The Devil in the Kitchen: Sex, Pain, Madness, and the Making of a Great Chef

Marco Pierre White is a true chef. I have known of this man for a while, with only minor exposure. After watching the "Marco Cooks for..." television series from the 90s, I became very intrigued about this man and wanted to know more. With little arrogance, Marco writes about his life in this easy to read book. From very humble beginnings and his rise to a three star chef, as well as a combination of accolades that any chef has yet to duplicate. I have so much respect for Marco after reading this. He really pushed himself at every moment he could to get into a new kitchen and cook. He may have gained a reputation for being a bully and extreme in his methods, but as a youth he was the one who took the bullying, he accepted criticisms and it made him strive to get better. A slough of coincidences got him jobs and put him in kitchens with people that propelled his career into ways he never imagined. What's more is that he, unlike other celebrity chefs, actually cared about the food. He always kept on an apron alongside his brigade, his hands burning on the stove with the others. After holding onto his three stars for five years, he decided to hand them back. He thought the system was corrupt. Why should restaurants hold onto stars that the chefs don't even cook at? How can stars be transferred from one place to another? Are the stars for the food, the restaurant, or the chef? Along with a collection of amusing stories and events, as well as some actual insight into the methods of fine dining, you will gain a great respect for Marco, regardless of how much you may or may not know about him or cooking. A great read!

I have been aware of Chef White for many years. He always was a mythical figure in my circles. This book is an amazing read. It really explores the life of a driven chef who rose up to the top and just walked away.

I am a chef of the old school and never have used brutal belittling as a tool. Aggressive and concise guidance, YES but never humiliation. He has 3 stars I do not but different country and different HR directors to deal with. He is a culinary master a deserves every accolade he has received. We follow in the footsteps of each our own mentors, I never chose him but non the less and interesting book he has written. I would love to be a fly on the wall for a re-union of him and chef Ramsey, another european mad man.. A read that is worthy of your time, though i caution the first year culinary student..

Marco's bare's his soul in this book. It is well written, funny, poignant and fascinating. Marco Pierre White is my favorite chef because he is plain spoken and honest. I hope someday to meet him in person to shake his hand.

I loved Bourdaine's Kitchen Confidential and loved the cover and title of this book so figured this would be another fun read. It was really an interesting read - very different from Bourdaine. It also sounds as if Piere white was a much better chef as well. I like that it feels told very much in his own voice (even with the ghostwriter). Much of it goes through why he decided to work certain places and the things he took from each experience. He's a bit of a name-dropper (don't know if that's for added interest or if he's impressed with certain people) and a self-described emotional man, but it was a fun read with recipes at the back!

If you don’t know who Marco Pierre White is you will be meeting a volatile, narcissistic, and in his youth, simply gorgeous, bad boy chef. This autobiography was written with a ghost writer, which makes sense as the author left school at the age of sixteen. Let me clarify he left conventional school in his teens. He did attend many years of boot camp-like trainings in numerous professional kitchens. This type of brutal schooling helped prepare him to become the first three star Michelin British chef. White is famous for his French cuisine without ever having set foot on French soil. However, his mother was born in Italy so he did have some early Mediterranean influences in his life. White lost his mother at a young age as she was giving birth to her last son. Sadly, he also lost his youngest brother since his working class Dad couldn’t afford a nurse or anyone to stay home with the child. The baby went to Italy to live with Marco’s Italian relatives but the White family in England never saw the boy again. White walks us through his life from his earliest years; he was born in 1961 through all the kitchens he worked in and restaurants that he owned, till his retirement in 1999. If you are a foodie and if you don’t mind reading about the constant abuse the staff goes through in a professional kitchen (I wouldn’t last a month and I consider myself tough skinned) I recommend that you check out this book. However, keep in mind, that White’s tale, written in 2006 is very similar to Anthony Bourdain’s also wicked autobiography “Kitchen Confidential” written in 2000, though White was the first to be labeled a celebrity chef. According to IMBd a movie version of “Devil in the Kitchen” is in development. All I can say is that they better find an actor who is a hottie to play him. Find all my reviews at [...]

This is my fourth or fifth copy of this book, first hardcover. Just because I never get it back when I loan it out. That being said, this is a top 5 book about cooking. Not about food, cooking, and at the highest level. Anyone that wants to be a chef should read this and take it as sacrament. It’s possible, but it’s maddening, thankless, and profuse amounts of work. Enjoy and good luck on your journeys, young chefs.

As a chef I absolutely love Marco, however, as a person I think he can be extremely complicated. It definately comes out in his book. I respect what he managed to achieve at such a young age and I don't think there are many chef's around today with this guys passion for cooking. Loved this book and very entertaining. I read this book first, then Gordon Ramsay's, and it was interesting to hear both sides of their stories when it came to their feud !! I detect that there is a slight bit of jealously on Marco's side, as his one time apprentice, went on to become more famous than him. T

Purchased as a Christmas gift for an apprentice Chef. A cracking good read from a global culinary icon. Read it!

In his tone, I could hear Marco Pierre White’s inextinguishable arrogance and lack of empathy while trying to finish the first chapters of this badly written piece of undercooked literature and thinking to myself how little I cared about a man so infatuated with his own self esteem.

Great read for any food lover

Rollercoaster read about the great chef's life. He is forthright and candid about his exciting life. His honesty, love for his craft and dedication comes through his writing

Es la versión en inglés pero conocer mas sobre Marco Pierre White es una gran inspiración