Bill Buford brought me into the "heat" of the kitchen with this wonderful book! He takes the reader on a journey through life in the kitchen with culinary perfection. We experience Mario Batali's rise to celebrity chef status; butcher beef alongside Marco Pierre White; and sweat nonstop with Buford himself as takes off the tie and join the ranks of line cooks in Batali's own Babbo. Buford's insight into the minds and kitchens of renowned chefs is funny, honest, and mouth-watering. This is an amazing page-turner deliciously written for those of us who don't know their bucatini from their vermicelli.