Don't Try This At Home: Culinary Catastrophes from the World's Greatest Chefs

After the late Anthony Bourdain published Kitchen Confidential and exposed the sordid and often funny underbelly of the restaurant business, meals out were never the same. In this book by Witherspoon and Friedman, over thirty professional chefs, many famous, recount kitchen and catering disasters and hijinks that will leave you in stitches and questioning the backstory of everything delivered to your table. There are stories of less than high brow meals served to royalty, the use of garbage bags in food presentation, electrocution of the main course, kitchen equipment destruction, and many other disasters and ultra creative solutions. Most of these stories, told by the chefs, are hilarious and at the same time frightening and eye opening. The book makes it clear that Haute Cuisine is as much about theater as prepping and cooking. So much happens behind the scenes to make the final presentation appear seamless and effortless that dinners don’t know about. The editors provide a fascinating glimpse into the world of cheffing and catering. As someone who loves food and cooking, I found this book as entertaining and enlightening as a meal out at a fine restaurant.