The Devil In The Kitchen

2 days. This might be the fastest I have completed a book.

For those who don’t know, Marco Pierre White was the first celebrity chef. Godfather of Modern Culinary. Teacher to big names of industry like Gordon Ramsay. First and the youngest British chef to win 3 Michelin stars (highest possible) and first one to return them back.

The book tells the story from his ordinary beginnings up until his retirement.

Lost his mother at young age of 6, left an ailing father battling cancer to work in another city. I certainly don’t have the balls to step in his shoes. But I sure respect the guy for being brutally honest about his life and his work. Working inhumanely 16 hours a day for 21 years to achieve a dream is no joke in any profession.

It is easy for us to form a perception of people from the scraps of information media provides us but a close up look shows us that often there are things untold. Especially the chapters towards the end on his relationship with Gordon Ramsay shine light upon this very issue.

The rest of story is unassuming. There are no glorious moments to be cherished, there are no quotes to be retold. There are no memorable instances and there are no take home messages. Just like Sachin Tendulkar’s biography, there is nothing much to read here other than a man and his love for his craft. Just pure passion and raw hard work in pursuit of perfection. And isn’t that the hallmark of a true genius after all ?

The following is his address from Oxford Union Society. I love the whole thing but the last Q (56:45) in Q&A round (starting 48:00 timestamp) is my favorite. Interested people can take a look.