The Reach Of A Chef: Beyond The Kitchen (2006) - Plot & Excerpts
The other day, I came across this paragraph from Michael Ruhlman’s “The Reach of a Chef”:“The work is hard; no one’s forcing you to be here. If you don’t like it, leave. If it’s too hard, if you can’t do it, we’ll find someone who can — nothing personal — but service starts at 5:30 and there’s a lot to do.” (p.119)It gave me pause because it made me realize that this applied to every work environment and not just a restaurant kitchen.I know it’s a little unrealistic to compare a restaurant kitchen to any other type of work environment, but I can’t help but think that, if you operated in a place where everyone was as driven, disciplined and passionate about their craft as really good chefs in high-caliber restaurants are, then maybe you’d be able to achieve greater heights.I read Ruhlman’s “The Making of a Chef” — which I thought was a fabulous look at the Culinary Institute of America — but I enjoyed “The Reach of a Chef” even more.If you’re like me, you probably picked up this book because you watch way too much of the Food Network and you probably know of most of the key players in the industry; here, you visit Grant Achatz’s kitchen pre-Alinea and pre-cancer; you catch glimpses of Frank Bruni when he was just embarking on his stint as the New York Times’ powerful food critic; you read email exchanges between Ruhlman and his frenemy, Anthony Bourdain; and you revisit the CIA in a time where people, seduced by what they see on the Food Network, pursue their passion of food not in the hopes of becoming a master chef, but rather, to become a celebrity chef.To be honest, I used to hate the Food Network’s “Next Star” series — mostly because, in a couple of instances, you had people with zero restaurant cooking experience winding up with shows. No offense to Melissa d’Arabian, the stay-at-home mom who won season five of “The Next Food Network Star” but I don’t want to watch a stay-at-home mom show me how to cook.Second season winner, Guy Fieri, may have had restaurant design and management experience, but zero experience as a bonafide chef makes me less inclined to watch him. (And, weirdly enough, even though I find myself continually drawn to “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives,” I can’t stand watch Fieri’s red-faced shouting in lieu of talking. I think he may be one of the Food Network’s more annoying stars.All of this being said, what Ruhlman does in this particular book is take a deeper look at the cult of chef celebrity and how the Food Network has helped to change the face of the food world. He takes us along to see the opening of several big-name restaurants in Vegas, anchored by star chefs like Bobby Flay, but he also takes a closer look at Food Network stars such as Emeril Lagasse and Rachael Ray.A lot can be said about Emeril — especially by food snobs — but interestingly, Thomas Keller, the respected star chef, has this to say:“Just because we may not agree with the way he delivers his information, therefore it’s no good? The delivery he’s using is one of that relates to a large group of people. So am I to be a snob and say, that’s not a good thing? No, I’m going to be a realist and say it’s a great thing, because at the end of the day, people are starting to learn about food at a higher level than I ever did when I was a kid.” (p.366)Ruhlman points out that, increasingly, star chefs aren’t really chefs anymore — instead, they’re a “brand” that can be likened to what’s found in high fashion.Before visiting these celebrity chefs, he makes a return visit to the CIA, where he chats with the current president, Tim Ryan.Ryan’s way of conducting himself and treating the people in his life speaks volumes about the type of personality a really good chef — he’s a Certified Master Chef — must have in order to be a success.Ruhlman writes of Ryan: “…privilege, he wanted his kids to understand, did not mean you got things for free — you still had to earn everything. This meant that if you were one square away from King Kandy’s Castle and you drew Plumpy — back you went, three years old or not.” (p.90)“The Reach of a Chef” is a fascinating look at this world of celebrity and star chefs — and over and over again, you’re reminded that, in order to make it in this business, you need to have the drive, the discipline and the passion in order to make it big.
I almost quit reading this book a third of the way through (the author spent too much time talking about himself and interjecting personal opinion/experience...not why I bought the book). I'm glad I didn't, because the remainder of the book was rather fascinating to me. The reader is granted an inside look at restaurants the average person will probably never get to actually eat at--and reading about the details of the chefs who founded them and the menus/venues they've created is (almost) the next best thing. Included: Melissa Kelly's Primo (Rockland, Maine) (by far my favorite of all of the featured restaurants--both in culinary philosophy and the establishment itself), Grant Achatz's Trio and Alinea (Evanston and Chicago), Thomas Keller's French Laundry and Per Se (Yountville and Manhattan, respectively), and Masayoshi Takayama's Masa (Manhattan).Ruhlman also gives a history of the Culinary Institute of America, and how it and the the profession of chef have been influenced by the surge in popularity of the Food Network. (The book was published in 2006...an update on this topic would be interesting.) Speaking of, Rachael and Emeril aren't left out--Ruhlman covers the "Power of the Branded Chef"--a treat for a Food Network junkie like myself.
What do You think about The Reach Of A Chef: Beyond The Kitchen (2006)?
An interesting read to be sure, particularly in light of several of his previous books. It's interesting to see a semblance of follow up on some of the stories and characters he'd written nearly a decade before.I appreciated the sections dealing with the CIA more than some of the latter specific restaurant and individual chef bios. There were some interesting pieces of overview of the restaurant business which were also quite interesting. I'm curious how there isn't a show on the Food Network which encapsulates some of this book into television format?
—Chris Aldrich
Ruhlman thanks his editor, Ray Roberts at Viking, for his work on this third (and last) of the "Chef" series. The book would have been improved by a bit more serious work by Mister Roberts. Surely "Reach" is the weakest of the three offerings, which is not to say that it is not witty, in-depth, perceptive, insider, sympathetic, inspiring and worthwhile ... just not as good as the first two. Ruhlman worships Thomas Keller, which is very much to his credit, but gives too little consideration to a number of other bright lights in the heavens of 21st Century American gastronomy. For those who have read "The Making of a Chef" and "The Soul of a Chef," it is obligatory to complete the set by reading this book.
—Stephen
If you haven't read The making of a Chef and The Soul of Chef, Ruhlman's previous to books, I strongly suggest checking them out first. The Reach of a Chef dips back into the Culinary Institute of America 6 years after Ruhlman left it and discusses the changes that the celebrity chef, the avialable of better ingredients, the branding of chefs and restauranteers, and the way American society's views of chefs has evolved over the last 10 - 15 years.Ruhlman's sketch portraits of Grant Achatz from Alinea, Melissa Kelly from Primo, Thomas Keller from The French Laundry/Bouchon/Per Se are wonderful. And his insights into reasons one should think twice before slamming the likes of Emeril Lagasse and Rachel Ray are illuminating and thoughtful.It's truly a fascinating read, though a bit scattered at times. Beware, though, it will make you very hungry.
—Stephen
