Reviews: Reading Material

This is the first book by Garland that I have read… The book is a quick read, well-written, and has a unique point of view. The story is interesting, and there are several very clever bits in the book. Based on my experience with this book, I will read THE BEACH.

Through Mr. Ruhlman’s book, I experienced what life at the Culinary must be like. It gave me an appreciation for the planning, commitment, dedication, and stamina that today’s culinary professionals must embody. It is clear that Mr. Ruhlman enjoyed his time at the Culinary and he reports fairly and accurately. Because of my background in educational administration, the pace of education (students gradutating to be replaced with new students every three weeks!) was most astounding to me, as was the sheer volume of food generated by the institution. Mr. Ruhlman is to be commended on capturing the life of a student of culinary education. This book should be required reading for all those considering a career in culinary arts.

I really love W.B. Spencer’s work — I first found RESUME WITH MONSTERS, then ZOD WALLOP, then RETURN OF COUNT ELECTRIC, and IRRATIONAL FEARS is waiting to be read. MAYBE I’LL CALL ANNA is an interesting story from his early career and good in its own right. Definately a worthwhile read.

After reading BECOMING A CHEF, DINING OUT, and the amazing CULINARY ARTISTRY, perhaps my expectations were a little high for this book. However, CHEF’S NIGHT OUT seemed thin on material, and designed for someone who is not me: a person that travels a LOT, and has tons of money. The book will live in my collection as a reference for when I travel, but I put it down after only reading a little bit of it since it doesn’t apply to me. Also, my city had ZERO restaurants listed. ZERO. I applaud Dorenberg & Page for their research, but this book tries to hit too broad a target, and misses.

After reading CULINARY ARTISTRY, I understand the food industry, and specifically the mindset of culinary professionals, better than I did before. Especially valuable in this book is the listing of “flavor pals”, which is an excellent quick-reference for matching flavors. It spreads the palette of food flavors before you, allowing mixing and matching of complimentary (or disparate) taste elements in your own creations. This is a very handy reference book, and one that I recommend strongly.