Uncut: The Inside Story Of Culinary School

Rating:
Summary: And I asked for this for Christmas . . . . .
Review: This book is insufferably bad. It lacks greatly for an editor. The author will switch tense 3 times in a single paragraph. The punctuation is horrible, and the content is lacking a clear organization. The depth of information does not go beyond simple statements: "We learned this, then we learn that, and we will learn to do those." She also needs to learn the virtue of pronouns as a way to avoid using the same word (in this case "toque") in 6 consecutive sentences.
Do not buy this book. It will not satisfy anyone's quest for knowledge or interest in culinary school and will be impossible to read through the grammatical errors and dullness of discussion of an otherwisely interesting topic.


Rating:
Summary: Awesome: A Real Life Experience Through Culinary School
Review: I loved this book! It is nice to read a book written by a regular person, in regular language, who followed her dream to become a Chef.

The book describes the adventures through a top-notch culinary school with the prestigious reputation of "LeCordon Bleu", the gold standard in the cooking industry. The author takes you from the first day of class to her final graduation in a way we can all relate to. Her humor and style of writing allows the reader to feel like they are going to class with her!

As you read about details of what the students go through to prepare a dish, your appetite seems to grow with each page. The author then treats you to couple recipes at the end of each chapter that are straight from the master chefs. I have prepared a couple of them already and received many compliments from my guests.

I found the book both educational and fun to read. The humor mixed in with the serious approach to cooking, makes for a wonderful read. The author relates to the reader one-on-one and we are share her excitement as she follows her dream.

I recommend this book to all the folks that enjoy cooking. It may just change your life forever!


Rating:
Summary: Good Reading, Good Eating, Good Fun!
Review: I loved Uncut! It is a tightly written, extremely funny read. It gives the reader a view of culinary school and cooking for the masses. The book is informative, gives good tips for cooking and great recipes. If I were younger, I would consider a career change! 5 Stars

Rating:
Summary: Unsufferable
Review: I still can't understand how the author managed to write a book on an experience where she seemed to be naive through to the end. The book seems to parallel the author's culinary experience and interest, it only skims the top. She never fully developed any idea or breakthrough experience, and admittedly didn't feel she excelled, yet still felt ok with being called "chef" at the book's end. It is incredible the lack of enthusiasm that was displayed for the very art that she believed herself to be called to. I personally feel that a person that truly cares about what he/she does would be interested in all aspects, including history and culture. Yet these are the very things that in the book she claims she will not "bore" you with. Basically, I found that the book told me nothing new. I already know the basic curriculum just from looking at the website, I wanted a thorough first hand experience. Instead I got a "yadda yadda yadda" approach.

Rating:
Summary: Before you go to culinary school...
Review: If you are interested in becoming a chef, personal nutritionist, caterer, or any of the many other specific professional positions which require formal training in the culinary arts, this is a must read. The stories in the book have an earthy "you are there" appeal that will either prepare you for the ordeal or dissuade you from trying.

The author's first-hand tales of the trials of formalizing one's cooking knowledge are quite compelling and often amusing. And in the end, there is a feeling of triumph and accomplishment when she walks out the door to confront both the next wave of students and her own future.

Although chefdom is neither my vocation nor my avocation, I found myself standing in the author's shoes wondering "what's next?" with every tribulation. I am delighted that my aspiring chef friend encouraged me to read this book!

Rating:
Summary: Captures it all!
Review: So many of us wonder what it would be like to go to culinary school. Patrice Johnson has written a wonderful book that gives us the inside look at the day to day life of a culinary student. From start to finish it is a delight!

Ms. Johnson captures the intensity of the day to day schedule in a culinary school, the commitment involved and the comraderie of the students, and does it all with a fabulous sense of humor!

I highly recommend this book for anyone contemplating a career in the culinary field or interested in the culinary school experience.

Rating:
Summary: Uncut is amusing, informative, and tells a good story
Review: This book tells the story (first person) of what it takes to become an accredited chef by completing a year-long course of study and experience at a top-notch culinary school.

The narrator comes across as engaging, observant, capable (though inexperienced at first), witty, and highly motivated. We like her right away, and we want her to succeed.

The chapters are structured around the the day-to-day learning, training, and/or practice sessions. They tell us what's going on and why, and are interspersed with just the right balance of educational info for the reader, so we learn plenty of interesting tidbits ourselves. They also show us an environment which is quite outside the experience of almost everybody.

It's a particularly nice touch that each chapter ends with a recipe or two, usually relevant to the chapter's topic material. Kind of makes us want to read a chapter, head for the nearest grocery to stock up on supplies, then try out what we've been reading.

There isn't anybody who hasn't "eaten out" many times in their lives; well, somebody's cooked the food, which is usually pretty darn good. And we can watch all sorts of Chefs on the Food Channel. But we never see how these people get to become what they are.

Well, now we can.

Rating:
Summary: A Book of Dreams Come True
Review: This High Honour Graduate shares the joys and trials of not only attending Culinary School, but mastering and earning the title "CHEF". I had no idea how difficult the curriculum would be - we usually just see the "finished product" of a CHEF on TV.