Back of the House

The Secret Life of a Restaurant

By: Scott Haas

Narrated by: Johnny Heller

Food writer and clinical psychologist Scott Haas wanted to know what went on inside the mind of a top chef - and what kind of emotional dynamics drove the fast-paced, intense interactions inside a great restaurant. To capture all the heat and hunger, he spent 18 months immersed in the kitchen of James Beard Award-winner Tony Maws's restaurant, Craigie on Main, in Boston. He became part of the family, experiencing the drama first-hand. Here, Haas exposes the inner life of a chef, what it takes to make food people crave, and how to achieve greatness in a world that demands more than passion and a sharp set of knives.

A lens into what motivates and inspires all chefs - including Thomas Keller and Andrew Carmellini, whose stories are also shared here - Back of the House will change the way you think about food - and about the complicated people who cook it and serve it.

©2013 Scott Haas (P)2013 Tantor

A great look in to a fine dining upstart

As a chef/restaurateur this book is very relatable, if someone wants a peak behind the doors this is a pretty accurate glance without being so in depth that it risks losing the uninitiated.

Almost Gets There

As a chef I was hoping that the author would be able to convey that chefs, cooks, and dishwashers are all just damaged people trying to please others. He touched on it a little, but anger isn't the only way our trauma shows it self. We sweat it out night after night aiming for perfection that we will never obtain. We set ourselves up for displeasure. The book itself was well written and an easy read.

Chef is a nitwit

Obnoxious, arrogant & annoying. Reading was fine, writing was fine, but the subject matter was mediocre.

Interesting but repetitive

Were the concepts of this book easy to follow, or were they too technical?

It was fascinating to follow the processes of running a high end restaurant . However by the end of the book the author drifts away from his narrative and gets bogged down in long conversations of cooking philosophy.

Which scene was your favorite?

The first section or the book that is focused on the day to day operations of the restaurant.

Any additional comments?

Read Kitchen Confidential instead.

realistic restaurant life

it drags a little bit in places. could have been a little punchier but a great overall picture of one man doing his best to run a restaurant