Four Kitchens: My Life Behind the Burner in New York, Hanoi, Tel Aviv, and Paris

From ribald kitchen humor to fiery-tempered workers to tasks ranging from the mundane (mincing cases of shallots) to the extraordinary (cooking seafood on the line), Shockey shows us what really happens behind-the-scenes in haute cuisine—and includes original recipes she learned along the way.

At the French Culinary Institute, Lauren Shockey learned to salt food properly, cook fearlessly over high heat, and knock back beers like a pro. But she also discovered that her real culinary education...