Reviews

32 Yolks: From My Mother's Table to Working the Line by Eric Ripert

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brea_by_the_beach's review

3.0

I can still remember the meal I had at Le Bernadin, years ago. When I saw that Eric Ripert had a book out about his early years, I looked forward to reading it. Not knowing anything about him, it was interesting to learn more. I enjoyed the rich details of food history of his youth and tales of his grandmothers and life in France and Andorra. His tales of line cooking for the French great Robechon made me exhausted just to picture the detail and meticulousness required. Books like these obviously appeal to a certain kind of reader - one who likes food, likes cooking it, appreciates fine dining and the learning that goes into being able to prepare meals like that. Now, of course, I want to eat half the different foods he mentioned casually in the book.

kb_09's review against another edition

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hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

norahbringer's review

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4.0

This was a quick read, and quite good, especially for anyone interested in the world of high cuisine.

crsoentgen's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging informative inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

3.0

hwks's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective slow-paced

3.0

I am vaguely familiar with Ripert, though mostly only through Top Chef clips. For a memoir I would say it's quite decent and the writing is the precise amount of lushness you'd want in a book about food and culinary adventures. It's an interesting mix of personal story and industry insight. Ripert's early life is rife with heartbreak and loss and the later years he includes some fascinating views into the work behind Michelin Stars and the world of upscale restaurants. There were a few moments that made me cringe a bit (specifically his note about the 'African dishwashers' and what Ripert deemed was excessive sympathy given to them by his boss). It is quite a 'pull yourself up by your bootstraps' kind of memoir though Ripert does well to acknowledge those who helped him and inspired him to achieve the levels of success he now enjoys; however, at the end of the day for me personally it comes across as a bit out of touch, given the (at times) intense amount of privilege he was afforded. I'm also personally not a fan of the very Western-centric concept of French cuisine/dining as being the peak of fine dining but he is a French chef and this take is not surprising.

In short, surprisingly good for a celebrity chef, though I'm not sure how much credit for the quality of the writing goes to his ghostwriter. If you love food and particularly French cuisine, this might be worth the read.

giopep's review

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3.0

Un'autobiografia dello chef Eric Ripert che si concentra sugli anni della gioventù e sul periodo di apprendistato presso Joël Robuchon. Gradevole, interessante soprattutto nei racconti su come funzionano le cucine.