When I was little I was fascinated by film credits – that long, scrolling list of interesting-sounding jobs – gaffer, dolly grip, best boy, greensman, set dresser, charge scenic and so on. Then one day, I happened across a book at the library that picked-apart the movie business and explained what all of those people actually did. I don’t know whether it was a bland book or whether the tasks themselves are not that exciting, but every bit of glamour was sucked out of the movie-making business for me after reading that book (there seemed to be a lot of standing around, holding things).

Which brings me to Sous Chef by Michael Gibney. It’s a book about a day in the life of a sous chef. Although I can’t fault the writing, the book is almost a procedural text, explaining the roles of various people in the kitchen, equipment used, techniques and so on, complete with an extensive glossary. Although it’s a memoir, it’s written in the second-person – I understand why Gibney did this because it does bring the reader close but I found it a little irritating.

“Your fish blades have been replaced by a lone ten-inch Gyutou – ‘Excalibur’, an old favourite – and your cutting board is smaller now. A quartet of two-quart Cambros flanks the board, and whole carrots and cornichons breeze beneath your knife from left to right…” Continue reading →