Rating: 
Summary: A great book.
Review: In my opinion, BECOMING A CHEF is one of the most sensitive and revelatory books on the profession I've read. I've been a working "chef" (aka line cook) for almost five years, and it actually helped me pursue a few jobs (the information on setting up interviews and trails helped a lot). A great book. (CULINARY ARTISTRY is also one of my favorites, but I haven't gotten to the book on food critics yet.)
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Summary: BECOMING A CHEF is a must-read.
Review: Let's not mince our praise: BECOMING A CHEF is one of the best books ever written about the back-of-the-house side of the restaurant business. Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page interviewed more than 60 top chefs for this entertaining and enlightening look at the culinary profession.Jeremiah Tower (formerly) of San Francisco's Stars reveals that he originally wanted to be an architect. Todd English of Olives (Boston, etc.) reminisces about watching his grandmother make potato gnocchi. Andre Soltner, the living legend formerly of Lutece in New York City, waxes philosophical about love -- in his estimable opinion, the most important ingredient in any dish. Perhaps Norman Van Aken of Norman's in Coral Gables, Florida, sums it up best: "This is not a profession that you choose. It chooses you." In addition to life lessons and some 50 recipes from the usual suspects (Alice Waters, Daniel Boulud, Emeril Lagasse, etc.), the book includes a brief history of the culinary profession; a chapter on opening and operating your own restaurant; and listings of culinary organizations, publications, and cooking schools in the U.S. and abroad. For the uninitiated as well as those who have already found their calling in the kitchen, BECOMING A CHEF is a must-read.
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Summary: BECOMING A CHEF has changed my life forever.
Review: My interest in the culinary arts developed approximately three years ago. However, that interest never developed into a focused vision until I read this book. Now I am preparing to graduate from a professional culinary school in Los Angeles and to embark upon a career as a food journalist. I would never have pursued these endeavors without having read BECOMING A CHEF. I use it both as a navigator and as a reflection on my new-found career interest.
Rating: 
Summary: Contrarian view: Dull, disorganized, repetitive
Review: Of the two memes in American culinary writing today, that is, 1) the worship of the celebrity chef, and 2) the cult of cooking as a craft (or sport), this is book is firmly in the celebrity chef camp. Unfortunately, it's a not very interesting addition to the field. The voice of the book is the expert advising the person interested in a culinary career on how to pursue one. The book reviews in some detail the apprentice system as well as the culinary school alternative. It also includes info on how and where many of today's leading chefs trained, along with quotes, anecdotes, and recipes. There are nuggets here but overall the book is repetitive to the point of being dull, superficial for all its 300+ pages, and the weaving together of the various types of material leaves one groping for the story line. The recipes are both a highlight and a lowlight. As promised they do indeed show the personalities of the various chefsmuch better than the soundbite quotes. But the random sprinkling throughout the text ends up being disruptive and many of the recipes themselves are not practical without a restaurant's phalanx of prep cooks, etc. A more focused, in-depth review of the personal histories of half-a -dozen of the greats could have conveyed the same information with more depth and drama.
Rating:
Summary: A great book!
Review: One of the best books I've ever read, on any subject. As inspirational as it is instructive on the internal and external transformations involved in becoming a chef.
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Summary: This book changed my life!
Review: Put simply, Becoming A Chef and Culinary Artistry by Andrew Dornenberg and Karen Page changed my life. I read them in three days (I could barely sleep). These two books are my new bibles. The only thing to slow my reading of them was the need to stop, go to the kitchen, and test the inspirations they provided. These books have proven to me that cooking is my passion, and that I really belong in the kitchen. A fire has been lighted in my belly that is never going away! Thanks to the authors for the massive knowledge and inspiration that have sent me down the right path. I've seen the light!
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Summary: Delivers great efficiency ideas from Chef Emeril!
Review: The award-winning book BECOMING A CHEF by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page even delivers great effiency ideas from Chef Emeril! The most efficient kind of marketing? Holding on to repeat customers. Renowned chef Emeril Lagasse encourages repeat business by issuing these "commandments" to his staff. From the time guests arrive, staff members must provide: * RECOGNITION: They must greet customers by name and put regular customers' favorite drinks (stored on computer) at the table before they sit down. * MAXIMALLY EFFICIENT SERVICE: Servers much approach tables within 30 seconds of guests' arriving. They provide "gang service," so all entrees are served at the same time. * FOLLOW-UP. Servers will even send follow-up notes to customers. Your challenge? Adapt Emeril's "commandments" for your customers or other constituents such as staff, teams or the executive group. --Stephanie Winston, The Organized Executive
Rating:
Summary: A must read for anyone who thinks of becoming a chef.
Review: The heart of this book is that becoming a chef is more than liking to cook. It explains that becoming a chef is a calling that demands the heart and soul along with continuous study, long hours of labor and somtimes terrible working hours and conditions. It must be in your heart as with any of the arts to succeed. Also, sucess can be acheived and defined in many ways and also may be fleeting. This book is wonderfully written and holds nothing back (chef-teachers scream and throw things!). This is the real thing baby! I read it because I am considering a career change in the culinary arts. Maybe a dishwasher or a sous chef will suit my talents, both important members of the staff according to Dornenburg and Page. Whatever role I might assume this book has afforded me with a clearer picture of the kitchen experience, as-well-as quite a few great recipes, tips, bits of advice and cautions. A great add to my library
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Summary: If you enjoy good food and want to know more,read this book.
Review: The only thing missing in this book of cooking and chefs is the smell of the kitchen. It is a hard book to put down, once you have started reading it. It was well past midnight when I forced myself to put it on my bedside table and turn off the light, and then I spent the rest of the night dreaming about cooking. The photography is not the usual photos you would expect in a book of cooking, but that may be the reason that they work as well as they do. They show little snapshots of what it is to be a cook and a chef, not pretty pictures of foods.
This is a book that I will reread many times and give copies to friends.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding, a real inspiration.
Review: This book is a must read for anyone who wants to know about becoming a great chef. The insite from todays best chefs is very interesting. I loved this book
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