The Soul of a Chef: The Journey Toward Perfection
by Michael Ruhlman
List Price:
Our Price: $5.47
You Save: $10.53 (66%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Michael RuhlmanEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2001-08-01
ISBN: 0141001895
Number of pages: 370
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780141001890
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
- Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices
Book Reviews of The Soul of a Chef: The Journey Toward Perfection
Book Review: A great insider perspective
Summary: 4 Stars
The Soul of A Chef recounts Ruhlman's personal journey as a witness to the CMC exam, Michael Symon's Lola and Thomas Keller's French Laundry. These three establishments differ significantly, however they provide an interesting and thorough cross section of the variety that exists in today's culinary world.
Ruhlman's writing style was overall clear, well composed and engaging. It was hard to put the book down and I was left wanting more.
I only have a few criticisms and they are minimal. In section one, I had a hard time following the characters. There was a fairly long list of names to follow and it became confusing determining the who's who aspect. The text was slightly choppy at times, but overall exciting and suspenseful. I found the section on the French Laundry to be slightly dry and redundant at times. It conveyed quite a sterile image in my mind.
Summary of The Soul of a Chef: The Journey Toward Perfection
In his second in-depth foray into the world of professional cooking, Michael Ruhlman journeys into the heart of the profession. Observing the rigorous Certified Master Chef exam at the Culinary Institute of America, the most influential cooking school in the country, Ruhlman enters the lives and kitchens of rising star Michael Symon and renowned Thomas Keller of the French Laundry. This fascinating book will satisfy any reader's hunger for knowledge about cooking and food, the secrets of successful chefs, at what point cooking becomes an art form, and more. Like Ruhlman's The Making of a Chef, this is an instant classic in food writing-one of the fastest growing and most popular subjects today.For his first book, The Making of a Chef, hands-on journalist Michael Ruhlman attended the most prestigious cooking school in the U.S., the Culinary Institute of America. He also earned his chef's whites and began cooking professionally. Ruhlman ventures further into the secret lives of chefs with his second book, The Soul of a Chef. This enthusiastically researched report is divided into three parts: The first concerns the Certified Master Chef exam, a brutal weeklong cooking marathon that measures the skill levels of professional chefs. The second and third parts of Ruhlman's book are devoted to the careers of two different chefs, Michael Symon of Cleveland's Lola Bistro and Thomas Keller of Napa Valley's legendary French Laundry. The thread connecting these three tales together is Ruhlman's quest for culinary perfection: Does it exist? Is it possible? How is it even measurable? Ruhlman does indeed stumble onto the realization of his high-minded ideal, serving up a palatable conclusion for hard-core foodies equally obsessed with the perfect meal. --Sumi Hahn Almquist
History Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Audiobooks on Cassette
- Audiobooks on CD
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- e-Books
- Engineering
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Medicine
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Essential Books for Professional Cooks
Discovering the Soul of Service: The Nine Drivers of Sustainable Business Successby Leonard L. Berry
Free Press; Published: 1999-02-12; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $4.70
Price in other shops:
Baking Fundamentalsby Culinary Fed American Culinary Federation The, Noble Masi, Brenda R. Carlos
Prentice Hall; Published: 2006-07-20; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $78.95
Price in other shops:
World of Escoffierby Timothy Shaw
Vendome Press; Published: 1995-07-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $13.98
Price in other shops:
Chez Jacques Deluxe Edition: Traditions and Rituals of a Cookby Jacques Pepin
Stewart, Tabori & Chang; Published: 2007-04-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $19.99
Price in other shops:
Wine and War: The French, the Nazis, and the Battle for France's Greatest Treasureby Donald Kladstrup, Petie Kladstrup
Broadway; Published: 2002-04-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.53
Price in other shops:
Sierra Mar Cookbook: Post Ranch Innby Craig Von Foester
Gibbs Smith; Published: 2006-09-22; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $13.93
Price in other shops:
A Master Class: Sensational Recipes from the Chefs of the New England Culinary Institute and Ellen Michaudby Chefs of the New England Culinary Institute
UPNE; Published: 2008-10-31; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $12.99
Price in other shops:
Lessons in Excellence from Charlie Trotterby Paul Clarke, Charlie Trotter
Ten Speed Press; Published: 2004-03-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $8.37
Price in other shops:
The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork Workbook: Embrace Them and Empower Your Teamby John C. Maxwell
Thomas Nelson; Published: 2003-02-11; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.73
Price in other shops:
Profiles from the Kitchen: What Great Cooks Have Taught Us about Ourselves and Our Foodby Charles A. Baker-Clark
The University Press of Kentucky; Published: 2006-07; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $16.90
Price in other shops:
Similar Books and other products
A Return to Cookingby Eric Ripert, Michael Ruhlman
Artisan; Published: 2009-05-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.50
Price in other shops:
Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cookingby Michael Ruhlman
Scribner; Published: 2009-04-07; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $15.92
Price in other shops:
Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany (Vintage)by Bill Buford
Vintage; Published: 2007-06-26; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.00
Price in other shops:
The Elements of Cooking: Translating the Chef's Craft for Every Kitchenby Michael Ruhlman
Scribner; Published: 2007-11-06; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $12.00
Price in other shops:
Becoming a Chefby Andrew Dornenburg, Karen Page
Wiley; Published: 2003-10-10; Paperback; Book
Best price: $16.95
Price in other shops:
Letters to a Young Chef (Art of Mentoring)by Daniel Boulud
Basic Books; Published: 2006-03-27; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.76
Price in other shops:
If You Can Stand the Heat: Tales from Chefs and Restaurateursby Dawn Davis
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 1999-10-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.60
Price in other shops:
The Reach of a Chef: Beyond the Kitchenby Michael Ruhlman
Viking Adult; Published: 2006-05-18; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $7.55
Price in other shops:
The Reach of a Chef: Professional Cooks in the Age of Celebrityby Michael Ruhlman
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 2007-05-29; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.88
Price in other shops:
The Making of a Chef: Mastering Heat at the Culinary Institute of Americaby Michael Ruhlman
Holt Paperbacks; Published: 2009-03-31; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.52
Price in other shops: