Book Review: The Making of a Chef

Review

The Making of a Chef: Mastering Heat at the Culinary Institute of America, by Michael Ruhlman. (Henry Holt, 305 pages, 2001). $23.95.

Although I’ve never seriously considered becoming a chef, I must admit to a certain fascination with the profession. After reading Michael Ruhlman’s book, I hesitate to even call it a profession any longer; it’s more of a vocation. Many of the people he meets during his stint at the Culinary Institute of America actually seem to have a culinary calling. In no way does this mean that hard work and extensive training aren’t necessary. On the contrary, it’s only by passing through the fire, so to speak, that these stars of the kitchen can take their rightful places.

Most interestingly, at a certain point in his “research,” Ruhlman himself feels a bit of the pull toward the chef’s life. After being given special permission to attend classes without the required restaurant experience, he finds himself wondering if he could actually become a working chef. His descriptions of the rigorous CIA curriculum and his fellow students are both entertaining and at times a bit overwhelming. Culinary terms like mirepoix and confit are thrown around from the first page, sending me running to my trusty Penguin Companion to Food for answers. This was only slightly distracting, though, and overall I found I couldn’t put this book down until I found out whether Ruhlman would end up as a writer/chef or a chef/writer.