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Talking with My Mouth Full: My Life as a Professional Eater
Chef, author, and television Food Network personality Simmons recounts her life. Toronto-born before becoming a dedicated New Yorker. As a child, on family visits to South Africa she developed a great love of the food. She also spent time in Spain and on an Israeli kibbutz.. Returning to North America, Simmons enrolled in culinary school and became a chef. Her love for writing led to a career in food journalism, and she became an editor at a food magazine. The author also writes of the devastation wrought by her elder brother's mental illness.
270 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 239 reviews
March 17, 2012
Not terribly well-written but entertaining enough if you're a TC fan/fan of food writing.
What ticked me off about the book most was the massive disconnect between the book's jacket blurbs and its content. The jacket insisted this was the story of how "hard work always wins out."
Bullshit.
I'm not saying working for Jeffrey Steingarten wasn't "trying," but in NO way, shape, or form did I get the impression from Simmons that hard work led to her success. In fact, time and again her story suggested the serendipity of being in the right place at the right time. Asking a career counselor to hook her up with a dream job, virtual strangers approaching her and asking "do you want my plum job?," and riding the crest of a new field (reality TV) do not equal hard work. They equal luck. Incredible luck.
Simmons may speak disparagingly of Bourdain's macho food writing (and her gender criticisms of the industry and of society in general seem fair) but at least with B I get the impression that he WORKED for 28 years in food, and that his hard work paid off eventually. (And there is NO contest re: who is the better writer.) With Simmons her life seems like one big lesson in how wealth and opportunity (her family is clearly well-off and her childhood and adulthood enormously privileged due to her parents) beget more wealth and opportunity.
What ticked me off about the book most was the massive disconnect between the book's jacket blurbs and its content. The jacket insisted this was the story of how "hard work always wins out."
Bullshit.
I'm not saying working for Jeffrey Steingarten wasn't "trying," but in NO way, shape, or form did I get the impression from Simmons that hard work led to her success. In fact, time and again her story suggested the serendipity of being in the right place at the right time. Asking a career counselor to hook her up with a dream job, virtual strangers approaching her and asking "do you want my plum job?," and riding the crest of a new field (reality TV) do not equal hard work. They equal luck. Incredible luck.
Simmons may speak disparagingly of Bourdain's macho food writing (and her gender criticisms of the industry and of society in general seem fair) but at least with B I get the impression that he WORKED for 28 years in food, and that his hard work paid off eventually. (And there is NO contest re: who is the better writer.) With Simmons her life seems like one big lesson in how wealth and opportunity (her family is clearly well-off and her childhood and adulthood enormously privileged due to her parents) beget more wealth and opportunity.
May 18, 2012
I suspect that most people who are reading this book want to be Gail Simmons. Her demographic I would think would be women in their late 20s to early 40s or gay men. Regardless of who you are, I understand your thought process. What a sweet life.
Gail is charming, and adorably sexy in a non model, finally a real woman sort of way. She isn't conventional. She chased her dreams and acknowledges that she is lucky. For a foodie, she is someone who gets to live any other foodie's dream, and she has enviable connections. I didn't find her descriptions to be overly enthusiastic and one can deduce that she not only had to actually work to get the jobs she wanted, but that they were in fact paired with a little of the aforementioned luck. She's still youthful in adulthood so her memoir obviously doesn't span decade upon decade, but it is lavish with a world that seems easy, yet real and magical at the same time.
Gail is obviously good at what she does; eating, hosting and writing. And like most of us, she is better at some things than others. She isn't a writer's writer, but she is an interesting and a compelling storyteller. After all, the book is about her. There is the occasional awkward sentence or paragraph, but overall I read the book because I was interested in her life, the path she took and where it will lead.
And it was a wonderful glimpse at a very real person. Someone you would immediately be comfortable having a glass of wine with. If you love TC or wished for a life in food, this book is absolutely enjoyable.
Gail is charming, and adorably sexy in a non model, finally a real woman sort of way. She isn't conventional. She chased her dreams and acknowledges that she is lucky. For a foodie, she is someone who gets to live any other foodie's dream, and she has enviable connections. I didn't find her descriptions to be overly enthusiastic and one can deduce that she not only had to actually work to get the jobs she wanted, but that they were in fact paired with a little of the aforementioned luck. She's still youthful in adulthood so her memoir obviously doesn't span decade upon decade, but it is lavish with a world that seems easy, yet real and magical at the same time.
Gail is obviously good at what she does; eating, hosting and writing. And like most of us, she is better at some things than others. She isn't a writer's writer, but she is an interesting and a compelling storyteller. After all, the book is about her. There is the occasional awkward sentence or paragraph, but overall I read the book because I was interested in her life, the path she took and where it will lead.
And it was a wonderful glimpse at a very real person. Someone you would immediately be comfortable having a glass of wine with. If you love TC or wished for a life in food, this book is absolutely enjoyable.
March 21, 2012
Really should be called “How I got my fabulous job.” Nothing wrong with that but feel free to skip the somewhat tedious childhood portion. If you’re a fellow McGill grad, like myself, start in Montreal, although it’s surprisingly lean on Montreal food. Otherwise, start with the move to NYC, which begins the road to her fabulous job. Smartest move she ever made was going to culinary school (sorry McGill). Peter Kump had the best placement office EVER. They got her into the best restaurants for her externship and the best post-grad job, working as Jeffrey Steingarten’s assistant. After that, she worked the great connections those jobs, especially with Jeffrey, got her. Fun insider snapshots of the business side of fine dining, food magazines, and Top Chef. If you’re not a Top Chef fan, the last third of the book will be so tiresome for you. And don’t hope for any dirt if you are a fan. Gail loves everybody. Sorry if that’s a spoiler but she is Canadian after all.
July 25, 2013
The only reason I am guessing most people picked up this book -- myself included -- is because they wanted to hear about Top Chef from an insider.
Well, spoiler alert, only two chapters of this book deal with Top Chef -- Chapter Eleven: At the Judges' Table and Chapter Fourteen: Sugared Up on Just Desserts -- and one of those is about the uninspired pastry spin-off. Even then, neither are particularly interesting, as she spends most of the former defending their judging decisions (we were fair and non-biased, I swear!), and the latter on how much harder it is being the host of the show and not a judge. Yawn.
Instead, she spends a large chunk of the book detailing her life growing up, which was as uninteresting as it was elitist. But don't take my word for it, judge for yourself. Here are somehumblebrags snippets from her life growing up:
From there, she details her equally enchanted work history, where she falls into choice positions working at Le Cirque, for food critic Jeffrey Steingarten, and for chef Daniel Boulud. This is not someone who rose up the ranks from the position of dishwasher. A myriad of people in her life have handed her once-in-a-lifetime opportunities without so much as her prompting them with any interest. Oh, and she has never worked for or with someone that wasn't just amazing. Or, at least, that is how she tells it. Just how charmed can one person's life be?
I mean, she has only actually been upset five times in her entire life: 1) When her high school boyfriend broke up with her, 2) When her college boyfriend did the same, 3) When she got an overcooked omelette at a diner, 4) When she was turned away from a restaurant that was closing for the night, and 5) When her adopted brother had a mental break-down.
Instead of being subtitled "My Life as a Professional Eater," a topic this book doesn't delve into enough, it should be titled "Serendipity and Wealth," which seems to be the two defining traits that allow her to continue floating on her happy little cloud, high above the rest of us.
So why two stars? The book was easy reading -- I did manage to finish it, after all -- and Simmons does have some talent as a writer. So, there's that. There are also some recipes in the back of the book which may have some promise.
Well, spoiler alert, only two chapters of this book deal with Top Chef -- Chapter Eleven: At the Judges' Table and Chapter Fourteen: Sugared Up on Just Desserts -- and one of those is about the uninspired pastry spin-off. Even then, neither are particularly interesting, as she spends most of the former defending their judging decisions (we were fair and non-biased, I swear!), and the latter on how much harder it is being the host of the show and not a judge. Yawn.
Instead, she spends a large chunk of the book detailing her life growing up, which was as uninteresting as it was elitist. But don't take my word for it, judge for yourself. Here are some
It was an upper-middle-class community, with a large Jewish population... our neighborhood was more or less spotless, and the schools were good.And that was all before she finished college.
It was the year of my bat mitzvah, so my father and I went to visit [my grandparents] in South Africa as part of the milestone birthday present.
I was thirteen, on Christmas vacation in Costa Rica. This was well over twenty years ago, when Costa Rica was not yet an eco-destination.
Upon graduating from high school three years earlier, my then-boyfriend and I decided to spend the summer in Israel.
I lived in Montreal for four years, attending McGill University, an Anglophone college, often called "the Harvard of Canada."
When I was nineteen, I spent the summer in Australia with my roommate, Cami.
Taking a semester abroad wasn’t a common thing to do in Canada when I was in college, but I was desperate to travel and decided to go to Spain with two of my girlfriends, Annaliese and Rachel.
From there, we spent several weeks backpacking through Europe together, from northern Spain into southern France, through the top of Italy down to Rome, then up into Switzerland, to Germany for a music festival in Nuremberg, and on to the Czech Republic, where I spent the morning of my twenty-first birthday wandering alone through a castle in Prague. From there, we went up to Holland and into Belgium, where in Bruges I visited the school my mother had attended so many years before, and to Paris for several days. I ended my trip in London, staying with family friends. I went to the Royal Ballet Theatre and a performance at the newly opened Globe Theatre.
From there, she details her equally enchanted work history, where she falls into choice positions working at Le Cirque, for food critic Jeffrey Steingarten, and for chef Daniel Boulud. This is not someone who rose up the ranks from the position of dishwasher. A myriad of people in her life have handed her once-in-a-lifetime opportunities without so much as her prompting them with any interest. Oh, and she has never worked for or with someone that wasn't just amazing. Or, at least, that is how she tells it. Just how charmed can one person's life be?
I mean, she has only actually been upset five times in her entire life: 1) When her high school boyfriend broke up with her, 2) When her college boyfriend did the same, 3) When she got an overcooked omelette at a diner, 4) When she was turned away from a restaurant that was closing for the night, and 5) When her adopted brother had a mental break-down.
Instead of being subtitled "My Life as a Professional Eater," a topic this book doesn't delve into enough, it should be titled "Serendipity and Wealth," which seems to be the two defining traits that allow her to continue floating on her happy little cloud, high above the rest of us.
So why two stars? The book was easy reading -- I did manage to finish it, after all -- and Simmons does have some talent as a writer. So, there's that. There are also some recipes in the back of the book which may have some promise.
March 10, 2012
I struggled with the beginning of this book but by the end I was on board. I found a lot of the more traditional memoir aspects a lot less interesting than the rest, especially in the first few chapters. I didn't end up caring about her family, her early life, or her schooling very much at all. I'm usually fairly sentimental about that kind of thing so I haven't quite been able to pinpoint why it felt flat to me. I've decided that those parts seem to rely a lot more on telling over showing. I imagine it is a tough choice when you are writing about real people. Maintaining that kind of distance makes sense but it doesn't make for particularly compelling reading, especially since it distanced me from Simmons herself. I kept thinking that for someone who seems to be pretty cool on television, she seemed pretty limp on the page. And then she got on with it. And I finally got it.
Simmons is at her best when she is writing about food and the food world. The descriptions of her time working in the kitchen, as an assistant for Jeffrey Steingarten, working for Daniel Boulud, on Top Chef and Top Chef: Just Desserts, her meals and menus, were all quite engaging. The details about her work, the food, the production, the chefs, and her opinions, were often insightful, fun, and sounded more like the person I had imagined her to be. Or maybe it was that those sections tended to force the writing into a place that wasn't so clearly centered on her.
Whatever the reason, by the time she returns to family details, they are easier to handle. Many of the stories about her husband were sweet. I don't know if the writing got more lively or if the goodwill she had built up with me smoothed things over, or what, but It worked a lot better.
In the end, I would recommend the book. I'll enjoy watching the shows a bit more now and I consider that a bonus.
Simmons is at her best when she is writing about food and the food world. The descriptions of her time working in the kitchen, as an assistant for Jeffrey Steingarten, working for Daniel Boulud, on Top Chef and Top Chef: Just Desserts, her meals and menus, were all quite engaging. The details about her work, the food, the production, the chefs, and her opinions, were often insightful, fun, and sounded more like the person I had imagined her to be. Or maybe it was that those sections tended to force the writing into a place that wasn't so clearly centered on her.
Whatever the reason, by the time she returns to family details, they are easier to handle. Many of the stories about her husband were sweet. I don't know if the writing got more lively or if the goodwill she had built up with me smoothed things over, or what, but It worked a lot better.
In the end, I would recommend the book. I'll enjoy watching the shows a bit more now and I consider that a bonus.
August 27, 2012
This sounded like it would be an inspiring read for any foodie on how to make their dream come true doing their favorite thing in the whole world: eating. Talking with My Mouth Full: My Life as a Professional Eater presents Gail Simmons' journey to her coveted career as a professional eater. Unfortunately, it is presented in such a dull, mundane way that it does little to inspire. The most interesting part is her time spent in her exhausting externship, which is a very small part in the entire book.
Gail Simmons comes across as very privileged. It seems her envious job is simply due to being at the right place at the right time. There were moments in the book where I rolled my eyes at her vanity.
Her enjoyment for killing an animal because they're "such animals" bothered me a bit.
For being a food writer, Simmons' writing is seriously lacking. She didn't get me excited about the food, and I felt bored reading about a very interesting topic. I had to fight the urge not to skip chunks of this book because it felt so tedious.
I do like the chapter at the end that contains her life story according to collected recipes. Brilliant idea.
If you're looking to be inspired or lose yourself in a culinary adventure, there are far better books out there.
Gail Simmons comes across as very privileged. It seems her envious job is simply due to being at the right place at the right time. There were moments in the book where I rolled my eyes at her vanity.
"My mother was a bombshell when she was younger, with jet-black hair, porcelain skin, and serious cleavage (I may have inherited that last trait from her)."Well, now. Toot! Toot!
Her enjoyment for killing an animal because they're "such animals" bothered me a bit.
For being a food writer, Simmons' writing is seriously lacking. She didn't get me excited about the food, and I felt bored reading about a very interesting topic. I had to fight the urge not to skip chunks of this book because it felt so tedious.
I do like the chapter at the end that contains her life story according to collected recipes. Brilliant idea.
If you're looking to be inspired or lose yourself in a culinary adventure, there are far better books out there.
April 12, 2013
I want to like Gail. She's a Toronto girl, who works in an industry that I've worked in. In some ways, she is living my dream - she lives in New York, spends her days with some of North America's Top Chefs (pun intended), assisted Jefferey Steingarten and travels everywhere to put delicious things in her mouth. I should want her life - but the way she describes it makes her seem more than a little clueless. This book is part "Oh, I'm so lucky that my family is so well connected," and part "I got lucky with my timing." There are no puritan values, or any evidence of strategic thinking. Gail's life, over this series of essays, seems to coast on a pretty even keel - save for the two pivotal moments where she finds herself living in her parent's basement. It's not necessarily a bad story - but she skims, or barely explores key turning points, and edits out what could be critical pieces that would help her readers relate. The only real reason to read it is for Jacques Torre's souffle recipe in the back.
May 30, 2012
I spent half of this book trying to figure out how a food writer could be so completely inept at writing about food (and writing, period), until I got to the chapters about the author's time at Food & Wine Magazine and realized that she's actually an event planner with chef's training, not a food writer. Don't they describe her on Top Chef as a food writer? In any case, the book isn't very good. Three stars is a pretty generous rating, but the book is redeemed by the fact that Gail Simmons has had a lot of really interesting jobs, and her knowledge of the culinary world made this worth reading. I enjoyed the parts about Top Chef, but to be honest, I can never remember anything about it after the season is over, so all her anecdotes seemed completely foreign to me, even though I know I've watched the episodes she talks about. I was also kind of bothered by the fact that, although she's held these amazing positions, she never acknowledges just how INSANELY fortunate she is in everything. Seriously, whose first job out of culinary school is on the line at Le Cirque? And THEN goes to work as Jeffrey Steingarten's assistant? AND THEN works at Daniel????? These things all blew my mind, but she never gives any indication that they blew her mind as well. At one point, her dream job is just handed to her by the incumbent. WHA???????
I loved learning about this world, but in the end, I'm not interested enough in Gail Simmons herself to care about her stories about family and marriage. It's too bad that her extraordinary food experiences also fall flat through her mediocre writing.
I loved learning about this world, but in the end, I'm not interested enough in Gail Simmons herself to care about her stories about family and marriage. It's too bad that her extraordinary food experiences also fall flat through her mediocre writing.
April 2, 2012
The moral is, that if you come from (enough!) money which furnishes you with (enough!) luck, you can do anything. What separates Gail Simmons from Mitt Romney, then, is she is charming in a quietly Canadian way (but PLEASE stop saying boobs, or cut back to every other page). But still, you'll notice every time she does not get something she wants, it 1. turns into a Major Life Event, and 2. she cries about it. Diners have weird omelettes, and this is ingrained in the collective knowledge of our society. Rich People, a note to you: don't cry about your bad omelettes. That is something a poor person would do, and you should let them at least have that much.
May 7, 2012
My wife and I began watching Top Chef during its first season and have watched every episode of every iteration since. It's our thing. Every Wednesday night we make a batch of popcorn and plop down in front to watch some amazing chefs make some delicious looking food. And though I love Head Judge Tom Colicchio and I think host Padma Lakshmi does a wonderful job, Gail Simmons is really the heart of the show. I just love her comments and her love of food. Recently I got the chance to sit in on a cooking session with Gail at the Austin Food and Wine festival and get this book signed and she could not have been more gracious or nice to her many fans.
So I might be what you would call the perfect audience for this book. I really enjoyed learning about Gail's past and how she ended up on the judge panel of Top Chef. I had no idea she had traveled so much nor did I know she also thinks that everything is better with a fried egg on top (so true). I can't wait to try Biltong (air dried salted meat) and some of the recipes she had at the back of the book. Also, I can't wait for Season 10 of Top Chef to start!
So I might be what you would call the perfect audience for this book. I really enjoyed learning about Gail's past and how she ended up on the judge panel of Top Chef. I had no idea she had traveled so much nor did I know she also thinks that everything is better with a fried egg on top (so true). I can't wait to try Biltong (air dried salted meat) and some of the recipes she had at the back of the book. Also, I can't wait for Season 10 of Top Chef to start!
August 3, 2013
A simple, straightforward, humble memoir by Gail Simmons of Top Chef fame. She is earnest and rather adorable - and she tells her stories even when they make her look neurotic or odd. Her love of food and the geniuses that make amazing food shines clearly through the pages. I love the recipes at the end that refer back to her stories of growing up and getting married.
November 11, 2020
Fan of Top Chef. Enjoyable read.
owned-storage
November 3, 2025Nook
July 27, 2024
A middling memoir about how Gail Simmons, one of the permanent judges in Top Chef, started her career in the food and media worlds by mostly being in the right place at the right time. Kudos?
December 29, 2012
I read a lot of food-based memoirs, and this one was one of the most interesting I've come across. Gail Simmons has traveled along a very unusual career path, including culinary school, hands-on kitchen work, magazine work, event coordinating, and, of course, TV work in connection with Top Chef and Top Chef: Just Desserts. I really enjoyed her stories about her family life as a young girl and particularly her mother's work in the kitchen. As a rabid Top Chef fan, I loved the chapters about the show, including the grueling recording schedule and the different personalities of the other judges/hosts (especially Padma and Tom). But, most of all, I loved the personal touches Gail put into this memoir, including her Visa troubles as a Canadian trying to work in the US, issues about her weight (all of her TV viewers are much more hung up on it than she is), and juggling a work-family balance. Gail's conversational style drew me in from the beginning and kept me reading all the way to the end. After reading Talking with my Mouth Full, I have even more respect and admiration for Gail than I did before, and I can't wait to see her on the next season of Top Chef.
May 30, 2012
Meh. Simmons' life story is interesting enough, but she is clearly not a food writer (which I thought she was for some reason...) I honestly expected to be ravenous as she described her different experiences with food--which, seriously, if you subtitle your book as 'Life as a Professional Eater', is not asking that much. The reality was that she just listed off meals without much fanfare. I personally enjoyed her lists of food in Spain, but only because I brought my own experiences to the table. Not to mention the strange non-sequiturs about her mentally ill brother (Objection, Your Honor. Relevance?) All in all, I was pretty disappointed by a book I had been really looking forward to reading.
That being said, I enjoyed the backstage glimpse at the Top Chef group of series. I appreciated her descriptions of kitchens that were not Bourdain-esque (ie, didn't sound like the galley of a pirate ship). I'll give it three stars (but would prefer a 2.5).
That being said, I enjoyed the backstage glimpse at the Top Chef group of series. I appreciated her descriptions of kitchens that were not Bourdain-esque (ie, didn't sound like the galley of a pirate ship). I'll give it three stars (but would prefer a 2.5).
March 22, 2012
Although I enjoyed reading it, this book was spotty. The first part describes a lot of Gail Simmons' (best known as a judge on Top Chef) early life, which I found interesting but not for as long as it went on in the bok. Still, it was good to see that she has solid credentials, having graduated from culinary school and worked in restaurants and the restaurant business before going on to write for Food and WIne and organize major food events. My favorite parts were the behind-the-scenes look at Top Chef and Top Chef: Just Desserts. I was surprised that the writing wasn't better, since she is a food writer. Still, I found it worth the read.
July 26, 2016
Gail Simmons has certainly led an interesting, even a charmed life. In fact, she's a real charmer as well. She comes off as a truly likable person in her memoir, which isn't surprising given her on-screen personna. What is surprising is that there is very little of the naughty wit which she occasionally airs on TV evident in this book. One is left thinking, what a nice little sister, what a nice neighbor, what a nice mom of my kid's friend, but not much of that twinkle in her eye that one gets on "Top Chef." One is tempted to repeat John Riggins' infamous drunken advice to Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor: "Loosen up, Gail, baby. You're too tight."
Still, it's a fun read.
Still, it's a fun read.
February 2, 2016
Gail Simmons is known as one of the judges on Top Chef. If you like Top Chef, then you will like this book. If you don't like or don't watch Top Chef, you will wonder who she is. That being said, this book is not focused on her Top Chef time. It focuses on everything leading up to Top Chef. I really enjoyed learning about her actual experiences cooking in the kitchens of top restaurants. I had no idea she had this experience. An easy read if you want to learn more about Gail.
October 31, 2013
A quick read. A memoir that includes, of course, some behind the scene stories from Top Chef. (I would have like more on that.) Some surprises from her childhood. She surely has led a charmed life! She seems to fall easily into dream jobs in the culinary world. Her description of the working of restaurants was the most helpful to me of any books I've ever read. Much more than Anthony Bourdain.
June 23, 2014
The writing was disappointing, particularly for someone who works for a magazine, but the insight into Simmons' life and career were perfectly enjoyable. Top Chef fans will definitely enjoy learning more about Simmons and some of the behind-the-scenes stories of the show. Simmons speaks respectfully of others, so there's no real scuttlebutt here, just tasty treats along the way.
December 30, 2014
Gail é aquela amiga de escola que chora por ter tirado nove em vez de dez. Fofa, mas insuportável.
O livro é interessante aos que a admiram e não para fãs de Top Chef, uma vez que apenas dois capítulos do livro abordam o reality.
O livro é interessante aos que a admiram e não para fãs de Top Chef, uma vez que apenas dois capítulos do livro abordam o reality.
March 17, 2014
I found Gail's memoir interesting, but it's all over the place. Very train-of-thought.
October 30, 2020
A promising young woman graduates from college and contemplates what she should do with her life. With the support of friends and family, she is encouraged to follow a dream summarized in just four words: “Eat. Write. Travel. Cook.” Pursuing that ambition leads her to enroll in a leading cooking school, work in the kitchen and special events administration for two of the top restaurants in the world, serve as an assistant for a legendary food critic, join the staff of one of the top food-oriented periodicals, and become a judge and host on the best of the myriad food competition television shows that currently proliferate the airwaves. And she does all of this before the age of 40!
If that journey sounds irresistibly interesting and one that rises to the “must read” level, you are likely to be as disappointed as I was with Talking With My Mouth Full. Although Gail Simmons—the star of this particular story—has assembled a unique and undeniably impressive resume, her memoir is surprisingly dull and uninspiring. The problem is not in the writing style, but in the pacing and depth of the book’s content. Said a little more plainly, Simmons spends far too much time on uninteresting vignettes about her childhood and personal relationships and not nearly enough time focused on her life as a “professional eater”, which is the way she describes herself.
In particular, Simmons has relatively little to say—just one full chapter and part of another—about her experience as a judge on Top Chef, which I suspect is the only reason most potential readers know her name and would want to pick up the book in the first place. By contrast, she spends just as much time discussing her girlhood experiences, her travels with a variety of boyfriends, and her elaborate wedding plans; I found these lengthy passages to be especially turgid and distracting. So, while Simmons is a likeable person who would seem to have plenty to offer, her inability or unwillingness to dig deeply into the details of the professional experiences by which most of us know her made this a frustrating and unrewarding reading experience.
If that journey sounds irresistibly interesting and one that rises to the “must read” level, you are likely to be as disappointed as I was with Talking With My Mouth Full. Although Gail Simmons—the star of this particular story—has assembled a unique and undeniably impressive resume, her memoir is surprisingly dull and uninspiring. The problem is not in the writing style, but in the pacing and depth of the book’s content. Said a little more plainly, Simmons spends far too much time on uninteresting vignettes about her childhood and personal relationships and not nearly enough time focused on her life as a “professional eater”, which is the way she describes herself.
In particular, Simmons has relatively little to say—just one full chapter and part of another—about her experience as a judge on Top Chef, which I suspect is the only reason most potential readers know her name and would want to pick up the book in the first place. By contrast, she spends just as much time discussing her girlhood experiences, her travels with a variety of boyfriends, and her elaborate wedding plans; I found these lengthy passages to be especially turgid and distracting. So, while Simmons is a likeable person who would seem to have plenty to offer, her inability or unwillingness to dig deeply into the details of the professional experiences by which most of us know her made this a frustrating and unrewarding reading experience.
August 28, 2018
I usually don't read celebrity books because 99% of the time, they aren't the ones writing it. But I LOVE GAIL & Gail is a writer so I thought it would be great. IT IS great - if you are looking for Top Chef behind the scenes, small anecdotes, lessons learned & tidbits that will stick with you forever. There are stories of Gail's childhood & trips to South Africa, tales of traveling with her husband, Jermey, and cute anecdote about Tom & Padma. These were everything I wanted when I chose to read this book. I specifically loved how she documented the trajectory of her career, it was fun and fascinating. The reason I gave it three stars was because I just thought this book was ALL over the place. There was an attempt at organization. I could see the broad outline. But this book could have just been short stories or 3 different longer novels! She wanted to add in every little thing, and for me that's where it got lost a little bit. That being said, I still recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Gail Simmons (& anyone who wants to try to make awesome pickles)
March 14, 2022
Although not really known for her culinary skills in the kitchen, Simmons takes on her journey from her childhood and development years in Toronto up to her present culinary star status as a regular part of the judging team on the popular show on Bravo TV, 'Top Chef.' She always wanted to be a writer, and she has always had a love affair with food. She was able to combine the two with some really fortunate breaks along the way and persevered to become a celebrity in the food world. Her memoirs provide some entertaining anecdotes and a little insight into some of the behind the scenes information about Top Chef. I was hoping for more stories and anecdotes about what goes on at 'Top Chef, but those who may be aspiring to climb the ladder in the culinary world may find inspiration in reading about her journey.
July 22, 2024
We know Gail Simmons as one of Top Chef’s illustrious judges, but how did she get one of the world’s coolest jobs? In ‘Talking With My Mouth Full’, Gail tells us her unconventional path to becoming one of the respected voices in food media. From Toronto to Montreal to New York City, along with other far-flung cities around the globe, we dive into what makes Gail who she is today.
I felt like this book was wildy fine. It doesn’t have a lot of cross-appeal if you’re not a Top Chef fan. Even the moments actually about food felt kind of mid, in a way that it’s not necessary to check out if you’re only in it for the food writing. It’s a pretty short book, so if you are interested in reading Gail’s story, I would recommend it. It was interesting learning about her path. I will say that the book did feel very 2012. I would recommend reading Padma Lakshmi’s ‘Love, Loss, and What We Ate’.
I felt like this book was wildy fine. It doesn’t have a lot of cross-appeal if you’re not a Top Chef fan. Even the moments actually about food felt kind of mid, in a way that it’s not necessary to check out if you’re only in it for the food writing. It’s a pretty short book, so if you are interested in reading Gail’s story, I would recommend it. It was interesting learning about her path. I will say that the book did feel very 2012. I would recommend reading Padma Lakshmi’s ‘Love, Loss, and What We Ate’.
August 31, 2017
This memoir details how she came from being a college graduate who had no idea what to do with her life to being an editor at Food & Wine magazine and a judge on the show Top Chef. The book covers her childhood in Canada and her family’s travels, to her leap into the food world and her experiences working at restaurants, being a personal assistant, and her leap into the editorial side of food. The book provides recipes that highlight key moments of her experiences.
October 12, 2017
Gail Simmons graduated from college not knowing what she really wanted to do with her life. Her mother wanted her to go to Law School but Gail was interested in writing about food. Gail truly loved eating and tasting a variety of foods and did her stint as a chef but as in many careers women have a harder time being a chef. Gail found her way through Food and Wine magazine and became a writer and a judge on Top Chef.
November 19, 2019
I wavered between 2 and 3 stars for this one. It’s just so self-indulgent. It’s not terrible in either subject or execution but it’s just so darn shallow. And those pages where she just has a list of all the things to eat at a festival or whatever - omg tedious much. I would’ve liked a bit more about her actual life and family and ethics etc. And the way she throws in chefs’ names and we are just meant to know who they are...
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