“This is excellent writing—excellent!—and it is thrilling to see a debut author who has language and story and craft so well in hand. Though I would never ask my staff to read my own book, I would happily require them to read Michael Gibney’s.”—Gabrielle Hamilton, author of Blood, Bones & Butter

“Gibney has the soul of a poet and the stamina of a stevedore. . . . Tender and profane, his book will leave you with a permanent appreciation for all those people who ‘desire to feed, to nourish, to dish out the tasty bits of life.’”—The New York Times Book Review

“A terrific nuts-and-bolts account of the real business of cooking as told from the trenches. No nonsense. This is what it takes.”—Anthony Bourdain

“A wild ride, not unlike a roller coaster, and the reader experiences all the drama, tension, exhilaration, exhaustion and relief that accompany cooking in an upscale Manhattan restaurant.”—USA Today

“A vibrantly written guide to terminology and process, with plenty of real-time detail and a dash of kitchen gossip.”—Entertainment Weekly

“Sizzling . . . Such culinary experience paired with linguistic panache is a rarity.”—The Daily Beast

“Sous Chef reveals the high-adrenaline dance behind your dinner.”—NPR

“Fascinating and fun . . . Gibney is both a gifted observer and supremely knowledgeable about his craft and the inner workings of a professional kitchen.”—The Boston Globe

“Gibney has a fine ear for language and delivers an extraordinary amount of information about ingredients and techniques.”—The Wall Street Journal

“Experience one exhilarating day in the shoes of a New York chef in this enthralling book.”—Parade

“Michael Gibney’s you-are-there Sous Chef is one of the most informative, funny, and transparent books about the restaurant biz ever written.”—Bret Easton Ellis

“Sous Chef is a marvelous, superbly written, intelligent, and accomplished book. I know no other book that so vividly renders the experience and complexity of life in a big restaurant kitchen. The sheer amount of knowledge demonstrated here of the particulars of cooking is immense, and the dynamic, seesaw relationship between chef and sous chef is especially well achieved. I was gripped by the author’s culinary passion and literary sophistication. Bravo!”—Phillip Lopate

“A good cook chooses ingredients carefully, just as a writer must select the right words. Michael Gibney is a word cook of the highest order, and this book will leave you licking your fingers.”—Gary Shteyngart

“Gibney is as skilled with words as he is with his 11-inch Sujihiki knife.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Sumptuously entertaining fare . . . [Gibney] breathes life into the mix of outsized personalities inhabiting the confined, hot, noisy space of the kitchen.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Sous Chef

24 Hours on the Line