Kitchen Confidential

Anthony Bourdain's 2000 memoir grew out of an essay in The New Yorker, submitted by his mother, that launched his media career. Organized as a loose set of humorous anecdotes, it mixes confession with commentary on the cooking trade. Bourdain describes high-end restaurant kitchens as intense, hazardous places staffed by misfits, admits his own failings including drug use, and explains how restaurants make their money. He warns diners about the tricks of the trade, advising against fish on a Monday and against beef ordered well done. He credited a book by George Orwell, Down and Out in Paris and London, as an influence. Following his death in 2018, the book topped two New York Times best-seller lists.

Blogger Jason Kottke put it in the best of his 2018 media diet, saying it still felt immediate 18 years after it came out. Nicole Baldinu, co-founder of The $100 MBA, called it raw, gritty and colorful, and a lesson in mastery and work ethic.