White Jacket Required

July 1, 2012

Chef and culinary school memoirs are having a moment, and there are several outstanding titles in this genre. Unfortunately, PBS food blogger Weber's (pbs.org/food/blogs/fresh-tastes/) unremarkable effort doesn't earn her a place among them. After college, Weber went home to consider the next step in her life. With a dream of becoming a writer and a lifelong passion for food, she settled on a career in food writing. She attended culinary school at Le Cordon Bleu in Orlando to develop a better understanding of cooking. Weber shares her experiences in classes like Meat Fabrication and Intro to Baking; however, readers may wish she'd spent more time describing those courses and less time detailing the mundane aspects of her life. Her brother's untimely death shortly after her graduation adds gravity to the otherwise airy voice. Recipes follow each chapter. VERDICT Short chapters and a light tone make this a quick read, but readers looking for more depth would do better with other titles in the genre like Kathleen Flynn's The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You'll Cry and Michael Ruhlman's The Making of a Chef.--Melissa Stoeger, Deerfield P.L., IL

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2012
Throughout her college education, Weber knew that she wanted a career in food writing. To learn about the industry she intends to cover, Weber enrolls in culinary school in Orlando, Florida. There she encounters demanding teachers, a diverse set of fellow students, and the rigors of working in a professional kitchen. One teacher in particular, an ex-marine, runs his class as a boot camp and brooks no exception to his rules. Meat-butchering classes prove a real challenge, but she feels more comfortable when she can move on to bread baking and pastry making. All her plans seem to be falling into place when a horrific family tragedy upends her existence. Now a food blogger, Weber has name exposure, which should enhance demand for this title. Chapters conclude with recipes from her education and personal experiences, and their simplicity will appeal to novice cooks.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)