NetGalley ARC | Cellar Rat: My Life in the Restaurant Underbelly

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review

Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I LOVE books about working in restaurants. There's this whole world we never see when we dine out, even though it is right there in our faces the whole time if we know what to look for. It also fascinates me because it is a job I could never do. I am not a people-person and would never have the patience. That's also why I always tip at least 30% because I can't imagine a worse job. Yet I am still drawn to books about that job because it is a whole world of its own.

It should not come as a surprise to anyone that the misogyny is as common in the food industry as it is in literally every other aspect of our every day lives. But that's not all this book is about. It's about being drawn into a world you had once never considered but grew to love, only to find it rejected you time and time again - and the personal growth (and stumbles) that come with that kind of pain.

The author truly started her career in the food industry after graduating from Emerson with an MFA. She'd previously worked in a pub in her home town between undergrad and grad school when she was still not sure which direction her life should go. But the industry would not let her go and after Emerson she threw herself right back into the fray.

This was the era of the so-called "bad boy" chefs. Personally, none of that era ever appealed to me, this explosion of celebrity chefs and cooking shows. I don't enjoy shows about restaurants and cooking. I don't like to cook, it's not fun to me, I don't want to see the food prepared. I am much more interested in the culture of restaurants. But people were willing to accept the volatile personalities because it made for good television; why wouldn't a chef be a total psycho? But the thing that always gives me pause is, if those chefs were willing to show the world that side of themselves on film, how much worse was it when the cameras weren't rolling?

Selinger had many roles throughout her time in the industry. She began as a server at Bobby Flay's Bar Americain. She didn't even last two months on the job, but she quickly moved on to another, and another, and another. The author began the journey to becoming a certified sommelier (something else I am SO OBSESSED with) and would reach the pinacle of her career as the beverage director for David Chang and Momofuku.

Along the way, there were many ups and downs. Selinger learns the difference between fine dining and fine fine dining, has to decide if reporting thieving managers is worth the risk, and tries to figure out why she stays in an industry for so long that tries to break her, over and over.

At times, it is almost painful to read. Selinger was drawn to the food industry after that stint between Columbia and Emerson. She's not an idiot, and she KNOWS how terrible it becomes for her. How stressful it is to be on eggshells all the time, never knowing when the boss might make an example of her.

And yet, she stayed. For years. Exactly why she did so is something the author explores, and there are quite a few times where she realizes it's time to go, but then decides to stay. Just one more job.

I loved the breeziness of the book, despite it covering such serious issues within the food industry. It felt like having a conversation with a friend who keeps going back to a who you know is no good for her, SHE knows is no good for her, yet nothing changes.

At the end of each chapter, the author includes a recipe that fits the content and theme of said chapter. Someone who is much better in the kitchen than I can attempt them though, as I have no skill in that department.

I also loved the fact that she named names. She lays bare the chefs on powertrips with out of control egos, because they found the magic key of making extraordinary dishes that were as beautiful to look at as they were delicious to eat. I had to Google a couple of the names, but many you will recognize if you were awake in the early 2000s to be bombarded by this era of chefs - Bobby Flay, David Chang, Johnny Iuzzini. Big surprise that so many from that time have been outed for their disgusting behaviors becuase they thought they were untouchable.

Highly, highly recommended.