Your Table Is Ready: Tales of a New York City Maître D'
- Downloads：9462
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-10-24 03:21:35
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Michael Cecchi-Azzolina
- ISBN：1250281989
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Elisabeth
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I love memoirs about food; eating it， cooking it， or serving it。 Your Table is Ready is a fun fast paced account of front of house service。 There were few surprises about the wild lifestyles and antics by peole working in the food industry。 There were many people and places referenced that I simply didn't know， nor cared that I was missing out on a disclosed secret。 Pure entertainment。 I love memoirs about food; eating it， cooking it， or serving it。 Your Table is Ready is a fun fast paced account of front of house service。 There were few surprises about the wild lifestyles and antics by peole working in the food industry。 There were many people and places referenced that I simply didn't know， nor cared that I was missing out on a disclosed secret。 Pure entertainment。 。。。more
Katrina
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Thanks to Libro。fm and the publisher for the audio！ As someone who spent several years in a restaurant （although not NYC） this made me nostalgic and grateful I got out at the same time。 The author really hits the nail on the head when he describes the camaraderie， addiction， and absolute moments of panic that come with restaurant work。 Sometimes entertaining and sometimes depressing （just like working in a restaurant）， this memoir is full of juicy tidbits。 I would rec this to anyone with a histo Thanks to Libro。fm and the publisher for the audio！ As someone who spent several years in a restaurant （although not NYC） this made me nostalgic and grateful I got out at the same time。 The author really hits the nail on the head when he describes the camaraderie， addiction， and absolute moments of panic that come with restaurant work。 Sometimes entertaining and sometimes depressing （just like working in a restaurant）， this memoir is full of juicy tidbits。 I would rec this to anyone with a history in the field， or any diner who cares to glimpse behind the curtain。 。。。more
Stephanie Kaminstein
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Prior to reading this book I genuinely didn’t know anything about the restaurant industry having never worked in it myself。 But I found this entire book so fascinating and loved reading about all of the different stories and experiences that were shared。 Super excited to hear about the restaurant he opens himself！
Robin
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This is a fascinating insider's look at the restaurant business， especially high-end eateries in NYC。 The author has a long and varied career in the service industry， starting at the bottom and working his way to being a maitre d' hotel in NYC's finest。 Like Anthony Bourdain， he has a flair for writing about his experiences although I got a little weary of his crude and explicit descriptions of drug use and sex in the workplace。 I have to say his restaurant experiences aren't even close to what This is a fascinating insider's look at the restaurant business， especially high-end eateries in NYC。 The author has a long and varied career in the service industry， starting at the bottom and working his way to being a maitre d' hotel in NYC's finest。 Like Anthony Bourdain， he has a flair for writing about his experiences although I got a little weary of his crude and explicit descriptions of drug use and sex in the workplace。 I have to say his restaurant experiences aren't even close to what I experienced as an IHOP waitress！This is good for fans of Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain， and also for anyone who has read Service Included by Phoebe Damrosch and The Fourth Star by Leslie Brenner。To be published on December 6， 2022。 Thanks to the publisher for early access to the digital review copy。 。。。more
M Moore
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I was excited for a tell-all of the rich and famous from the POV of a maitre d'hotel。 And while there are glimpses of these stories this is really more of a memoir about a man's career ladder climbing while sprinkling in what seemed to be the same story told with new embellishments and descriptions each time。 I found it to be quite boring and repetitive。Thanks to Netgalley and St。 Martin's Press for access to an e-ARC of this book。 My thoughts are my own。 I was excited for a tell-all of the rich and famous from the POV of a maitre d'hotel。 And while there are glimpses of these stories this is really more of a memoir about a man's career ladder climbing while sprinkling in what seemed to be the same story told with new embellishments and descriptions each time。 I found it to be quite boring and repetitive。Thanks to Netgalley and St。 Martin's Press for access to an e-ARC of this book。 My thoughts are my own。 。。。more
Jaclyn Brande
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Thank you to NetGalley and St。 Martin’s Press for my digital advance review copy！This is the FOH answer to Bourdain’s BOH Kitchen Confidential， and would honestly be a great companion read to get an idea of what restaurant life is like。 Cecchi-Azzolina is a storyteller， as so many people in the industry are， and I felt like I was being regaled with tales of days gone by over a cold beer and a cigarette。 Cecchi’s resume is impressive， and it was really cool to get an insider’s perspective on some Thank you to NetGalley and St。 Martin’s Press for my digital advance review copy！This is the FOH answer to Bourdain’s BOH Kitchen Confidential， and would honestly be a great companion read to get an idea of what restaurant life is like。 Cecchi-Azzolina is a storyteller， as so many people in the industry are， and I felt like I was being regaled with tales of days gone by over a cold beer and a cigarette。 Cecchi’s resume is impressive， and it was really cool to get an insider’s perspective on some of the most well-known restaurants in New York。 Does he wax lyrical about an industry life filled with booze， drugs， and sex？ Yes。 Could it be off-putting to some readers？ Sure。 Is it an accurate representation of industry life？ You’ll only know if you’ve lived it， but this lady says yes。 。。。more
Leslie
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I was looking forward to this book to read about instances where he may have served famous people， or have funny or extreme events occur。 The book， to me， was simply the story of how he rose through the restaurant industry。 While well written， it did not hold my interest at all。Thank you NetGalley for providing this copy。 The opinion here is solely my own。
AndiReads
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This is a must read for any restaurant goer， especially those living or dining in New York。 Michael Cecchi-Azzolina provides a vibrant look at his life helping manage famous restaurants。 From Tennessee Williams to the current pandemic， Michael provides anecdotal stories that shine a light on the customer as well as the workings of great restaurants。 Best yet， Cecchi-Azzolina provides a fascinating tale of his upbringing in old New York。 I loved every bit of this story and hope you will too。 If y This is a must read for any restaurant goer， especially those living or dining in New York。 Michael Cecchi-Azzolina provides a vibrant look at his life helping manage famous restaurants。 From Tennessee Williams to the current pandemic， Michael provides anecdotal stories that shine a light on the customer as well as the workings of great restaurants。 Best yet， Cecchi-Azzolina provides a fascinating tale of his upbringing in old New York。 I loved every bit of this story and hope you will too。 If you love a great restaurant， celebrity gossip， or just want to learn a bit more about the machinations of a popular restaurant， Your Table Is Ready is for you！ #STMartinsPress #YourTableIsReady！ 。。。more
Kristin C
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A raw and rollicking romp into the unwieldy underbelly of NYC's top restaurants。 The author spent decades working tireless hours in some of the city's finest establishments， ultimately becoming Maître d' at the world famous， Michelin-Star rated Le Coucou。 Cecchi-Azzolina is a gifted storyteller and his memoir is sprinkled with entertaining and wildly outrageous personal anecdotes。 Tales of egotists， addicts， A-listers and absolute assholes。 I especially love the touching epilogue where he remini A raw and rollicking romp into the unwieldy underbelly of NYC's top restaurants。 The author spent decades working tireless hours in some of the city's finest establishments， ultimately becoming Maître d' at the world famous， Michelin-Star rated Le Coucou。 Cecchi-Azzolina is a gifted storyteller and his memoir is sprinkled with entertaining and wildly outrageous personal anecdotes。 Tales of egotists， addicts， A-listers and absolute assholes。 I especially love the touching epilogue where he reminisces on his career and those who impacted his journey， all while sitting in a NYC restaurant， post-pandemic， with his eldest daughter。 。。。more
Sharon
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Great inside view of the rich and famous。this was a goodreads giveaway。
Vnunez-Ms_luv2read
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I really enjoyed this book！！！ It was a great read from someone that was in the restaurant business。 Entertaining read and holds your interest。 Highly recommended。 Thanks to Netgalley， the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review。 Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on this review。
Ali Bunke
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Your Table is Ready was a fascinating book full of captivating stories and people in the life of the author。 Life in the restaurant business takes on a new image after reading about all the ins and outs of his career。 The author's personal life was also intriguing from his unwitting connection to the mob and the encounters with celebrities。 This is a well written and enjoyable memoir。 I think this is a interesting snapshot of the changes in culture that have occurred in his lifetime and I apprec Your Table is Ready was a fascinating book full of captivating stories and people in the life of the author。 Life in the restaurant business takes on a new image after reading about all the ins and outs of his career。 The author's personal life was also intriguing from his unwitting connection to the mob and the encounters with celebrities。 This is a well written and enjoyable memoir。 I think this is a interesting snapshot of the changes in culture that have occurred in his lifetime and I appreciate the honesty with which he approached the writing。Thank you Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the eArc。 This is my honest review。 。。。more
Leslie Zemeckis
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This reminded me of a Bourdain like memoir - only this not from a chef but from a NYC maitre’d - a light east read -
Larry Hostetler
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Strong four star rating。 I've never worked in a restaurant， nor have I spent much time in New York， so this book could have presumed knowledge I didn't have or had a lot of "inside" terminology。 I encountered neither problem。While it took a bit of time for me to settle into the style of the book once I did so it almost rose to the level of "couldn't put it down。" The main narrative， about the life of Cecchi， grew on me。 And the anecdotes/other information （included at the end of most chapters） w Strong four star rating。 I've never worked in a restaurant， nor have I spent much time in New York， so this book could have presumed knowledge I didn't have or had a lot of "inside" terminology。 I encountered neither problem。While it took a bit of time for me to settle into the style of the book once I did so it almost rose to the level of "couldn't put it down。" The main narrative， about the life of Cecchi， grew on me。 And the anecdotes/other information （included at the end of most chapters） were entertaining interludes。 The chapters themselves were usually fairly short: five or six pages。 While other reviewers were put off by the prurient and profane I accepted it as a realistic portayal of the New York restaurant scene of its time。 Either things changed over time （the narrative was in chronological order） or I became inured to it。 Another criticism I saw was the "name dropping。" Again， I was not bothered; instead I felt it demonstrated the elite nature of the clientele。 I appreciate the expositions on tipping protocols， the explanations of the inner workings of upscale dining， and other insights into the business。While Cecchi's life is one-of-a-kind， that adds to its interest。 I hope his restaurant is successful enough that if I come to New York again I can dine there。 If I can get a reservation。A very good read。 。。。more
Cortney
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Definitely not like any other memoir I have read。 This is an entertaining， yet enlightening read。 It opens your eyes up to different aspects of the restaurant industry you may not have too much knowledge about。 Although plenty of name dropping， it keeps your attention and leaves you wanting more。Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the ARC eBook in exchange for my honest review。
Allison Demeter
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Excellent， thoughtful and funny。 Michael brings you through his life story and his experience as a NYC Mitre d。 This is a wonderful book for anyone who is a foodie or a restaurant lover。 A great gift for someone who lives in NYC as he mentions many famous restaurants there。 GET THE AUDIOBOOK WHEN IT COMES OUT。
Nora
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"Your Table Is Ready" is a memoir written by Michael Cecchi- Azzolina over a long career as a maître d' in New York City。 I was very excited to read this book written by someone who worked in the restaurant industry for so many years。 I really enjoyed his vivid descriptions of working in the different restaurants and the interesting people that he worked with and served。 I disliked the beginning of the book and felt that it moved too slowly。 I appreciated that he stated that although we are livi "Your Table Is Ready" is a memoir written by Michael Cecchi- Azzolina over a long career as a maître d' in New York City。 I was very excited to read this book written by someone who worked in the restaurant industry for so many years。 I really enjoyed his vivid descriptions of working in the different restaurants and the interesting people that he worked with and served。 I disliked the beginning of the book and felt that it moved too slowly。 I appreciated that he stated that although we are living in a different time， he wanted to represent how life truly was; however， some of his descriptions of women were offensive。Thank you to NetGalley and St。 Martin's Press for the advanced copy of the ebook in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Tina
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I love these juicy， behind the scene looks， especially if they are restaurant tales and involve food， although the food takes a definite back seat to all the characters who walked through the doors of that restaurant。I have always thought working in the food industry must be really difficult。 The good， the bad and the ugly on a daily basis and Michael pretty much confirms all my preconceived ideas。The author writes his memoir with an open heart and gives us a true insider's world that melds roya I love these juicy， behind the scene looks， especially if they are restaurant tales and involve food， although the food takes a definite back seat to all the characters who walked through the doors of that restaurant。I have always thought working in the food industry must be really difficult。 The good， the bad and the ugly on a daily basis and Michael pretty much confirms all my preconceived ideas。The author writes his memoir with an open heart and gives us a true insider's world that melds royalty， the rich， the bad and the average guest all of whom give the author a story to tell。Pacing is excellent and I keep expecting the author to whisper to me "come here girl， I have so much juicy gossip for you"。 As far as I am concerned pacing is EVERYTHING， but if you don't have a flair for telling your story， the book will go nowhere。 NOT the case here。Thank you to the author as well for writing such an interesting book。 。。。more
Kc1morepage
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This is a fun one！ Your Table Is Ready （available in both print and audio on 12/6） is a memoir and an unofficial coming of age for both author Michael Cecchi-Azzolina and the restaurant industry。 Checci-Azzolina shares his memories of working in some of NYC’s top restaurants since the early 80s。 There’s many stories of coke-fueled shifts， celebrity encounters， and penises dangling free behind waiters’ aprons。 It’s all great fun until the AIDS epidemic hits and the world changes drastically。As th This is a fun one！ Your Table Is Ready （available in both print and audio on 12/6） is a memoir and an unofficial coming of age for both author Michael Cecchi-Azzolina and the restaurant industry。 Checci-Azzolina shares his memories of working in some of NYC’s top restaurants since the early 80s。 There’s many stories of coke-fueled shifts， celebrity encounters， and penises dangling free behind waiters’ aprons。 It’s all great fun until the AIDS epidemic hits and the world changes drastically。As the 90s matures into the 00s， the insanity and drugs calms a bit— although penises and celebrities still make an occasional appearance。Michael Cecchi-Azzolina definitely knows how to tell a story。 Your Table is Ready had me up all night as I continually read ‘just one more chapter’ and left me hungry for more。 。。。more
Randal White
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Wow！ I must say that， in reading some of the reviews of this book， I am left very confused。 Why do people have to insist on putting their personal biases onto the life experiences of an author？ It's not like he's asking for their approval of his lifestyle， he's simply relaying what he went through and experienced。 That being said， I found the author's story to be fascinating。 From his early upbringing in the culture of the Italian mob， all the way to the end when he reflects on life with his dau Wow！ I must say that， in reading some of the reviews of this book， I am left very confused。 Why do people have to insist on putting their personal biases onto the life experiences of an author？ It's not like he's asking for their approval of his lifestyle， he's simply relaying what he went through and experienced。 That being said， I found the author's story to be fascinating。 From his early upbringing in the culture of the Italian mob， all the way to the end when he reflects on life with his daughters。 In between， you will find stories of rampant drug use， the AID's pandemic， and dealing with unstable employees， chefs， and owners。 And full of interesting stories about eccentric， or mean， or egotistic diners。 And the celebrities！ The book is full of fascinating tidbits about all of our favorite stars！ I think the point of the book is to recognize the growth of the author。 The culture of the restaurant industry is not his fault， he simple lived through it。 I'm sure that， like most of us， if he had the chance to do it over， he would do it much differently。 I honestly could not put this book down！ I hope the author has success if he does decide to open his own restaurant。 Although， I bet after reading about themselves， some of the "celebrities" will not be visiting （here's looking at you， Anna Wintour）！ 。。。more
Kayo
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Interesting read。 Loved the details。Thanks to author， publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book。 While I got the book for free， it had no bearing on the rating I gave it。
Jeff Matlow
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7/10Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly is a great book。 It was ground-breaking when it came out， revealing the under（pork）belly of the restaurant industry， the sex， the drugs， the debauchery。 That book did for the restaurant business what The Jungle did for the meat packing industry。"Your Table is Ready" is similar to Kitchen Confidential in that it focuses on the drugs， sex and general debauchery of the restaurant business。 Whereas Anthony Bourdain's book was from the p 7/10Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly is a great book。 It was ground-breaking when it came out， revealing the under（pork）belly of the restaurant industry， the sex， the drugs， the debauchery。 That book did for the restaurant business what The Jungle did for the meat packing industry。"Your Table is Ready" is similar to Kitchen Confidential in that it focuses on the drugs， sex and general debauchery of the restaurant business。 Whereas Anthony Bourdain's book was from the perspective of the kitchen （back of house）， Michael's book comes from the perspective of the maitre d'hotel （front of house）。 When I first started writing this review I was going to say， essentially， "it's a good book and a fun read but it was already done with Kitchen Confidential"。 But as I started writing， I realized that wasn't fair to say。 Simply because a book isn't the first on a subject shouldn't make it any less of a good book。 This is a good book。 Michael has worked in some amazing restaurants and so can provide the requisite amount of celebrity name-dropping to keep you engaged。 The stories， while maybe not overly surprising， are definitely entertaining。 I have to admit， I never fully understood the role of the maitre'd besides just sitting people at a table。 This book completely opened my eyes to the complicated nature of the job and the grave importance it has for the success of a high-end restaurant。Any fan of Kitchen Confidential will like this book。 In fact， any person interested in the restaurant industry （especially in NYC） will enjoy this book。Well done Michael。#netgalley #yourtableisready 。。。more
Georgette
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Quite a bit more on the salacious side。 Also quite a bit of interesting stuff about the behind the scenes。 Nowhere near Anthony Bourdain， which was the vibe I was hoping for。
Rose
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I have just read Your Table Is Ready by Michael Cecchi-Azzolina。This is the “Tales of a New York City Maître D'”- “A front-of-the-house Kitchen Confidential” from a career maître d’hotel who manned the front of the room in New York City's hottest and most in-demand restaurants。”This is a memoir by Michael Cecchi-Azzolina- who talks firsthand about his long career in the New York restaurant industry。A book that tells it like it is， with all the good， the bad， and all the in between。He tells us ab I have just read Your Table Is Ready by Michael Cecchi-Azzolina。This is the “Tales of a New York City Maître D'”- “A front-of-the-house Kitchen Confidential” from a career maître d’hotel who manned the front of the room in New York City's hottest and most in-demand restaurants。”This is a memoir by Michael Cecchi-Azzolina- who talks firsthand about his long career in the New York restaurant industry。A book that tells it like it is， with all the good， the bad， and all the in between。He tells us about the drugs， alcohol， addictions， abuse， crime， aids， and treatment of employees in this service industry。We also hear about the beauty， glamour， creativity， and what it takes to succeed in this industry。I must say that I did enjoy this memoir， as it didn’t hold anything back。 Who does not enjoy a great evening out in a restaurant with cocktails， wine and fine food， plus attentive service？I have been in the service industry myself for a great many years。 Not the restaurant business， but I know how long the hours and demands can be。 I am one to always appreciate and enjoy a good restaurant story。Thank you to NetGalley， Author Michael Cecchi-Azzolina， and St。 Martin's Press for my advanced copy to read and review。 #NetGalley 。。。more
Janalyn Prude
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Memoirs usually teach the reader a few things and then this one the author teaches us how to put drugs up our rectum， how to talk about women like their penis receptacles and not a person and we also learn how to trick a critic into believing your restaurant is top notch。 It isn’t all bad though we hear about celebrities， funny incidents and also a very interesting chapter on watching people jump from the block Brooklyn Bridge and how it was great for business。 This isn’t to say he was unsympath Memoirs usually teach the reader a few things and then this one the author teaches us how to put drugs up our rectum， how to talk about women like their penis receptacles and not a person and we also learn how to trick a critic into believing your restaurant is top notch。 It isn’t all bad though we hear about celebrities， funny incidents and also a very interesting chapter on watching people jump from the block Brooklyn Bridge and how it was great for business。 This isn’t to say he was unsympathetic because it was duly noted how Sandy felt the first time he saw it happen。 All in all most of the chapters were very interesting， the characters mentioned were entertaining and that then when being laid it on by a clueless college student I thought him to be very gracious。 Having said all that though I don’t think this book was for me。 I was looking for funny stories and celebrities talk and I got drug use， debauchery and all the hot women he got to speak to aunt sleep with。 That is not to say this book isn’t good， it just isn’t for me。 I still get the three stars because as I said some of the chapters were very interesting and if you want to what I named above you like the whole book I’m sure。 Please forgive any errors as I am blind and dictate my review but all opinions are definitely my own。 I want to thank the author And Net Gally for this review copy 。。。more
Firetruckmama
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I received an e-ARC version of this book from NetGalley and the publisher。“Your Table Is Ready” is a look back over the maitre d’ career of Michael Cecchi-Azzolina。 He was the maitre d’ of many restaurants - known and unknown - in New York City for 30+ years。 If you want to know about the restaurant front of house area during the 1980s and 1990s， this might be a book that interests you。 In general， I enjoy books like this because waiting tables is not something I ever would want to do - but that I received an e-ARC version of this book from NetGalley and the publisher。“Your Table Is Ready” is a look back over the maitre d’ career of Michael Cecchi-Azzolina。 He was the maitre d’ of many restaurants - known and unknown - in New York City for 30+ years。 If you want to know about the restaurant front of house area during the 1980s and 1990s， this might be a book that interests you。 In general， I enjoy books like this because waiting tables is not something I ever would want to do - but that doesn’t mean that I don’t find it interesting。 As other reviewers have pointed out Mr。 Cecchi-Azzolina does a lot of name dropping - but that’s literally it - he drops the names of famous folks and， for the most part， moves on with his story。 I was not a fan of his writing style - too many cuss words for my taste - or the drug and alcohol infused world that was NYC during the 1980s。 But， that’s what he experienced during this time， so I’m going to accept that fact - after all it’s his memoir。 What I found a bit confusing was that while the book was mainly in chronological order， due to his acting career， he took breaks and I sometimes had an issue trying to figure out the new time period。 While I cannot say that I enjoyed this book， it was an interesting one to read。 Three stars。 。。。more
J Wells
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3。5 Michael himself said 3 to 4 stars was good！ A very interesting and enlightening read but not for everyone， I now believe everyone in the restaurant industry does drugs and has sex all day long。 J/k。 A memoir is only as good as the stories and I like how he name drops but doesn’t over inflate。 A very interesting life。
Marika
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