If we listen to the whispers inside us, the voice that tells us something is not as it should be, life can become a wonderful series of twists and turns. Dahlia Jurgensen felt stifled in her corporate career and chose to follow her passion to culinary school eventually becoming a well-respected, often reviewed pastry chef. Spiced is her story of life in the restaurant kitchen.
The October book selection for my online book club was Spiced: A Pastry Chef’s True Stories of Trials by Fire, After-Hours Exploits, and What Really Goes on in the Kitchen by Dalia Jurgensen, chosen by Libbi of Domestic Wandering.
From a very early age, Dahlia Jurgensen loved to cook. She fondly recounts memories of assisting her mother in the kitchen making many traditional Danish dishes and attempting to recreate the recipes from Anne Willan’s Grand Diplome Cooking Course cookbook she received for her thirteenth birthday. But she was also interested in languages and literature which led her to a career in publishing.
But soon her office job, the uncomfortable shoes, and the bottom line depressed her. It felt like none of it really mattered. She felt stifled.
After a quick call to her parents who urged her to follow what made her happy and to not be afraid to take risks, she gave her two week notice and enrolled in the New York Restaurant School after seeing the number flash on her television screen one evening.
Fortuitously, a friend of a friend happened to know about an entry-level position opening at Nobu, a three-star Japanese restaurant in New York City where Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto worked as head chef. No sooner had she left the corporate world, Dahlia was trailing accomplished pastry chefs learning to plate desserts and create the components of the restaurant’s sophisticated confections.
Dahlia accounts of the hectic, male-dominated, often sophomoric lifestyle of the kitchen providing a sharp dichotomy between the back of the house and the serenity and pleasure felt by the guests at the front of the restaurant. As told by other chefs like Anthony Bourdain in Kitchen Confidential, Dahlia shares the stories of painful burns, heavy after hours partying and brawling, sexist taunts, and little tolerance for whining, sickness or mistakes.
She leads us through life at a highly reviewed restaurant to starting up a new eatery to creating new dishes for Martha Stewart to the passionless experience of working at a corporate hotel restaurant. She tells of the repetitious tasks and the culinary creativity, the long, arduous days and the need to turn out perfection night after night.
While the exploits where engaging and made for a quick read, I had hoped Dahlia would provide a bit more insight into how she handled the transition from office politics to restaurant culture from a woman’s perspective. How did it feel to go from sitting in her suit and heels discussing the monthly report to a hot, testosterone-filled kitchen where there were no policies regarding appropriate employee conduct? Did she find herself changing, toughening up, to compete in this new world? What was it like to lose contact with your friends and family because work became all-consuming? How was she able to go from working side by side with business colleagues to taking orders and verbal abuse from her chefs without argument or irritation?
Spiced provides an enjoyable view into the inner workings of a restaurant kitchen and its cast of characters – the flirtatious coat check girl, the gruff and hostile sous chef, the gay and lesbian staff, the homophobic, macho employees who often had criminal records, and the whiny waiters whose feet hurt or whose nail broke. For those curious about what is actually happening behind the kitchen doors, this book will be an entertaining read.
My ex is an Executive Chef, and he would tell me all sorts of stories about what was going on in the kitchen. Even though his stories were kind of unbelievable, I still got the feeling he was leaving something out! I’d love to read this book…especially from a women’s point of view!
Brandi, any stories from your hubby you can share?
I have to say, I sadly wasn’t a fan of the book, and I think the main reason was the lack of insight into how she handled and felt about the constant transitions. Too bad, but you can’t win them all!
I agree. I wish she had spent a bit more time on talking about how she went from the corporate world to the culinary world specifically from a female point of view. But regardless, I did find it to be an interesting and fun read.
I waitressed during the summers when I was younger and WHEW the stories I could tell about the kitchen and our staff. Dysfunction at it’s finest!
Do tell! I would love to hear some behind the scenes stories. 😉
Sounds like a good book…I love learning how the real “inner workings” of different industries work! I’ll add it to the list.
I love the behind the scenes look too Andrea! Is your reading list as long as mine? Seems I will never catch up! There are so many great things to read.
I think it takes a lot of courage to change careers as Dahlia did, especially because the restaurant kitchens are not the glamorous place that some people try to make us think they are. But she ended up with an interesting story and a good reading. I´m sure she learned a lot during those years, and that could make her successful in every area of the business.
Changing careers was probably one of the things I’ve done in my life that was so out of my comfort zone, so I can imagine what it must have been like for her to take the leap. Thanks for your comment!
Great review Fran! I’m so happy to be joining Kitchen Reader this month. I completely agree with your assessment of the book.
Hi Katherine! Thanks for visiting! Look forward to reading more of your reviews.
I wonder if Jurgensen didn’t talk much about how she coped with the new environment because all she did was just shut up and keep working. I found that she really detailed her work ethic well and she explained the kitchen hierarchy clearly. I admire her for her determination; I’m pretty sure I could never work in a restaurant even though I do love food! Did you find that your own cheffing work compared to hers in any ways?
I really admire her grit as well. Working in that environment seems physical and emotional demanding. My experience as a personal chef is quite different. I work in the comfort of my clients’ homes often by myself, sometimes with them there. I usually spend about 4-5 hours cooking and cleaning up and then am off to pick up my daughter at the bus. I love the flexibility of my schedule, the ability to interact directly with those that eat my food and to feel that I am making a difference in their health and stress levels.
I would have also liked to hear more personal insights on her transition. As I was reading, giving up almost all contact with your friends/family, as well as sacrificing all work-life balance seemed like some pretty huge sacrifices, but they seemed to be just a given for Jurgensen. She never really delved into what that was like.
Enjoyed reading your review!
Thanks Stephanie! Need to get on the stick and order our next book (which looks right up my alley!).