Hotbox

Inside Catering, the Food World's Riskiest Business

By: Matt Lee, Ted Lee

Narrated by: Matt Lee, Ted Lee

"As the Lees deftly interview chefs, workers, and clients, their Southern charm enhances their narration...Even non-foodies will savor lesser known morsels of information and marvel at how the wealthy celebrate." — AudioFile Magazine

This program is read by the authors.

Matt Lee and Ted Lee take on the competitive, wild world of high-end catering, exposing the secrets of a food business few home cooks or restaurant chefs ever experience.

Hotbox reveals the real-life drama behind cavernous event spaces and soaring white tents, where cooking conditions have more in common with a mobile army hospital than a restaurant. Known for their modern take on Southern cooking, the Lee brothers steeped themselves in the catering business for four years, learning the culture from the inside-out. It’s a realm where you find eccentric characters, working in extreme conditions, who must produce magical events and instantly adapt when, for instance, the host’s toast runs a half-hour too long, a hail storm erupts, or a rolling rack of hundreds of ice cream desserts goes wheels-up.

Whether they’re dashing through black-tie fundraisers, celebrity-spotting at a Hamptons cookout, or following a silverware crew at 3:00 a.m. in a warehouse in New Jersey, the Lee brothers guide you on a romp from the inner circle—the elite team of chefs using little more than their wits and Sterno to turn out lamb shanks for eight hundred—to the outer reaches of the industries that facilitate the most dazzling galas. You’ll never attend a party—or entertain on your own—in the same way after listening to this audiobook.

Critic reviews

"[T]heir Southern charm enhances their narration... Even non-foodies will savor lesser known morsels of information and marvel at how the wealthy celebrate." -<b><i>AudioFile Magazine</i></b>

One of my fav's of 2019

I'm a chef and I absolutely love this book! so much so, I've listened to it three times.

Loved listening to this!

Great audiobook! The Lee brothers are very engaging, and I learned a ton about catering. The Lees made their behind the scenes view of catered events fascinating and appealing. I would listen to and enjoy many more hours of this, and I was sorry when I came to the end.

Great inside look

It’s good to see someone giving our dirty secret industry the credit it deserves. Most people can’t comprehend the insanity that is cooking out of a hot box in the middle of nowhere with limited cooling. Highly recommended this book.

Sooo interesting!

Thank you for a deep dive into the part of things that most don’t see. I have catering in my background and now only wish I’d taken the time to get to know those better that had made it a career, compared to my full-time but temp stint at CofC. Thanks, Lee Brothers!

Someone's talking about my life!

I couldn't get enough of this book and was thrilled to read about the challenges that are a regular part of my life as the chef and owner of a small catering company. I laughed out loud and nodded my head a lot throughout. Was sad when it ended and will be sharing it with my staff. Thank you for "getting" it!!