The Devil in the Kitchen: Sex, Pain, Madness, and the Making of a Great Chef Paperback – Illustrated, 27 May 2008

Marco Pierre White put chefs on the map without meaning to. His reputation whilst at Harveys in the 80s filled many a column inch in the London and National Press and yet refrreshingly, he wasn't courting fame, he simply wanted to feed people the best food they could possibly imagine. Before reading this book I had heard of his fearsome reputation, his genius, and his regular appearances in gossip columns (again, not something he courts). When you understand from the early chapters of this book that this is the story of a boy who lost his mother at age six, then you begin to understand the man behind the myth. To say he was passionate and driven would be to understate the case dramatically. He was a loner, being motherless, and later, estranged from his father. Food was everything to the point where he barely had time to eat it any more, let alone sleep or have a life away from the kitchen. Its a gripping story with cameos from various famous faces and a fascinating historical snapshot of London in the Eighties. Its a story of how hard work maketh the man, a story sadly seen all too rarely amongst today's fame hungry consumerism.Marco himself remains a likebale enigma. He has been rude, unpleasant, violent even, and has the decency to admit it and explain why without offering excuses for his past mistakes. He appears awkward with women, understandably so since he wasn't brought up around them, and spent his adolescence in front of a hot stove. He is almost pathologically sensitive and proclaims his affection for a friend in one chapter before stating in the next "we havemn't spoken since". This has happened to just about every mentor and friend he has comes across and perhaps reveals a fear of getting close to anyone in case they leave as his mother did. Or maybe he's just picky, who knows? Its a shame though, as he appears to inspire great and deep affection in those who know him.Its hardly surprising that having been the youngest and first British chef to acheive three Michelin stars, he hung up his apron in 1999 whilst still in his thirties. He is now married with a total of four children and more of a businessman than a chef today. However, if you saw him in Hell's Kitchen earlier in 2006, you will see, as I did that there is an unmistakable charisma there and a code of honour and respect that is positively Sicilian.I will also mention that this is edited (or ghostwritten) but I sense that this could be because Marco is dyslexic and has never switched on a computer in his life. His turn of phrase, from the humourous to the downright poetic, is unmistakeable and his vibrant rumbling tone, with just a soupcon of Leeds, is heard loud and clear throughout. As you can probably guess, this book made a huge impact on me and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone, regardless of their usual reading preferences. I am sure you, like me, will agree that this motherless boy deserves his happily ever after with his wife and family.

That’s a very good book I learned a lot in that book

I am a chef of more than a decade and as such i have heard tales of Marco's colourful background. It was a good insight into the career of the man but his storytelling leads a lot to be desired. Certain storys cut off before a punchline or anecdotes are left unexplained. If you are not involved in the catering industry then there is probably not a great deal in this book for you.Over all a good read and there are things to be learned for the young aspiring chef aswell as familiar concepts for the older ones.

I have been a fan of this great man for years and finally got to read his bio a few weeks ago and what a read it was!Ever since I saw a documentary years ago I have been fascinated by what makes this man tick. I have never believed what the press said about him as I like to make my own mind up about people. The papers have always seemed to have it in for Marco and have given him some really unfair names over the years. Yes, he bollocked guys if they did not pull there weight...But it was never personal, just part of working in a VERY BUSY professional kitchen and he did fall out with one or two good friends, but don't we all? If you buy this book you will see in to the Real life of, yes, the greatest British chef who has ever lived bar none! The main artery that runs through this book is story of Marco loosing his mum at the age of six and it just shows him as a real person with real feelings and he really does have a very kind heart as you will find out if you read this fine book...The final page really made me weep, and as a full blooded male I am not ashamed at all!.If we had grown up on the same street we could have been best mates as we both liked fishing , shooting and...POACHING! good on yer Marco and God bless you great man!

A fascinating book that delves into how much effort it takes to run a fine-dining resturant.

After watching MPW on Hells Kitchen I was intrigued to learn more about the man who demanded respect. His story is all about hard work and commitment with a small amount of humour. His dedication is unrivalled and so is his success.The downside of the book is his continual appreciation of himself. We all know he is rude, successful, a rock star chef and intelligent but the purpose of a book is to allow the reader to make those assumptions themselves. The book is written with the same forced persuasion that he used in Hells Kitchen and is very much like the mans persona - intense and direct. It also name drops at every opportunity which I felt was not needed - I wanted to learn more about MPW himself.I found it hard to digest that all the rows and falling out's he had were not his fault and in other parts it was difficult convincing myself that I was reading a truth.However the references to his family and particularly his mother were written with affection, the final chapter was one of the most honest and heartfelt sections of the book. That I felt was the true MPW.The book is interesting and oozes arrogance and it is probably worth reading to compare the differences with Gordan Ramsay and both versions of their falling out in Humble Pie.

I`ve been too busy to read it yet, but I very much look forward to doing so.I`m a huge fan of Marco Pierre White (and he`d be very, very welcome in mykitchen anytime. I could do with some cookery lessons !! (well, that`s myexcuse and I`m sticking to it !!!)