An insider account about the burn of the kitchen and the bite of addiction from London chef Alasdair Gill.

From working in some of London's most prestigious restaurants to scrubbing fat from kitchen floors, Alasdair Gill's life as a chef has been a series of exhilarating highs and harrowing lows. But so too has his private life. Taking readers behind the swinging kitchen doors of London's dining scene, he shows us the major contradictions in his life, from crossing paths with Anthony Bourdain and preparing dishes for the ultra wealthy to hiding in drug-fuelled kitchen dens and a wake-up call that nearly ended his life. Knives and Spoons is a raw and honest look at the chaotic and often toxic world of professional kitchens, filled with fierce and unforgiving moments, but also a testament to the power of finding one's craft and the long road to recovery.

Details

ISBN13: 9781037401442
Format: Paperback / softback
Number of Pages: 336
Edition:
Publication Date:
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Publication City, Country: London, United Kingdom
Dimensions (cm): 23.4(H)x15.3(L)x2.6(W)414
Weight (gm): 414

Author Biography

Alasdair Gill is a chef and writer whose career has taken him from the pressure-cooker environment of London's finest dining establishments to his current work as a private chef. After battling addiction and hitting rock bottom, he turned his life around, finding sobriety and a renewed passion for his craft. He is now committed to sharing his story in the hope of helping others on their own journey.

Reviews

A vital new voice who speaks so powerfully about addiction -- Bryony Gordon 
Gill's funny, eye-opening and lyrical kitchen memoir is a must * Stylist *
Incredibly moving, heartbreaking, savage, vivid, shocking, immediate and of course very funny. It’ll also show all those who love The Bear how to really tear up a kitchen -- Camilla Long
Magnificent, powerful, brutally honest and a very funny book . . . I never wanted it to stop -- Jon Spiteri 
Restaurant biographies tend to be boring and repetitive . . . but not in Ali’s account. He gives a proper insight into not only how he has worked, but how he has thought . . . It has been a privilege to observe him not only succeed in adversity, but thrive. Do learn from him -- Jeremy King, Restaurateur   
Not only a beautifully written, outrageously funny tale of kitchen excess, but a story of hope, love, cooking and redemption. Brilliant -- Tom Parker-Bowles
Tragic, darkly funny and unexpectedly moving . . . He has also inherited his father's way with words * The Bookseller *
Gill writes very well. Brilliantly actually. He is better than his father . . . Knives And Spoons is less about food than addiction, psychological heebie-jeebie . . . Gill has horrifying personal knowledge of what it is like being on a knife's edge * Daily Mail *