Eat a Peach: A Memoir
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- Create Date：2022-07-04 03:17:37
- Update Date：2025-09-23
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- Author：David Chang
- ISBN：1524759236
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Summary
In 2004， David Chang opened a noodle restaurant named Momofuku in Manhattan's East Village， not expecting the business to survive its first year。 In 2018， he was the owner and chef of his own restaurant empire， with 15 locations from New York to Australia， the star of his own hit Netflix show and podcast， was named one of the most influential people of the 21st century and had a following of over 1。2 million。 In this inspiring， honest and heartfelt memoir， Chang shares the extraordinary story of his culinary coming-of-age。
Growing up in Virginia， the son of Korean immigrant parents， Chang struggled with feelings of abandonment， isolation and loneliness throughout his childhood。 After failing to find a job after graduating， he convinced his father to loan him money to open a restaurant。 Momofuku's unpretentious air and great-tasting simple staples - ramen bowls and pork buns - earned it rave reviews， culinary awards and before long， Chang had a cult following。
Momofuku's popularity continued to grow with Chang opening new locations across the U。S。 and beyond。 In 2009， his Ko restaurant received two Michelin stars and Chang went on to open Milk Bar， Momofuku's bakery。 By 2012， he had become a restaurant mogul with the opening of the Momofuku building in Toronto， encompassing three restaurants and a bar。
Chang's love of food and cooking remained a constant in his life， despite the adversities he had to overcome。 Over the course of his career， the chef struggled with suicidal thoughts， depression and anxiety。 He shied away from praise and begged not to be given awards。 In Eat a Peach， Chang opens up about his feelings of paranoia， self-confidence and pulls back the curtain on his struggles， failures and learned lessons。 Deeply personal， honest and humble， Chang's story is one of passion and tenacity， against the odds。
Growing up in Virginia， the son of Korean immigrant parents， Chang struggled with feelings of abandonment， isolation and loneliness throughout his childhood。 After failing to find a job after graduating， he convinced his father to loan him money to open a restaurant。 Momofuku's unpretentious air and great-tasting simple staples - ramen bowls and pork buns - earned it rave reviews， culinary awards and before long， Chang had a cult following。
Momofuku's popularity continued to grow with Chang opening new locations across the U。S。 and beyond。 In 2009， his Ko restaurant received two Michelin stars and Chang went on to open Milk Bar， Momofuku's bakery。 By 2012， he had become a restaurant mogul with the opening of the Momofuku building in Toronto， encompassing three restaurants and a bar。
Chang's love of food and cooking remained a constant in his life， despite the adversities he had to overcome。 Over the course of his career， the chef struggled with suicidal thoughts， depression and anxiety。 He shied away from praise and begged not to be given awards。 In Eat a Peach， Chang opens up about his feelings of paranoia， self-confidence and pulls back the curtain on his struggles， failures and learned lessons。 Deeply personal， honest and humble， Chang's story is one of passion and tenacity， against the odds。
Reviews
Carolyn
，
There is wisdom here， and more about business than I thought there would be。 But he also comes across as quite a jerk at times。 I'm glad he addressed the lack of female chefs in the industry， and many other political aspects of his work。 There is wisdom here， and more about business than I thought there would be。 But he also comes across as quite a jerk at times。 I'm glad he addressed the lack of female chefs in the industry， and many other political aspects of his work。 。。。more
Erika
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"Being a chef is one of the dumbest professions you can honestly， enter， but it's the best job in the world"。 Chang spent most of the book trying to talk his readers out of ever pursuing a career as a chef。 And after listening to it， I see his point。 He was open and honest about his real struggles with Bipolar disorder and I really appreciated seeing what this disorder looked liked outside of a Hollywood film。 He also didn't shy away about his honest struggle with anger。 3。5 stars。 It wasn't my "Being a chef is one of the dumbest professions you can honestly， enter， but it's the best job in the world"。 Chang spent most of the book trying to talk his readers out of ever pursuing a career as a chef。 And after listening to it， I see his point。 He was open and honest about his real struggles with Bipolar disorder and I really appreciated seeing what this disorder looked liked outside of a Hollywood film。 He also didn't shy away about his honest struggle with anger。 3。5 stars。 It wasn't my favorite memoir I've ever read but it was great getting to pull back the curtain to one of the greatest chefs in America。 。。。more
Kattie Bair
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Interesting read about the food industry。 I think I may have even eaten at his restaurant recently。
Brian Schofield
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Honest， no bullshit view of the restaurant industry and all the struggles that come with it。 Easily comparable to Kitchen Confidential， but with 20 years of industry-wide progress。 Any chef or career hospitality person should give this a read。
Sandy
，
Good book。 David Chang was very frank about his successes， failures， personal struggles， and giving credit where it was due。I like the chapter regarding the failed magazine and the fallout of that。I don't agree with much of his outlook on appropriation。 His male privilege was apparent， even as he tried to talk about sexism and racism outside of his experience。 His optimism stems from this privilege， as a rich successful Asian man。 He might have his imposter syndrome/survivor guilt regarding it， Good book。 David Chang was very frank about his successes， failures， personal struggles， and giving credit where it was due。I like the chapter regarding the failed magazine and the fallout of that。I don't agree with much of his outlook on appropriation。 His male privilege was apparent， even as he tried to talk about sexism and racism outside of his experience。 His optimism stems from this privilege， as a rich successful Asian man。 He might have his imposter syndrome/survivor guilt regarding it， but it doesn't change that there comes a lot of privilege from being in that position。 Very few people can drop out of college， ask their parents for capital， and then start a restaurant。 That， by good fortune， got supremely successful。But。。。 He's not a terrible person and he's trying and doing his best to be a good person。 。。。more
Kelly
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“It doesn’t make sense that this memoir exists。 I’ve been wrong about so many things。My friends say I should stop with the false modesty， that I should be able to own who I am by now。But I’m not supposed to be here。”“Sometimes， if the conversation is private and I have more time， I’ll ask pointedly， ‘Do you really want to open a restaurant？’Then I give the following recipe:1。 Invite all the people who have agreed to give you their money to the home of one of the investors for a private and very “It doesn’t make sense that this memoir exists。 I’ve been wrong about so many things。My friends say I should stop with the false modesty， that I should be able to own who I am by now。But I’m not supposed to be here。”“Sometimes， if the conversation is private and I have more time， I’ll ask pointedly， ‘Do you really want to open a restaurant？’Then I give the following recipe:1。 Invite all the people who have agreed to give you their money to the home of one of the investors for a private and very special preview of your restaurant。 Do not forget to mention that they will each need to bring a check in the amount of $5，000。2。 When they arrive， place a big bowl in the center of the table。 Kindly instruct your guests to place their checks into it。 Set the contents of the bowl on fire。”“I stored paperwork in the fridge and kept the pantry completely unstocked save for a steady reserve of brown liquor: Bulleit， Elijah Craig， and Pappy Van Winkle， which was still relatively unknown and cheap back then。”“If it helps， think of it as a video game。 As you progress， you have to learn new moves， fight more difficult bosses， navigate more challenging levels。 It’s supposed to get more difficult or else it wouldn’t be interesting or rewarding to play。 How boring would it be to play the same level over and over again？” 。。。more
Bettie Bennett
，
This book is well worth your time。 Not another chef book about food this one is about real life of a restaurant owner and food in the world。
Alva Åsell
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Självmedveten och sympatisk
Lauren
，
I put off reading because I have some internal resistance to D。Chang， but after reading， I did/do admire his honesty here。 It’s hard to own your flaws the way he does！
Laura McIsaac
，
Honest and open perspective from a very talented Chef。 Great read if you love David Chang。
Vic
，
3。5*Again， nothing wrong with his writing but he was just so pretentious I couldn’t gel with his narration。 Personal preference strikes again
Elizabeth
，
3
Andrew Carr
，
Chef Memoirs are a particular favorite genre of mine。 While I've never worked in a professional kitchen， I love cooking and the thought of doing it for a living has been an occasional daydream。 Through these books I get to live vicariously， though they often come in two distinct forms。 One is the 'How lucky am I' form， where a sense of gratefulness and joy overwhelms the pages。 Julia Child & Jacques Pépin define this approach。 The other is the 'Everything sucks， but I would never quit' form， of Chef Memoirs are a particular favorite genre of mine。 While I've never worked in a professional kitchen， I love cooking and the thought of doing it for a living has been an occasional daydream。 Through these books I get to live vicariously， though they often come in two distinct forms。 One is the 'How lucky am I' form， where a sense of gratefulness and joy overwhelms the pages。 Julia Child & Jacques Pépin define this approach。 The other is the 'Everything sucks， but I would never quit' form， of which Anthony Bourdain mastered。 Eat a Peach is an intriguing mix of both。 There is a surprising amount of pain in this book。 Chang is open and raw in his battles with depression， his difficult family and work relationships， and constant worries。 He's also proud， funny， and enthusiastic about what he has achieved and what his restaurants are able to do。 Or rather， not only what they do， but what they say as well。 Chang's love of food is cultural。 He not only wants you to walk away going 'that's amazing' but realizing that what you ate is not all one way or all another， but thrives on the paradoxes of its parts。 Chang argues that the perfectly seasoned dish is not uniformly seasoned。 It must have parts that are too salty and parts under-seasoned。 So that together， it works。 So too his restaurants are fine dining in the Michelin star sense of the term。 But they were also small noodle bars， with no backs to the seats and no coffee or desserts at first。 Just get in， eat and ideally the stock broker has to rub shoulders with the students next to them， since both can afford it。 Likewise， his work is clearly drawn from Korean food， but he became famous for a Japanese dish （Ramen） which he serves in a form he considers classic Americana。 （Just don't call it fusion）。Culture and the broader society suffuses the stories which Chang tells。 This makes Eat A Peach， very much a book of this moment。 The story of Asian Americans has too rarely been told and understood， and the Korean immigrant part especially。 Chang brings it to life， not only in his insights， but in his rage and grievances， against both the wider society but also the oddities of his own family。 He can offer the cut through line。 Such as explaining that his parents valued professions of science， maths， and quantified skills above all else 'since anything subjective could be taken away from you'。 That's a line which leaves a mark。In all industries there is a tension that the better you are at the technical side （actually cooking food）， the sooner you are promoted out and away from it （management， running businesses）。 Chang made that shift relatively early on， starting his own restaurant without many of the usual steps， and its success quickly lead to a range of expansions and cross-media endeavors。 As such， Eat A Peach is as much a memoir of a leader as a cook。 It's clear， the practice of management has clearly not come easy for Chang。 Yet he approaches the task with serious principles and obviously excels in being about to build and manage a team。 This was， like the chef sections， raw and compelling。Ultimately， I think you'd want to know and like David Chang to want to pick this up。 But if you do， if you've always wondered what the world of celebrity chefs is really like， you'll find no more honest and insightful a guide。 。。。more
Ashley
，
Another intense read。 David Chang is a complex person。He really put himself out there in this memoir。 His take on Mental health issues and racism were interesting to me。 I adored the chapter about his wife Grace and I love that he called out Chick-Fil-A。 I’m getting off the Davis Chang roller coaster now。
Ana Davidovici
，
I find it helpful to read an autobiography to understand how some things were born。 This story is beautiful and sad at the same time。 And it’s amazing how a well known business was born out of passion and anxiety。
Lacey Byrne
，
I admit it。 I have never heard of David Chang。 I picked this book because I like the cover。 Didn’t even know it was a memoir。 From the first page I was in！ I loved this book - personal journey， identity politics， work addiction， mental health， classicism and food， culture， life lessons， humor， and delectable food descriptions。 Yum。 So yeah， judge books by their covers - you never know what you’ll discover。
Raaachellll
，
i loved this & thought it was really fun to read！ hearing how he built up momofuku was really inspiring & fun to hear about。 the first half of the book was especially fun for me。 i would zone out when he would get into the cooking kitchen intricacies， but it is still fun to hear about other worlds。 it's interesting to hear about his heart & attitude has turned around （thank god）， and the interesting paradox that he could not build momofuku without being a way we would never recommend now （cut-th i loved this & thought it was really fun to read！ hearing how he built up momofuku was really inspiring & fun to hear about。 the first half of the book was especially fun for me。 i would zone out when he would get into the cooking kitchen intricacies， but it is still fun to hear about other worlds。 it's interesting to hear about his heart & attitude has turned around （thank god）， and the interesting paradox that he could not build momofuku without being a way we would never recommend now （cut-throat， harsh， crazy， too intense）。 i thought he was really open + transparent about his shortcomings which i think takes a lot of humility。hugo！ really interesting to hear his thoughts on christianity & his christian upbringing。 luke & i have literally thought the same thing about gospel evangelism （i don't think this is the right word， but） - if you truly believe it， it should be the only thing you do & with the most intensity。 and then interesting to hear that he had to die to himself to find freedom （sounds familiar！）。 also， how he found so much freedom + his voice from when he could not count on his future。so many experiences！ what a busy guy！ fun & inspiring to hear about & to get into his head。 。。。more
Alexandria
，
This is a 4。5 in my opinion。 5 stars for my enjoyment， -。5 for being non-fiction。 I've always struggled with reading non-fiction， which is why it took me 1。5 years to read this book。 But this week I sat and really read it， and so glad I did。 This isn't "literary gold" but I definitely cried several times throughout it。 Many of the parts resonated with me， and reading about David Chang's struggles were incredibly eye opening。 This is a 4。5 in my opinion。 5 stars for my enjoyment， -。5 for being non-fiction。 I've always struggled with reading non-fiction， which is why it took me 1。5 years to read this book。 But this week I sat and really read it， and so glad I did。 This isn't "literary gold" but I definitely cried several times throughout it。 Many of the parts resonated with me， and reading about David Chang's struggles were incredibly eye opening。 。。。more
Marie Fernando
，
Humble and introspective。 I like the way David Chang acknowledges his diversity of emotion。 From the darkness he feels to the elation of pure happiness， love and joy。 Great insights from a person who has overcome obstacles and celebrated culture。 Real and grounded。
Janel
，
2。5 stars。 Not my favorite but probably because I wasn’t that interested in the genre。
Karen Z
，
DNFed this book
Annie
，
I love memoirs， and I love food and cooking， so this was a great read。 It was such an interesting deep dive into David Chang's life， experience with mental illness and his self-reflection after years in the industry and spotlight。 I only knew a little about Chang's past and watched him on Ugly Delicious and The Chef Show， so it was really nice to read the whole story。 There were parts of the book where I felt a little lost， it seemed like he was talking about one thing and then at the end of the I love memoirs， and I love food and cooking， so this was a great read。 It was such an interesting deep dive into David Chang's life， experience with mental illness and his self-reflection after years in the industry and spotlight。 I only knew a little about Chang's past and watched him on Ugly Delicious and The Chef Show， so it was really nice to read the whole story。 There were parts of the book where I felt a little lost， it seemed like he was talking about one thing and then at the end of the tangent we were in a completely different time period and on a different topic， which made it hard to follow in parts， but overall it was a great， informative read not only on the industry but true experience living with mental illness。 。。。more
Amber
，
3。5
Dora
，
4。5/5
Shan
，
« People were eating well for cheap and they were having a good time。 There was no pomp and circumstance no smoked mirrors no barriers to entry no artifices that make it so difficult and expensive to run restaurants…it was about fun and comfort。 »
Priyanka
，
I really appreciate Dave Chang’s journey and how he’s chosen to portray it in this memoir。 His outlook on mental illness is probably what’s going to stick with me most and I’m grateful for the perspective it gave me 🍑🍀💫
Karmen
，
captured his struggle of his beginnings to now， there's a 'this is me behind the scenes' figuring out things， good for anyone with imposter syndrome captured his struggle of his beginnings to now， there's a 'this is me behind the scenes' figuring out things， good for anyone with imposter syndrome 。。。more
Mike
，
Eat a Peach is a great memoir because Dave Chang commits to the vulnerability of the format completely。 Instead of a simple cash-grab celebrity memoir， Chang approaches the book with the same head first， all-or-nothing commitment that's made him a star in the food world over the past two decades。 As someone who knew Chang from his appearances on Top Chef and the excellent PBS series "Mind of a Chef"， I had a limited perception in my mind of who Chang was--gregarious， confident， incredibly talent Eat a Peach is a great memoir because Dave Chang commits to the vulnerability of the format completely。 Instead of a simple cash-grab celebrity memoir， Chang approaches the book with the same head first， all-or-nothing commitment that's made him a star in the food world over the past two decades。 As someone who knew Chang from his appearances on Top Chef and the excellent PBS series "Mind of a Chef"， I had a limited perception in my mind of who Chang was--gregarious， confident， incredibly talented， creatively restless， effortlessly innovative。 With Eat a Peach， Chang wastes no time dismantling this persona TV foodies recognize， instead embarking on a fearless personal inventory and interrogating his own history。 Chang pulls back the curtain to talk openly about his constant struggles with mental illness （he battles depression and bipolar disorder）， discussing his fixations on suicide and mortality with a frankness that at times is both alarming and deeply refreshing。 Suicidal ideation is such a boogeyman in our culture， a taboo that we tend to either dramatize or avoid completely， treating it as some foreign， extreme state， when in fact more people are familiar with it than we either realize or admit。 There's something striking in the way Chang renders this dark impulse into something quotidian and approachable。 It's also a key to understanding Chang's story and the ways he sees his successes as linked to his sicknesses: if you're ready to die， why not go all in on a big idea？ what do you have to lose？As Chang tells his story， he holds a microscope up to his past self， and isn't afraid to portray himself in an unflattering light。 He recounts painful stories and brutish behavior， people he's hurt and blind spots as a friend， manager and spouse that he's just now learning to see。 He struggles with narcissism， anger and control issues。 He frankly comes across as unlikeable on more than a few occasions， but that's ok-- a great memoir isn't afraid to risk the reader coming out of it liking its author less。 Ultimately， of course， I ended up liking Chang more by the book's end。 Despite his myriad flaws， he never stops trying to get better and do better for the people around him。 The book addresses the years he's spent in therapy， and honestly feels like it was written as a therapeutic exercise--there's one chapter in particular that finds Chang literally crossing out and rewriting his past behavior with the benefit of hindsight and empathy。 What could come across as self indulgent and overly narcissistic instead reads as a complicated man earnestly taking stock of who he is and trying desperately to do the work to change。 Eat a Peach offers a extraordinary window into the cycles of mania and depression that both power Chang's obsessive， workaholic drive and constantly threaten to derail his life。 It's a balancing act that feels stressful， relatable， and more than anything， real。 。。。more
Mackenzie Hsu
，
This read made me very hungry。 I appreciate the candidness of Dave Chang， and how he didn’t try to hide or cover up his faults （even though bad tempers are my personal no。1 pet peeve）。 This novel wasn’t what I expected， especially since I was previously unaware of his struggles with mental health。 Tbh I was expecting a fluffy and funny story of the rise of momofuku。 So I was surprised that this was something much heavier， I guess tv personalities really are a persona。 But Dave’s passion and unde This read made me very hungry。 I appreciate the candidness of Dave Chang， and how he didn’t try to hide or cover up his faults （even though bad tempers are my personal no。1 pet peeve）。 This novel wasn’t what I expected， especially since I was previously unaware of his struggles with mental health。 Tbh I was expecting a fluffy and funny story of the rise of momofuku。 So I was surprised that this was something much heavier， I guess tv personalities really are a persona。 But Dave’s passion and understanding for food and novelty is true， and that’s something that’s always appealed to me。 The novel was written with a very introspective angle， which I also really liked。 My feelings towards this book is interesting because I came out of it liking Dave Change a little less as a person… but it was still a really great read and I 100% will be hitting up Momofuku the next time I’m in Toronto （so mission accomplished ;））。 I think I previously just didn’t really think about him as a real human and held him on that impossible celebrity pedestal。 But he’s kinda just a guy with issues and good ideas。 Overall the book was still really interesting to read， and I liked how the writing style felt like it was coming from a real person。 Like he wasn’t putting up a front， so it was a pretty enticing read。 It’s the kind of book which can take you out of a reading slump。 。。。more
Barry
，
Closer to a 4。5， David Chang brings a behind the scenes rise of his career but also the mental health struggles along the way。 He is engaging and transparent with his struggles and successes。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Eat a Peach: A Memoir
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Eat a Peach: A Memoir&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Eat a Peach: A Memoir&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0