Fried: Surviving Two Centuries in Restaurants

By Steve Lerach

Book Overview

For two hundred years, a rogues' gallery of chefs, line cooks, and dishwashers have slaved away, largely unseen, to serve the dining public. Their pedigrees reach back to the first restaurants during the reign of France's Louis XVI and extend to the Delmonico brothers in New York, Escoffier in Paris, and, in Fried: Surviving Two Centuries in Restaurants, a renegade cook in Minneapolis walking like a duck with a whole, raw salmon on his head.

Author and professional chef Steve Lerach first stepped through the swinging kitchen doors when he was in high school, starting as a dishwasher, and he never left. He introduces us to an old potwasher who did time for bootlegging, a stuttering Irish chef who collected funds for the bomb throwers of the IRA, and a gay Vietnam vet who found a measure of acceptance only in restaurants.

Lerach humorously and poignantly interweaves restaurant legend and lore with his own experiences, exposing similarities not only of profession but of the diverse characters who work the back of the house. Though funny and simply fun to read, these tales often end in tragedy, as various actors succumb to their excesses. Lerach serves up glimpses of the hard work, camaraderie, and satisfaction that distinguish careers in what may arguably be called the world's second-oldest profession.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1681340534
• ISBN13: 9781681340531
• Release Date: February 2017
• Publisher: Minnesota Historical Society Press
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.57 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

A comic and intuitive look into the world of the restaurant

Being a former student of the author, this review may be a little biased, but Lerach has a way with words that is, in all, heartfelt, intelligent, inspiring, and hilarious. This is a fantastic book for anyone in, or out of, the cooking industry. He is an amazing story teller, and this book shows it. I highly recommend this book. It is the "Kitchen Confidential" for the next generation of cooks; well spoken and amazingly researched. A must buy.

In the Land of Ice and Snow

I know Chef Lerach personally, and having heard many of his stories directly from him I can assure you there is little to no exaggeration. I recomend this book to anyone who eats food, loves food, and of course cooks food. I have never been so proud to put on a chefs coat. Thank you Chef

A master storytellers journey with a sprinkling of history.

A small disclaimer first. I am one of the many fortunate culinary students that has benefited from the tireless dedication that Chef Lerach has for teaching. With this book, hopefully you too, will benefit from his many stories and historical lessons that many in this industry can relate to. Although my journey in the industry is only at its beginning, I find many parallels to my own life's story as well as the preemptive ultimate conclusion similar to his own. "There Is Nothing New Under The Sun" - Chef Steve Lerach, Menu Management, 8:27 am, 9:14 am, 9:52 am, ...... Fried is a quick retelling of the events of Chef Steve Lerach's time on the line. Included in his fascinating stories, there is a delicate interweaving of historical facts and restaurant research that provides the backdrop on what the industry has become today. As a great storyteller, Lerach describes the events that took him up the food chain (pun intended) from dish washer to executive chef; coming to the ultimate conclusion that he "wasn't much of a chef". Fried offers the reader an introduction to the history of restaurants from their formative years to it's rebirth in a unsteady America. This is a must read as a starting point for anyone looking to gain more insight into the worlds second oldest profession.

A delightful Tour de Force and Tour de Farce!

This is a thoroughly enjoyable book that carries three themes. It intersperses restaurant and culinary history with Chef Larach's own experiences , and follows the "careers" of three or four oddballs that he worked for, with, or against. Chef Lerach writes with the same humor and candor as Bill Bryson. Chef Lerach's writing style is fluid, literate, and easy to read. This book is of interest to any one who enjoys cooking or eating out. It is absolutely a must read for any one considering a career in the culinary or hospitality industry. In fact, this one book could solve most of your holiday gift problems. It's also bargain priced for a hardcover in today's market. There is plenty of nitty and gritty to make sure an aspiring chef knows what they are getting into. Wolfgang Puck has no relevance to this real world! A word of caution. Chef Lerach reports the kitchen conversations with great accuracy, so be prepared for some strong language. I have a couple of criticsms of the book. First it is too short and you don't want to end! Secondly, in the comments at the back, Chef Lerach mentions removing all the academic citations. I think footnotes in a final section, as Bill Bryson and many other writers do, would be most valuable.