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A page-turning memoir from the chef of The Waverly Inn, New York City's vaunted celebrity gathering spot
The Hunger is an insider's romp through the crazy life of the restaurant business, told by a journeyman chef who fought his way to the top. Trapped in a dead-end job, John DeLucie called it quits and invested his meager savings in a ten-week cooking class. Upon completion, armed with no professional experience and the barest of basic skills, he walked into the renowned gourmet shop Dean & DeLuca and asked for a job. The next day he found himself chopping forty pounds of onions in the prep-kitchen basement. A glamorous new chapter had begun. DeLucie worked his way up the bumpy NYC food chain, from executive chef at La Bottega to Nick & Toni's in East Hampton, eventually finding his way to The Waverly Inn, which he opened with publishing magnate Graydon Carter and several partners. It was here that John married his mastery of simple but unique flavors with Carter's A+ list of glitterati to create downtown's hottest eatery.
The Hunger tracks John though the pitfalls of cooking for a living, as well as the roller-coaster ride that became his personal life. Woven into the grit are the stories behind some of DeLucie's signature recipes, including New York's "Best High-End Burger" and the now famous truffled mac and cheese. Here is John's tale about food, desire, and appetite—and how one person overcame all odds to make it in the fiercely competitive world of food.
Anonymous
Posted December 27, 2009
Fantastic read...
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.THE HUNGER is entertaining reading at its best. The tale of a risk taker, John DeLucie, who elected to leave the comfort of the financial world and follow his bumpy dream to have the most popular restaurant in Manhattan - the Waverly Inn - is at once well written, humorous, full of wise concepts of how to do and not to do things that mold a new career, and a bit of gastronomic history that should delight everyone who seeks to discover that 'perfect restaurant'.
But what makes this book such a delight to read is DeLucie's take on the people he has encountered along the way from failures and semi-successes to his ultimate current state of esteem. Here are the weird ones, the snooty clientele and the famous and wannabe famous characters that populate the great city of New York. His insights to human behavior are astute, acerbic, and at times just plain gossipy. All this is mixed as if in a blender and out comes an engaging story that will provides hours of laughter and 'a-has'. And in the end it is also an intimate drawing of a great chef in all his guises.
Grady Harp
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.mavericka_the_superhero
Posted May 21, 2009
Enjoyed the story. Getting out of boring job then finding something your passionate about...... and making MONEY, you gotta love that!!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted January 17, 2010
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Overview
The Hunger is an insider's romp through the crazy life of the restaurant business, told by a journeyman chef who fought his way to the top. Trapped in a dead-end job, John DeLucie called it quits and invested his meager savings in a ten-week cooking class. Upon completion, armed with no professional experience and the barest of basic skills, he walked into the renowned gourmet shop Dean & DeLuca and asked for a job. The next day he found himself chopping forty pounds of onions in the prep-kitchen basement. A glamorous new chapter had begun. ...