Wife of the Chef

I'm a chef's wife too and she nails it! Thank goodness we don't run a restaurant together but it is tough to be married to the chef. I'm lucky in that my husband does like to cook at home. I loved this book and recommend it to other chef wives - you're not crazy!

I, too, am the wife of a chef, and I, too, run the business with my husband, so this book appealed to me greatly. Courtney follows the day-to-day interactions and business happenings that make running a restaurant with your spouse *very* entertaining. Not only that, but she was thrown into it at a young age, just by being the wife of the chef, and has to learn new things about running the business every day. I greatly identified with this book, and I send a big kudos to Courtney, and others in her shoes!

I read this book because the title jumped out at me, I too, am the wife of a chef. I do not run the restaurant with my husband but I can relate to almost all of her stories, while some people may think she is complaining, she is just telling it like it is. There is no glamour in being the chef's wife, we are not living out the food network dream here, folks. I actually sent her an e-mail thanking her for putting pen to paper. I thought it was wonderful that someone actually wrote a book about it (and had time to do so!!). If there is a chef in your family, or your spouse is a chef - then I would say its required reading. It might make a good disclaimer for chefs to hand out to potential dates as well-- girls, its not easy!!

I cannot believe some of the reviews that actually do not get this book and think the author is just a jealous whiner. This is just not the case. Her examination of life of a "chef's wife" is a very brutal and honest portrait of what it is like to be the one behind the creativity, the one who gets no credit, but handles everything besides the meal preperations. Without her role, which is central to the overall success of their restaurant Metro Bis, there would be no glory for her husband, "The Chef." As the wife of a chef myself and co-owner of a restaurant with my husband, I completely relate to everything she says and find it in no way pouty, whiney or complaining. The reality is the business is tough, but it is twice as tough being the one who has to pull yourself and everyone else up by their bootstraps when everything is going wrong, fix it while playing shrink to everyone, and get none of the credit for it at the end of the day for anything.After reading the book I emailed the author to tell her how much I enjoyed it. She took the time out of her busy schedule to personally answer me back which I think is another testimate to how attentive she is, not only to "the chef's" needs, her customers needs, her employee needs and just some stranger who happened to like her book.As for the book this one has been compared to "Kitchen Confidentials," I enjoyed it much more because of its ability to relay the raw emotions of what happens in the restaurant business without all of the trash talk and vulgarity.

I owned a restaurant in rural Iowa with my husband from 1996-2000. He was the cook (didn't have chef's training, just a lot of experience, as did I). I so totally understand every single thing she writes. The working relationship did lead to a divorce, and I have my place back now. I can understand both sides of the coin. I've done everything she has. Organization, prepping, cooking, ordering, scheduling, dealing with catastrophes, glitches, menus, bartending, anything. You name it, I've done it too. I've been laughing out loud alone to the point where I had tears in my eyes. It's all the truth, I feel like I could have written this book. If you want to read about life behind a good restaurant, this is it. It's such an amazing book. I give my best kudos out to her for not only writing it, but being able to deal with working for the chef. Her humor is amazing.