If You Can Stand the Heat: Tales from Chefs and Restaurateurs

Davis provides for those interested in the field as profession to the rest of us interested in the world of chefs and restaurants, an exciting mosaic of stories from those involved.Here are the likes of Bayless and Keller and Flay along with some many readers are not likely to be familiar with: Price and Kearney, et al. They contribute to the culinary mosaic a piece about a topic such as catering, find the right city for a restaurant, etc.From each contributer there are recipes that would be categorized in the intermediate class of skill for the home gourmet to attempt.There are insights and sources for follow-up along with coordinated notes as one reads which serve as referrals to other places in the book where info on a topic may be found.All in all a fascinating read! Unless one is truly passionate about cooking and wants to devote their life, this book might refer them to another career path. However, for the one who is passionate about cooking, this useful work provides ample gems of wisdom and advice from varying perspectives and experiences.

My sister gave me this book as a graduation present because I've been considering cooking school for some time despite a degree in art history. This book has given me a lot of practical advice like where to get scholarhships and how to apply for apprenticeships. Anyone in a similar position should check it out.

I love restaurants, food, cooking, industry insider information, and I could not have been more pleased with this book! The recipes rock and the writing style is very inviting. I'm a lawyer by day, but after reading IF YOU CAN STAND THE HEAT, well, who knows what next year will bring? Maybe a new restaurant on the block...

Dawn Davis's book is a treasure trove of information for all kinds of foodies -- from the professional chef to hopeful beginners like myself who just love to read about all things food. The stories from the chefs are fascinating -- intimate enough so the reader feels like he or she is in that chef's shoes for the moment. The back of the book is filled with really useful stuff, like names and addresses of cooking schools (both stateside and abroad), lists of cookbooks by the chefs profiled, and information about trade publications. This book makes you feel like a real food insider, which in NYC (or any area for that matter) is a very cool thing to be these days. The recipes are unusual and surprisingly easy to make (not to mention yummy). Impress your friends! The photos are stylish as well. This is a book you will want to display.