LTH bookgroup: Michael Ruhlman, The Reach of a Chef

Messycook and I have been conferring in our lackluster way (sorry) and have finally hit on a book for the LTH bookgroup.

Michael Ruhlman writes great books--many of which have been discussed (and cooked from) on LTH. The Reach of a Chef is now available in paperback, or you can buy the hard-cover remaindered on Amazon and probably other places as well.

It seems to me that the perfect place for a real-world discussion would be at a celebrity chef's restaurant. Suggestions?

Since it's been so long, here's a reminder on how the LTH bookgroup works.

1) Read the book (duh--though I suppose you could just read a bunch of review and fake it)
2) Use this thread to discuss it and any related topics
3) Use this thread to discuss possible meet-ups to discuss the book in person for anyone who is interested. When we figure something out, we'll cross-post on the Events board.

If you don't meet up until the end of summer, I hear Brasserie Ruhlman might be open.

In addition to the remaindered copies, there are actually used copies of this book listed under the normal hardback entry at Amazon for as low as $2.55 (plus shipping...)

I just ordered mine. I've been meaning to read Ruhlmann for a long time, especially after I found out he lives in Cleveland...

I'll be in Chicago this coming weekend, but really I'll be here to stay the following weekend if anyone wants to borrow my copy.

Unfortunately, The Reach... is the weakest of the Ruhlman books(maybe why it's on remainder). It was a birthday gift last July and took me the better part of a year to wade through; reads like a culinary Who Moved My Cheese? Which is to say, more lightweight business manual than engaging investigation. The earlier two are much, much better with The Making of a Chef the clear headrunner.

Christopher Gordon wrote:Unfortunately, The Reach... is the weakest of the Ruhlman books(maybe why it's on remainder). It was a birthday gift last July and took me the better part of a year to wade through; reads like a culinary Who Moved My Cheese? Which is to say, more lightweight business manual than engaging investigation. The earlier two are much, much better with The Making of a Chef the clear headrunner.

If I had to rate them, I'd put Soul of a Chef first in the Chef series. I also disagree about Reach, which I consider to be quite interesting in its own right. I read it in about 3 days. Section 2, in which Ruhlman revisits the CIA provides an important lens of follow up to much of what was published in the first two books. The segments on Melissa Kelly, Grant Achatz and Masa are very illuminating, as well.

Just my .02

=R=

Perhaps you have a *specific* perspective on these things, but I found "Reach" completely out of character for Ruhlman...it read as a corporate manual. The Making of a Chef offered real, incredibly-engaging insight into the CIA...with Soul of a Chef beginning a downhill slide into new agey, ersatz, quasi-investigative reportage. I'd go so far as to say that Ruhlman is a progenator of the chef-as-celebrity zeitgeist rather than (as he might have it) a mere documentarian.

for perspective...I was also, July before this, given Heat and My Life in France, both of which I plowed through. I have a well-curated library of culinary literature, philosophy, and criticism. Ranging from the pop-stylings of Ruhlman and Bourdain(yay!) to those work(s) of Weichsberg and Bemelmans...

sorry, no Apicius

um...so saying...the latest Ruhlman was a slog...

Christopher Gordon wrote:Perhaps you have a *specific* perspective on these things, but I found "Reach" completely out of character for Ruhlman...it read as a corporate manual. The Making of a Chef offered real, incredibly-engaging insight into the CIA...with Soul of a Chef beginning a downhill slide into new agey, ersatz, quasi-investigative reportage. I'd go so far as to say that Ruhlman is a progenator of the chef-as-celebrity zeitgeist rather than (as he might have it) a mere documentarian.

for perspective...I was also, July before this, given Heat and My Life in France, both of which I plowed through. I have a well-curated library of culinary literature, philosophy, and criticism. Ranging from the pop-stylings of Ruhlman and Bourdain(yay!) to those work(s) of Weichsberg and Bemelmans...

sorry, no Apicius

um...so saying...the latest Ruhlman was a slog...

Oh, so sorry. You must be right. Nevermind.

I posted my comments not to argue with you or determine whose library is more "well-curated" but merely to provide another perspective on the book.

=R=

edited to clarify

I was just going to say that the best books for discussion are the ones that readers have different reactions to. It's not much of a book group if everyone says "I loved it." "Yeah, me too." "I was great." So please chime in with your opinions, pro or con.

On the other hand, we don't want people throwing the (delicious) peach cobbler at each other either. So remember that the LTH guidelines apply.

Be civil. Be relevant.

I'm fine with Reach of a Chef. I thought Ruhlman's interview with Grant Achatz back in March at the Steppenwolf was somewhat flat, i.e. it didn't really inspire me to seek out his books, but I'm willing to give him a shot.

Christopher Gordon wrote:Unfortunately, The Reach... is the weakest of the Ruhlman books(maybe why it's on remainder). It was a birthday gift last July and took me the better part of a year to wade through; reads like a culinary Who Moved My Cheese? Which is to say, more lightweight business manual than engaging investigation. The earlier two are much, much better with The Making of a Chef the clear headrunner.

I would agree that Reach of a Chef was the weakest of the three, but I certainly didn't find it particularly tough to get through. If anything, I thought it was a bit fluffier then the first two - instead of a solid book, it seemed more like a series of magazine articles, and I thought that a lot of the main themes were basically rehashed versions of stuff he had already said in "Soul of a Chef". It actually seemed like "Soul of a Chef" redux in a lot of ways. Not a bad book, but perhaps somewhat unnecessary. Still, a good way to pass the time on the bus.

If folks have time, i would defintely suggest reading the other two "Chef" books as well. Well worth the time.

I'm at page 113 and I have to say it's moving right along and absolutely feels like a book instead of just a series of magazine articles. The first 101 pages, at least, are all about a return trip to CIA, and don't come across in the least as forced or re-hashed. I'm fascinated to learn that CIA is now teaching people how to make bimbimbop--and doing so with its characteristic rigor. I'm also intrigued by his discussion of what happens to CIA in particular, and the restaurant world in general, when a new generation of tuition-paying students expects to be treated with respect and kindness.

If you've been discouraged from picking up this book by some of the reviews above, let me urge you to reconsider.

I'd like to suggest convening the discussion for Reach of a Chef at Primo.

OK, maybe Maine isn't that practical, but it did sound like a place I would really like.

So I was brainstorming other spots and was wondering how people felt about taking on the "branded chef" thing directly, perhaps at the Puck Cafe in Evanston, or the Rick Bayless/Macy's food court thing? I've never been to either, but it might be stimulating to have a contextual backdrop.

Re some of the specific criticisms leveled at Reach above, I haven't read any other Ruhlmann to compare, but it is pretty episodic. (The Reach of a Food Writer Looking For Another Book?) Still, as mentioned above, the profile of Melissa Kelly and Primo made me want to visit, which is enough entertainment value for me.

But criticisms of the book itself aside, I think it will be fun to dig into the discussion of branding and celebrification, etc. I suppose we could be discussing here in this thread too...

I was actually thinking of the Macy's food court as well, Joe. It would be easy for all those loop lth-ers to join in and it really does illustrate some of the issues Ruhlmann raises. And the truth is that the food at the Bayless outpost is pretty darn good.

For anyone else still on the fence about reading it, let me add that there are a couple of chapters about Grant Achatz, one in his last month at Trio and the other in the first month at Alinea.



Hmmm, now there's another possibility for a meet-up.

Just finished the book (checked out from the library) loved the
CIA, Melissa K. and Grant A. stuff. the 50 pages or so were more like a college term paper and I found myself skipping over whole sections

Ann Fisher wrote:I was actually thinking of the Macy's food court as well, Joe. It would be easy for all those loop lth-ers to join in and it really does illustrate some of the issues Ruhlmann raises.

Are there any possible dates yet for the meet-up? I was distracted by other stuff in my summer reading pile and just got the Ruhlman from my library. I don't think it'll take me long to read, but a target date might be helpful.

Happy, I'm in exactly the same boat as you are! Dates to meet, anyone?

Ann and I were talking about when/where to get together to discuss this book. What are people's preferences?
-Lunch or dinner?
-Weekday or weekend?
-August or September?

we will probably do Macy's, so chime in and we'll figure something out.

messycook wrote:Ann and I were talking about when/where to get together to discuss this book. What are people's preferences?
-Lunch or dinner?
-Weekday or weekend?
-August or September?

we will probably do Macy's, so chime in and we'll figure something out.

I'm going to be booked for the next couple of weeks, but I'm done with the book and otherwise ready. I could do weekday lunch, but it's a little bit of a haul for me to get back and forth, and I think it'd be more fun if I wasn't thinking I needed to get back to work, so I'd opt for a weeknight or maybe weekend lunch -- but does the food court keep business hours? Maybe my preferred times aren't even an option.

I could only do a weekday dinner or weekend lunch/dinner since I work in Evanston. Almost any day works for me generally except Thursdays.

I don't have a preference for August or September.