The Hunger: A Story of Food, Desire, and Ambition

A page-turning memoir from the chef of The Waverly Inn, New York City's vaunted celebrity gathering spot "The Hunger" is an insider's romp through the crazy life of the restaurant business, told by a journeyman chef who fought his way to the top. Trapped in a dead-end job, John DeLucie called it quits and invested his meager savings in a ten-week cooking class. Upon completion, armed with no professional experience and the barest of basic skills, he walked into the renowned gourmet shop Dean & DeLuca and asked for a job. The next day he found himself chopping forty pounds of onions in the prep-kitchen basement. A glamorous new chapter had begun. DeLucie worked his way up the bumpy NYC food chain, from executive chef at La Bottega to Nick & Toni's in East Hampton, eventually finding his way to The Waverly Inn, which he opened with publishing magnate Graydon Carter and several partners. It was here that John married his mastery of simple but unique flavors with Carter's A+ list of glitterati to create downtown's hottest eatery. "The Hunger" tracks John though the pitfalls of cooking for a living, as well as the roller-coaster ride that became his personal life. Woven into the grit are the stories behind some of DeLucie's signature recipes, including New York's "Best High-End Burger" and the now famous truffled mac and cheese. Here is John's tale about food, desire, and appetite--and how one person overcame all odds to make it in the fiercely competitive world of food.

Review :
"DeLucie provides an excellent balance of personal details and authentic backstage culinary tales. . . . DeLucie's is a satisfying triumph of hard work and stick-to-it-ness."--Publishers Weekly "In a bowl, stir gently, one part Hard Work, two cups True Grit, and a dash of Restaurant Glamour, and you get the perfect recipe for Chef John Delucie's everyday life... I couldn't put it down."--Bobby Flay "Hot grease, sharp knives, infidelity, and white truffles. . . . The Hunger has all the right ingredients. John DeLucie has lived the life and now he tells the tale. "The Hunger" is the best memoir by a chef since "Kitchen Confidential.""--Jay McInerney "It's the rare behind-the-scenes glimpses into the Waverly's clubby quarters that make this book different from other chef memoirs and their typically debauched tales."--New York Post John DeLucie has given me so much pleasure at The Waverly Inn, and now he has written this delightful book, as well! I recommend it to anyone interested in good food--and good stories."--Salman Rushdie "THE HUNGER entertainingly describes one of those wonderfully unlikely bizarro career arcs that can only happen in the restaurant business...A terrific first person tour of the best and worst of the back-of-the-house New York restaurant world with an all-too rare happy ending."--Anthony Bourdain "This dishy read is an insider's look at what it takes to stay on top of the high-pressure, high-profile culinary world and what really goes on in the kitchen."--Bon App?tit