Blood, Bones & Butter

Famed chef Gabrielle Hamilton's memoir glows with sincerity. Her story reveals the path that led her to create Prune, a revered New York City restaurant known for comfort food prepared to gourmet standards. As narrator, Hamilton perhaps understates the wild, courageous, and complex roots of her own life. After the breakup of her family, she had a brief bout of juvenile delinquency, followed by a few unmoored years of poverty as she roamed around Europe. A major part of her story is her accounts of the sacrifices and toil involved in opening a fledgling restaurant in Manhattan. She speaks steadily, firmly, and unemotionally. Her dry wit underscores her full life as it unfolds, and her passion for her artistry is crafted in high relief. The Culinary Institute of America, as well as famed chefs far and wide, recognizes Hamilton's expertise as an accomplished chef, and her memoir now captures high praise for her mastery of words. A.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine