdain is the author of the novels Bone in the Throat and Gone Bamboo. This is his first work of nonfiction. He is the executive chef at Brasserie Les Halles in New York City.

Hear an exclusive interview with Bourdain.

©51
2000 Anthony Bourdain
(P)2000 Random House, Inc.
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Editorial review


By Seth Hartman, Audible Editor

WITH KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL, ANTHONY BOURDAIN SPILLED HIS GUTS AND MADE HISTORY

Drawing from his experience and pedigree as a seasoned chef in New York City, Anthony Bourdain brings an honest, impassioned, and aggressively pretense-free perspective to this seemingly glamorous life. As a lifelong eater and obsessive patron of all types of cooking shows, Kitchen Confidential left a special impact on me.

Rather than providing a "view from the mountaintop," Bourdain meets the listener at eye level, narrating a brutally honest and relentlessly detailed account of life in the kitchen in his own voice. While I am sure he would hate to be described as such, Anthony Bourdain arguably created the punk rock, alternative bad boy aesthetic that has become a popular trope among celebrity chefs. Through this book, he spares no details recounting the long hours, strained relationships, drug abuse, and insomnia that colored his experiences working at some of the finest dining institutions in New York and beyond. While stories like this are more commonly told in today’s media landscape, Bourdain really kicked the doors open for public discourse about restaurant life.

While I love to be in the kitchen and think of myself as a decent cook, I still consider what goes on behind closed doors in a restaurant to be magical. After falling in love with Bourdain as a television personality, I thought I would try to deepen my connection with my burgeoning passion in the kitchen by listening to his memoir. I always loved Anthony Bourdain for his ability to "take off the gloves" when speaking about some of the industry’s best kept secrets. I honestly don’t think I would have the courage to push myself in the kitchen if it wasn’t for his sarcastic yet encouraging voice pushing me along. With his signature dry sense of humor and absolute refusal to muzzle himself, Kitchen Confidential is full of Bourdain’s almost dogmatic "dos and don’ts." For example, he absolutely refuses to eat fish on Mondays in New York City based on of what he knows about fish suppliers and when restaurants tend to buy stock. One of my favorite parts about this book is that it makes you not only a better home chef but a better restaurant-goer as well.

After his tragic demise in 2018, I felt something that I rarely feel from a celebrity death. Anthony Bourdain was a one-of-a-kind soul, an unparalleled talent, and a man who truly brought a never-before-seen look into his craft to the general public. This book encapsulates everything I love and admire about the man. While some people are put off by his blunt, profane, and occasionally jaded point of view, I think these qualities made him the greatest foodie there ever was.

While this memoir is certainly ideal for those wishing to understand more about the inner workings of the restaurant business, it has a very wide appeal. No matter if you are an industry professional, long time hobbyist (like me), or couldn't care less about haute cuisine, Bourdain's wisdom will reach you somehow. His musings on life, passion, addiction, and love are feelings we can all relate to one way or another. If you are looking to make a change in your life or are searching for some kind of creative inspiration, there is a lot of gold to be found here.

Continue reading Seth's review >

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What listeners say about Kitchen Confidential

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

What a Great Read!!!

Funny, insightful, irreverent, articulate...all fit this outstanding effort by Anthony Bourdain. My first read of his material and I can't wait to download his earlier works while eagerly awaiting his next effort!

If the workings of a professional kitchen intrigues you, you must read this book!!!

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24 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Foodie delight!

I loved this book. After reading it, I felt I really learned what it REALLY is like to be a chef. Anthony Bourdain's reading is fantastic. He is at times crude and vulgar, while at other times down right hilarious. What I loved about this book: Honest. If you love the food network and would truly love to get down and dirty with the "real" cooking, read this book. He does not sugar coat a thing. I loved it!

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

I dissent.

Everybody else loves this book -- I didn't. I've never been a fan of books in which the author -- or protagonist -- revels in his drug use, drinking, addictions and generally antisocial conduct, and that's what this is, a pride-filled account, not of Bourdain's obviously huge talent, but of his lamentable character. I'm libertarian enough to emphasize that I don't object to Bourdain's doing it -- it's just that I don't find such juvenile conduct interesting. I can't understand the mentality that takes pride in such self-destructive behavior.

For the record, I am a foodie, at least of sorts. Twice in my life I've supported myself and my kids by catering. I can cook -- not 1% of what Bourdain does, obviously. But I'm perfectly at home in the kitchen, yours or mine. All that said, it will be a long time before I'm ready to go into any restaurant again and order food, for the simple reason that while I didn't like what Bourdain was saying, I have no trouble at all believing it.

And that's the reason I gave a book that I basically didn't like four stars -- it rings true. Unfortunately, from my standpoint, Bourdain made me see what was going on there, behind the swinging doors. The book is well-written -- so much so that not only will I stay out of restaurants, but once again, I have promised myself never to darken the borders of Japan. Eating live animals is just not something I want to hear about, let alone do. I find myself hoping there is some kind of eternal punishment for those who would cause animals such suffering -- its beyond me, how anyone can enjoy such a thing.

Bourdain narrates his own book -- which is normally a good thing. Author-read books are usually among the best. In this one, however, Bourdain races through it, reading so fast, and -- in parts -- with so little inflection, it's easy to get left behind. Now that I've finished the book, it has occurred to me that maybe that's not such a bad thing.

I won't listen to this one again -- when the need for a "life with food" book strikes me, I will head for "Appetite for Life" featuring Julia Child, or "My Life in France" or any of a half-dozen other "Julia" books that I've read or listened to many times over. There's nobody shooting up in those books, nobody bleeding or barfing all over the food. Much better, as far as I'm concerned.

If you like eating out, skip this one. Or listen at your peril.

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5 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Pushed Me Over The Edge

He probably didn't mean to, but Anthony Bourdain pushed me over the edge. His raw and humorous backdoor exposure of milieu, blood spillage, and other goings-on in commercial kitchens was enough to shut me down. I was already an infrequent visitor of restaurants, now I'll go only if I can successfully sneak in my own dish. I'd request a seat near the kitchen and enjoy the show risk-free!

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Amazing and gritty

Was amazing and gritty I expected no less and I'm excited for more. I highly recommend this book. Thank you

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

I was entertained

I don't think you have to be a foodie to enjoy this book. This is not a how to book but there are times that he will go into great detail about preparing food. The meat of this book is a gritty behind the scenes look at the restaunt biz from his start as a dishwasher in a greasy spoon to head chef in some of the finest New York establishments. Very graphic language and pervasive drug use is discussed, which for me only adds to the allure of this story. Throughout his career he has worked with many interesting people, all of whom he brought to life with a great deal of clarity and texture. I was not bored.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Authentic Voice

I really enjoyed having the author be the voice. Anthony Bourdain writes, and narrates, in a very straight forward style. Some of the content is shocking, but he is never flowery or overly generous in his description of kitchen life. I really enjoyed this book.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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gone too soon

This man's ability to write and read is outstanding. His gift will be missed. This is a very easy listen.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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In love

This book shows what it is really like to be in the kitchen. I also enjoy the fact he is narrator, makes you really pay attention to his story and feel what he is saying in the book. I can't wait to hear of his stories. It such a shame he is gone, he was an amazing person and such inspiration to many.

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MUST read if you like food!

I've always been a foodie (yes, I know he hates that word!) and I recently got into the restaurant business. it's been a challenging experience, and sometimes I wonder what I got myself into! reading this book opened my eyes to the industry and what it really takes to make it happen. I'm inspired! absolutely loved this book...

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