Life, On The Line: A Chef's Story Of Chasing Greatness, Facing Death, And Redefining The Way We Eat (2011) - Plot & Excerpts
a snippet of what I wrote for work...At Trio, he meets Nick Kokonas, the man who will invest and find the funding for Achatz’s dream, Alinea (translating to “a new train of thought”). At this point in the book (nearly 200 pages in), entire chapters are turned over to Kokonas to narrate, and then the book begins alternating between his accounts and Achatz’s. It’s initially disruptive and jarring — like reading a Lincoln autobiography, and suddenly the typeface changes and the new author is now Lincoln’s accountant, or his banker. While Kokonas has valuable insights and perspective (he was told repeatedly “you’ll never see your money again!”), an appendix, or a foreword/afterword would’ve provided ample means for his contributions to the narrative. The two may be equally visionary — as many suggest — but their stories are not equally compelling. (The two partners self-published Alinea, the coffee-table food book, and reportedly sold 65,000 copies, so it seems unlikely a mere editor would have much influence over either of them.)The process of opening Alinea is fully as detailed as Moby Dick‘s monkey-rope — up to and including reprints of Kokonas’s investor updates — and it’s as riveting as any fictional thriller. Will they open on time? Will the liquor license come through? It’s a privilege to get a glimpse behind the curtain at sourcing, and costing, and Chicago bureacracy. Alinea doesn’t have tablecloths because Achatz hates them and the fact that they’re used in fine dining to cover crappy cheap tables. MOMA-level experiments go into the furniture and service ware at Alinea. Although the detail is endless, it is surprisingly never dull. The book could’ve climaxed successfully with the opening of Alinea, or with Alinea being named the number 1 restaurant in America by Gourmet Magazine, or the release of the book, Alinea … but Achatz had a third act.In 2007, Achatz was diagnosed with Stage IV squamous cell carcinoma — tongue cancer. The proposed surgical treatment might buy him a better prognosis, but at what cost? The removal of his tongue and tastebuds, along with likely radical disfigurement. Kokonos got him to the best doctors in the world at Sloan-Kettering and they proposed surgery. Second and third opinions advised the same. Eventually, (fellow Chicagoan and cancer survivor) Roger Ebert got Achatz in to see his doctor, and it was Ebert’s doctor who suggested a University of Chicago team that might be willing to try something different, a clinical trial. And “different” was a philosophy Achatz had been espousing since the age of 5. They opted for a brutal course of radiation, chemo, and drugs, and the rest is history.He worked throughout treatment, and instructed his partners to tell the media, “Say I have cancer and am going to die, but will be working here in the meantime.” I had never heard of Chef Achatz before I picked up this book, neither am I a foodist or patron of world-class restaurants, but the book kept me reading and I was done with it within 3 days of starting. I wouldn't bet on it winning any literary prizes, but it does tell a gripping story of a young man with big ambitions and a clear vision for his life and himself. It was interesting to understand the overall picture of his (quarter) life story—where he started, how he got to places, the struggles, tenacity—than about the food itself. I enjoyed the honesty that is seemingly portrayed in the book's narrative, and would recommend it for anyone needing that inspiration to live life above the line.
What do You think about Life, On The Line: A Chef's Story Of Chasing Greatness, Facing Death, And Redefining The Way We Eat (2011)?
I am not a foodie but found this book quite enthralling! Makes me want to go to Alinea or Next!
—megh
Enjoyed this read...made me think of Tom Coliccho a bit nicer. :)
—chunkybear123
