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Product Description
Review
"This must-read for the culinary crowd is the literary equivalent of caviar and Krug. Foodies will marvel at Achatz's thought process on his molecular creations, while Kokonas provides a detailed glimpse of the artistic vision and creation of modern fine dining."
-Book List
Praise for Grant Achatz and Alinea:
"Grant Achatz is aggressively pushing inventive cuisine forward, forcing the rest of the country's toque-heads to keep pace."
-Details
"Mr. Achatz is like a ringmaster running a highly sophisticated and technically accomplished cirque de cuisine."
-Wall Street Journal
"Grant Achatz is redefining the American restaurant once again for an entirely new generation."
-Gourmet
"Grant Achatz at Alinea comes up with creations that aren't just cutting-edge---they're also absolutely delicious."
-Food & Wine
"Is chef Grant Achatz a mad scientist or a culinary maestro? A few hours spent in his posh dining room in Lincoln Park suggests he is both."
-Washington Post
"Grant Achatz is one of America's great chefs."
-Vogue
"Alinea is a thrill ride of a dining experience, one that leaves you exhilarated, spent and eager for more."
-Chicago Tribune
"Grant Achatz's brilliance and maturing sensibility are on display in this elegant two-story haven--and the experience is every bit as dramatic as at the theatre neighbors."
-Chicago magazine
-Book List
Praise for Grant Achatz and Alinea:
"Grant Achatz is aggressively pushing inventive cuisine forward, forcing the rest of the country's toque-heads to keep pace."
-Details
"Mr. Achatz is like a ringmaster running a highly sophisticated and technically accomplished cirque de cuisine."
-Wall Street Journal
"Grant Achatz is redefining the American restaurant once again for an entirely new generation."
-Gourmet
"Grant Achatz at Alinea comes up with creations that aren't just cutting-edge---they're also absolutely delicious."
-Food & Wine
"Is chef Grant Achatz a mad scientist or a culinary maestro? A few hours spent in his posh dining room in Lincoln Park suggests he is both."
-Washington Post
"Grant Achatz is one of America's great chefs."
-Vogue
"Alinea is a thrill ride of a dining experience, one that leaves you exhilarated, spent and eager for more."
-Chicago Tribune
"Grant Achatz's brilliance and maturing sensibility are on display in this elegant two-story haven--and the experience is every bit as dramatic as at the theatre neighbors."
-Chicago magazine
Book Description
"One of America's great chefs" (Vogue) shares how his drive to cook immaculate food won him international renown-and fueled his miraculous triumph over tongue cancer.
In 2007, chef Grant Achatz seemingly had it made. He had been named one of the best new chefs in America by Food & Wine in 2002, received the James Beard Foundation Rising Star Chef of the Year Award in 2003, and in 2005 he and Nick Kokonas opened the conceptually radical restaurant Alinea, which was named Best Restaurant in America by Gourmet magazine. Then, positioned firmly in the world's culinary spotlight, Achatz was diagnosed with stage IV squamous cell carcinoma-tongue cancer.
The prognosis was grim, and doctors agreed the only course of action was to remove the cancerous tissue, which included his entire tongue. Desperate to preserve his quality of life, Grant undertook an alternative treatment of aggressive chemotherapy and radiation. But the choice came at a cost. Skin peeled from the inside of Grant's mouth and throat, he rapidly lost weight, and most alarmingly, he lost his sense of taste. Tapping into the discipline, passion, and focus of being a chef, Grant rarely missed a day of work. He trained his chefs to mimic his palate and learned how to cook with his other senses. As Kokonas was able to attest: The food was never better. Five months later, Grant was declared cancer-free, and just a few months following, he received the James Beard Foundation Outstanding Chef in America Award.
Life, on the Line tells the story of a culinary trailblazer's love affair with cooking, but it is also a book about survival, about nurturing creativity, and about profound friendship. Already much- anticipated by followers of progressive cuisine, Grant and Nick's gripping narrative is filled with stories from the world's most renowned kitchens-The French Laundry, Charlie Trotter's, el Bulli- and sure to expand the audience that made Alinea the number-one selling restaurant cookbook in America last year.
In 2007, chef Grant Achatz seemingly had it made. He had been named one of the best new chefs in America by Food & Wine in 2002, received the James Beard Foundation Rising Star Chef of the Year Award in 2003, and in 2005 he and Nick Kokonas opened the conceptually radical restaurant Alinea, which was named Best Restaurant in America by Gourmet magazine. Then, positioned firmly in the world's culinary spotlight, Achatz was diagnosed with stage IV squamous cell carcinoma-tongue cancer.
The prognosis was grim, and doctors agreed the only course of action was to remove the cancerous tissue, which included his entire tongue. Desperate to preserve his quality of life, Grant undertook an alternative treatment of aggressive chemotherapy and radiation. But the choice came at a cost. Skin peeled from the inside of Grant's mouth and throat, he rapidly lost weight, and most alarmingly, he lost his sense of taste. Tapping into the discipline, passion, and focus of being a chef, Grant rarely missed a day of work. He trained his chefs to mimic his palate and learned how to cook with his other senses. As Kokonas was able to attest: The food was never better. Five months later, Grant was declared cancer-free, and just a few months following, he received the James Beard Foundation Outstanding Chef in America Award.
Life, on the Line tells the story of a culinary trailblazer's love affair with cooking, but it is also a book about survival, about nurturing creativity, and about profound friendship. Already much- anticipated by followers of progressive cuisine, Grant and Nick's gripping narrative is filled with stories from the world's most renowned kitchens-The French Laundry, Charlie Trotter's, el Bulli- and sure to expand the audience that made Alinea the number-one selling restaurant cookbook in America last year.
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Most helpful customer reviews
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
amazing story told in a good way,
This review is from: Life, on the Line: A Chef's Story of Chasing Greatness, Facing Death, and Redefining the Way We Eat (Hardcover)
i pre-purchased this book as soon as it was announced. i'm a self-professed foodie trying to figure out if i should switch gears and become a chef. on top of that i've eaten at alinea and had grant achatz prepare a dessert for my table personally. so that's where i'm coming from with this review:the book is written in 2 perspectives, the first from grant and the second from nick kokonas (strangely not shown as a co-author on the amazon site). as a guess i would say 2/3 of the book is written by grant, the other by nick. different fonts are used to identify who is writing. i bring this up because it wasn't what i expected, and was sometimes difficult to keep track of. the book details all of grant's life from childhood through to starting alinea with nick. the last portion of the book deals with his ordeal fighting cancer, and then looks to what the future holds for the duo. it also explains from nick's perspective how he got involved in becoming the owner of the best restaurant in america. i am exactly the target audience for this kind of book, and i burned through it very quickly, just days. the story itself would be interesting for anyone, not just a foodie. i'm giving this book a 4 out of 5 because of the back and forth writing style between 2 authors (which worked in places and didn't work in others). and i have to admit, there's another intangible element i can't put into words, but i really wanted just a bit more out of this book. an amazing story told in a good way, but not in an exceptional way.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.6 out of 5 stars (46 customer reviews) 56 of 57 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Amazing Story of Success and Determination,
By Cory Giles - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
By the age of 32 Grant Achatz, chef/owner of Alinea, had achieved his dream of having the best restaurant in American and, along the way, had completely redefined not only the dining experience but how we think about food and eating. In this book, Chef Achatz, along with Nick Kokonas (his business partner in Alinea and a first-time restaurateur), describes the path he took to reach his goal. If the story ended there, it would be an amazing story of hard work and sacrifice coupled with sheer genius and the audacity to succeed at all costs. The story takes a totally different turn when Chef Achatz is diagnosed with stage IV cancer of the tongue and is faced with the heart-rending choice of risking his sense of taste, and with it his livelihood and identity as a chef, in an attempt to save his life.Though it sounds cliche, this book transcends genre and audience. For those interested in cooking and the life of a chef, it ranks alongside the works of Michael Ruhlman and Anthony Bourdain as the best in the genre. As a business book, it is a tremendous inspiration for the budding entrepreneur (or for a successful businessperson who is in the midst of doubt) and shows the power of making an audacious goal then driving forward to reach it. Above all it is the story of the extraordinary life of an extraordinary person as he strives to grow, succeed, live, and love. Chef Achatz has shown that he holds himself (and his staff) to the highest standards, and this book does not disappoint in any way. In short, the best book I've read in a very long time. Very highly recommended. 13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Solid Read,
By vbgal2 - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Life, on the Line: A Chef's Story of Chasing Greatness, Facing Death, and Redefining the Way We Eat (Hardcover)
Behind the allure of Alinea, an intangible experience for many normal Americans, lies the story of Grant Achatz.His story is moving, witty, driven, and honest (with a hint of that chef ego that we all know is there). It doesn't pretend to be something it isn't, and opens up a world of food that would otherwise go unilluminated to the general public. I am thankful for the experience of reading this book. It was a great read. Oh, and I'm thankful that someone slipped a phonetically-correct definition of Achatz into the book. That did not go unnoticed or unappreciated. After mainly reading about Chef Achatz online, I was grateful for that small formality. 8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
fantastic!,
By professionalcook - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Life, on the Line: A Chef's Story of Chasing Greatness, Facing Death, and Redefining the Way We Eat (Hardcover)
I read this book in two days, i couldnt put it down. I am a cook myself and love to hear stories from the greats on the roads they traveled.This should be a mandatory read for all culinary students. Inspiring, heart wrenching, and overall great to read.
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