Dimensions
140 x 210 x 24mm
Part <I>Kitchen Confidential</I> part <I>Breaking Bad</I>, a culinary memoir exploring the highs and lows of addiction, anxiety, and ambition in the world of haute cuisine In the last three years, 30-year-old Jesse Schenker -voted Best New Chef by New York Magazine - has rocketed to the top of the culinary world, with his acclaimed Recette (named Best New Restaurant by the <I>New York Times</I>). But behind the epic rise of this Iron Chef winner and James Beard nominee is a story of a young man and his demons, of obsession and the fine line between genius and mania. Jesse grew up in a wealthy suburb of Florida, an anxious kid but with a passion for food. As a teen, his first kitchen job introduced him to working the line, and to the world of hard drugs. In a few short years, he was a high-school dropout, wanted by the cops and unwanted by his family, addicted to heroin and crack. By the age of 21, he had robbed, cheated, and lied to every person in his life and had overdosed, been shot at and beaten almost to death more times than he would care to remember. Then one day he scored some crack, got arrested, and decided it was time to get clean. For the rest of his 20s, Jesse channeled his obsessiveness and impulse to always get 'higher' into his culinary career, from his tutelage at some of NYC's finest restaurants, including Per Se and George, to taking the city by storm with his (and his wild and talented friends Brian Ghaw of Savoy Bakery and Christina Lee of Per Se's) legendary underground supper club. But with success came more anxiety, which evolved into panic attacks and then full-blown hypochondria. Now, with his next big restaurant, The Gander, slated to open in early 2014, Jesse reflects on his insatiable appetite for the extreme, which has led to his biggest triumphs and failures, and shares - for the first time - the shocking story of his turbulent life outside his impressive resume.
