FX The Bear left a mark on viewers for its gritty and realistic look at the restaurant industry. The Bear isn't the easiest watch, some even call it trauma porn, for those with any affiliation with the restaurant industry.
FX The Bear, Streaming on Hulu:
"FX’s new original series The Bear follows Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), a young chef from the fine dining world, who comes home to Chicago to run his family sandwich shop – The Original Beef of Chicagoland – after a heartbreaking death in his family. A world away from what he’s used to, Carmy must balance the soul-crushing realities of small business ownership, his strong-willed and recalcitrant kitchen staff and his strained familial relationships, all while grappling with the impact of his brother’s suicide. The Bear is about food, family, the insanity of the grind, the beauty of Sense of Urgency and the steep slippery downsides. As Carmy fights to transform both The Original Beef of Chicagoland and himself, he works alongside a rough-around-the-edges kitchen crew that ultimately reveal themselves as his chosen family."
Each episode is just thirty minutes but its thirty minutes of high intensity. My husband would often let out a loud exhale after each episode and unclench his fists. We could never make it past two episodes at a time even though I was desperate to watch more. This show is dangerous, it's like a drug, because it wants you to come back for more even though it is overwhelming.
While you recover (because the stress and tension from that show is for real) and wait for Season 2, here's a list of books you can read! The Vulture has a full list of eleven books for you to read but I narrowed my list to just four!
*All links below are affiliate links, where I will receive a 10% commission should you choose to order the book. All links are for Bookshop.org, which helps supports independent bookstores.
Kitchen Confidential: Anthony Bourdain
"Almost two decades ago, the New Yorker published a now infamous article, "Don't Eat before You Read This," by then little-known chef Anthony Bourdain. Bourdain spared no one's appetite as he revealed what happens behind the kitchen door. The article was a sensation, and the book it spawned, the now classic Kitchen Confidential, became an even bigger sensation, a megabestseller with over one million copies in print. Frankly confessional, addictively acerbic, and utterly unsparing, Bourdain pulls no punches in this memoir of his years in the restaurant business" - Bookshop.org
The book that is the foundational block for many who aspire and detest the food world, Kitchen Confidential is a staple. Written by the departed Anthony Bourdain, this book catapulted him to celebrity as well. I also recommend you listen to the audiobook because Bourdain narrates it himself. Get the story straight from the horses mouth and don't cringe.
Bourdain went on to write many other books where he reflects back on Kitchen Confidential, so honestly, I recommend his entire bibliography for you but start here first!
Waiter Rant: Thanks For the Tip - Confessions of a Cynical Waiter by The Waiter, Steve Dublancia
"According to The Waiter, 80 percent of customers are nice people just looking for something to eat. The remaining 20 percent, however, are socially maladjusted psychopaths." - Bookshop.org
Another phenomenal book from Ecco Press, this was actually the first non-fiction book I ever read for fun. I read it in high school when was the "To go" girl at a little Greek restaurant feeling underpaid, jaded, and also just angsty (I was in high school, who wasn't angsty then?).
This book had me laughing out loud and blurbed by Bourdain on the front cover, it truly feels like the front-of-house version of Kitchen Confidential. To this day, I still default and tip 20% after reading this book. I am now hyper aware of how the wait staff moves, acts, and practically dances across the floor. It is a wonderful read that will help you see the theatrics of the restaurant and also humanize the people who bring you your food.
Wine Girl: The Trials and Triumphs of America's Youngest Sommelier by Victoria James
"An affecting memoir from the country's youngest sommelier, tracing her path through the glamorous but famously toxic restaurant world" - Bookshop.org
This one is a hard read, so trigger warnings for sexual assault and other really toxic things. Victoria James has not had an easy life. For all of Victoria's success, passing somelier exams and selling wine at a Michelin-star restaurant, there was always a groping hand behind the scenes. Her memoir exposes the underbelly of the glamorous world of wine.
Once she hits rock bottom, it is her journey to different vineyards that she could re-emerge and conquer this industry. Victoria is also very active on her Instagram and beyond her restaurant and sommelier experience she is also helping to train a new generation of female sommeliers with her non profit Wine Empowered: "Wine Empowered is a 501(c)3 non-profit educational organization that provides tuition-free wine classes to women and minorities in the hospitality industry."
Our wine box is curated around Victoria's book
Work Horse: My Sublime and Absurd Years in New York City's Restaurant Scene by Kim Reed
"A razor-sharp look at one woman's nearly two decades in the New York City restaurant, including her time working with Joe Bastianich, and what happens when your job consumes your life." - Bookshop.org
I'm actually reading this book as I write this article! I'm on my way to a family vacation and I cannot wait to devour this book. First and foremost, I am ready to read about the downfall of Chefs Mario Batali and Joe Bastianch in the wake of the #MeToo movement and investigations behind sexual harassments allegations. Personally, I hope I get to have more details of their crash and burning. They have been relatively quiet in the food world since this settlement in 2021.
Now, we are going to get a look behind the scenes from the POV of a woman. I am so excited to dive into the NYC restaurant industry from her eyes.
What other books should I add to the list? Drop a note in the comments below.
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