Lisa Abend

I'm kind of pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this. I'm not a fanatical foodie, I'm someone who enjoys good food, and I enjoy occasionally watching Top Chef, and that's about it. While I think this book is very suited to foodies, I also think it's entertaining and well-written for those who simply 'like food.'

Lisa's accounts of the drudgery in the repetitive work sometimes made me worry that I would begin to feel that reading the book itself was a big of a drudge (it can be show more dangerous to describe drudgery a little too well!), but it was thankfully broken up with interesting explorations into some of the different stagiaires (those who work for free, for six months, at elBulli). I came to have my 'favourites' stagiaires like Kim and Katie, as well as Luke and Gael, and so found myself appreciating the 'breaks' from long descriptions of tiresome work (it is in this latter where the author loses a star for me).

The book overall is warm, observant, cleverly paced and intelligent. It had me contemplating things I did not expect to contemplate as a result of 'reading a book about a restaurant.' I wondered about the philosophy of food, about the purpose of food, and the purpose of patrons in a restaurant. About whether it's worth striving for perfection and what sacrifices are worth it and what is gained from the process. And, as a two-dimensional artist, I also learned some more about the fickle beast that is Creativity, and how different people may go about cultivating it.

I'm happily keeping this in my non-fiction collection. It may be the only book I ever have in the genre, but I'm happy to have it. A lovely read. show less

Engaging behind-the-scenes book about El Bulli, the Spanish restaurant that was one of the centers of avant-garde cuisine until its closing in 2011. Rather than provide yet another biography of the chef Ferran Adria, Abend concentrates on the stagiares: the culinary version of unpaid interns, found at many restaurants but a highly sought-after position at El Bulli (3,000 applicants every year for about 30 openings!). As she chronicles their daily routines (I never knew just how many hours of show more tedious tasks went into supporting Adria's creativity) and profiles several of the stagiares in depth, Abend perfectly captures their hopes, frustrations, disappointments and successes. While I came out of the book feeling like I wouldn't have found the food all that satisfying, and I certainly wouldn't have wanted to work for Adriai, I do have a better understanding of the stagiares' desire for learning, inspiration and validation -- and hope they found it, either there or somewhere else. show less

'The Sorcerer's Apprentices' is an engaging, warm and smartly-written book about life behind-the-scenes at the legendary Spanish restaurant ElBulli.Under the leadership of chef Ferran Adria, the restaurant made a name for itself due to its wonderous, incredibly imaginative cuisine, going on to accrue three Michelin stars and numerous awards. 'Apprentices' gives readers a look at the people who helped run the place over the course of a season.

For many people, their first behind-the-scenes show more look at restaurant kitchen life came courtesy of Anthony Bourdain's 'Kitchen Confidential' (which the author references several times). Quite a different scenario is presented here. Rather than the chaos and rowdiness Bourdain wrote about, the team at ilBuilli was expected to operate as a tightly-disciplined machine. A new batch of cooks was brought in seasonally to work for free - in exchange, they get to put that experience on their resume. It's truly fascinating to see how these people, many of whom already had experience at top restaurants, adjusted - or failed to - their new situation. The vibrant diversity of backgrounds, the multitude of interesting life stories, make for great reading. There's really two things they all had in common - a love of cooking, and a certain remarkable drive. The latter particularly served them well, as many of them found life at elBulli quite far from what they could have expected.

The restaurant's full-time staff aren't profiled as completely. After all, the book is entitled 'The Sorcerer's Apprentices,' not 'The Sorcerer.' But we do get some insight into the way they interacted with their team, they roles they played in helping turn this disparate group of people into the machine it needed to be.

Following the group's ups and downs, their challenges and victories, painful lessons and even scary moments (note to self: be careful handling hot oil!) is completely engaging for anyone at all curious about restaurant life, particularly one as unique as ElBulli. Whether you're a gourmand or not, I highly recommend the book for a peek into a life most of us will never know. A life that, at least for elBulli, is now permanently assigned to the past - the restaurant completed its final season this past July. show less

This book was well written and accomplished the task of telling a difficult story- lots of scenes, not much plot line, a cast of thousands...-with some skill. Although I love to eat and used to love watching the real Food Network when there were actual chefs with training on the shows and not chefs with just attitude and/or bad hair. The book didn't move me because, while the concept of food as art may well be intriguing to some, eating foam and dishes created only thanks to science and show more technology does not intrigue me personally. Yes, I know. El Bulli is the most famous restaurant in the world. And I don't care. Even after reading the book, I don't care. show less