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Hell in the Kitchen
Welcome to the high pressure world of the professional kitchen. Gary Pansey has become the face of the culinary world. He’s everywhere with his TV shows, cookbooks and A list celebrity events. He’s sexier than Nigella, looks better naked than Jamie Oliver, and can still teach Delia a thing or two about cooking eggs.
Read about his journey from shy schoolboy (‘Can’t you cook something that goes with this Scotch?’ his Mam asks) and how he was whipped up into shape by sadistic, brooding mentor Jake (‘In Dedbridge you have to drive the wrong way up one-way streets, you get pulled over if you don’t’).
Long hours in hot kitchens lead to steamy sessions in the bedroom, it all pays off for young Gary. Why is he one of the lucky ones? It’s difficult to get out of Dedbridge with a police escort, how did he manage it with just a spatula?
Hell in the Kitchen is a parody of life in the restaurant world and its celebrity TV chefs.
Contains adult language and cake. Food is love, after all.
Read about his journey from shy schoolboy (‘Can’t you cook something that goes with this Scotch?’ his Mam asks) and how he was whipped up into shape by sadistic, brooding mentor Jake (‘In Dedbridge you have to drive the wrong way up one-way streets, you get pulled over if you don’t’).
Long hours in hot kitchens lead to steamy sessions in the bedroom, it all pays off for young Gary. Why is he one of the lucky ones? It’s difficult to get out of Dedbridge with a police escort, how did he manage it with just a spatula?
Hell in the Kitchen is a parody of life in the restaurant world and its celebrity TV chefs.
Contains adult language and cake. Food is love, after all.
140 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 29, 2012
17 people want to read
About the author
Ian Little
3 books20 followersTexting Orwell, a novella, was published in August 2012. This was followed in October with the next book in the Dedbridge series, 'Hell in the Kitchen', another novella. Luckbox, a novel in the same series, was published in 2013.
A new novel is currently in the works...
A new novel is currently in the works...
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 3, 2014
Adored by millions, handsome, sexy TV chef Gary Pansey has fame and wealth beyond his childhood imaginings. But, trapped in a foul-mouthed celebrity persona concocted by demanding TV programmers and his grasping wife, he doesn't know who he is any more. Feeling insecure and depressed, he sees no escape from his relentless work schedule or sterile home life. Until one day an old chef friend falls ill and Gary agrees to substitute for him as the instructor on a two-day cooking course...
Hell in the Kitchen is a fast-paced, easy read, filled with biting wit and well-observed characters. I warmed to Gary straight away. He's flawed, and sometimes weak, yet I had to keep turning the pages to find out what happened to him. Ian Little gets five stars from me for this darkly humorous tale of love, lust, lies and a knockout chocolate and raspberry tart.
Hell in the Kitchen is a fast-paced, easy read, filled with biting wit and well-observed characters. I warmed to Gary straight away. He's flawed, and sometimes weak, yet I had to keep turning the pages to find out what happened to him. Ian Little gets five stars from me for this darkly humorous tale of love, lust, lies and a knockout chocolate and raspberry tart.
April 29, 2013
A very enjoyable read that really skewered the life of a celebrity chef and all the egos in the kitchen. Makes you think twice about eating out! Shades of all the TV chefs we all love to hate- very well observed. I'd definitely recommend Hell in the Kitchen to anyone wanting a lighthearted humorous read.
October 2, 2013
Going through a bit of adversity at the time, I needed a lighter read than my normal choices, so picked out this one and this story did the trick to help cheer me up too. It’s well written, includes interesting and believable characters, a brilliant story line and a protagonist who is full of surprises – I really felt for him.
If I am doing other things but keep thinking about the characters of a work of fiction, then I know it’s good. It’s a shame I have finished it, but I will be reading his other two books at some point.
If you want to be truly entertained by words, try this one out!
I love great food, appreciate good chefs, and especially like to eat out (I am a restaurant reviewer as a hobby). I also love humour, even the sarcastic kind when used in the right place, and having worked in professional kitchens myself, I know how hard it can be and the types of characters the career path entangles. Put it this way, when I did my last shift, I said I would NEVER work in a professional kitchen again! LOL And don’t we all love a celebrity chef; to see their personalities played out on the TV? :-)
If I am doing other things but keep thinking about the characters of a work of fiction, then I know it’s good. It’s a shame I have finished it, but I will be reading his other two books at some point.
If you want to be truly entertained by words, try this one out!
I love great food, appreciate good chefs, and especially like to eat out (I am a restaurant reviewer as a hobby). I also love humour, even the sarcastic kind when used in the right place, and having worked in professional kitchens myself, I know how hard it can be and the types of characters the career path entangles. Put it this way, when I did my last shift, I said I would NEVER work in a professional kitchen again! LOL And don’t we all love a celebrity chef; to see their personalities played out on the TV? :-)
September 20, 2013
The title of this book had me fooled. I thought I was going to read a comical take on life in the professional kitchen instead I was given a very rare insight in the life of a high-profile chef. And it wasn’t hard to imagine which one.
Of course it is all fictional, but so very cleverly done there were moments when I seriously doubted the fiction and wondered if I wasn’t sneakily reading a recounting of the real life events of that famous person.
All characters were alive, even the minor ones, and the scenes were so well set, I could smell and almost taste the tart. Shoot, it made me want to bake and cook and be in a kitchen.
Not once did the book feel contrived or in any other way unreal. This is either written by someone who has done his research or he has been there and done it all. It made me chuckle and the author had me rooting for the main character, even if he’s not really a nice guy, or is he?
In the mere 106 pages this book has the author has managed to create a full arc and not once it gave me the feeling of unresolved issues.
A very pleasant read and worth of my time and money.
Of course it is all fictional, but so very cleverly done there were moments when I seriously doubted the fiction and wondered if I wasn’t sneakily reading a recounting of the real life events of that famous person.
All characters were alive, even the minor ones, and the scenes were so well set, I could smell and almost taste the tart. Shoot, it made me want to bake and cook and be in a kitchen.
Not once did the book feel contrived or in any other way unreal. This is either written by someone who has done his research or he has been there and done it all. It made me chuckle and the author had me rooting for the main character, even if he’s not really a nice guy, or is he?
In the mere 106 pages this book has the author has managed to create a full arc and not once it gave me the feeling of unresolved issues.
A very pleasant read and worth of my time and money.
May 17, 2014
This book was recommended to me by a friend. A book about a superstarred, supercharged TV chef with a super ego? Not a subject I would normally be attracted to. But, oh how glad I am now that I didn’t allow my own prejudice to get in the way.
Gary Pansey was born to cook. His skill in the kitchen is inimitable but, of course, that alone is not enough. To succeed as a first class chef and earn those most coveted Michelin stars, a chef needs to be tough, strong, and ruthless. And Gary Pansey has all those qualities in spades. The story very cleverly sees the character of the man change over the years as he doggedly works his way up through the ranks. He is bullied physically and verbally, worked until almost dead from exhaustion and yet, he never gives up. Such is the desire for success that he will endure anything to get there. But that kind of achievement comes at a cost. He soon finds himself being shunted in directions he never intended to go. As a consequence, he finds himself lost and lonely with a failed marriage and a sense of something approaching despair. Can he turn his life around? Or is it all too late? You will need to read it to find out.
Highly recommended
Gary Pansey was born to cook. His skill in the kitchen is inimitable but, of course, that alone is not enough. To succeed as a first class chef and earn those most coveted Michelin stars, a chef needs to be tough, strong, and ruthless. And Gary Pansey has all those qualities in spades. The story very cleverly sees the character of the man change over the years as he doggedly works his way up through the ranks. He is bullied physically and verbally, worked until almost dead from exhaustion and yet, he never gives up. Such is the desire for success that he will endure anything to get there. But that kind of achievement comes at a cost. He soon finds himself being shunted in directions he never intended to go. As a consequence, he finds himself lost and lonely with a failed marriage and a sense of something approaching despair. Can he turn his life around? Or is it all too late? You will need to read it to find out.
Highly recommended
March 14, 2013
The art of creating food has always had its characters. Its like the steam and heat of the kitchen concentrate that part of the brain. Ian Little has pulled back the curtain and showed us what really goes on from the first time this future chef makes a egg to a character that is watched more for his extreme personality then anything he cooks.
Gary Pansey is a chef, a husband, a philanderer, a perfectionist and a tv personality. He is trapped in his own success and we get to see how each wall of his cell was built over time. Sound dire? No its fast paced, hard to put down and hilarious. The characters are real. Much more real then the polished ones you see on TV, who are either trying to convince you how likable or despicable they are. Mr. Little tells us the story and lets us decide. Gary Pansey is shown warts and all and Ian skillfully uses humour so we like him anyway.
Gary Pansey is a chef, a husband, a philanderer, a perfectionist and a tv personality. He is trapped in his own success and we get to see how each wall of his cell was built over time. Sound dire? No its fast paced, hard to put down and hilarious. The characters are real. Much more real then the polished ones you see on TV, who are either trying to convince you how likable or despicable they are. Mr. Little tells us the story and lets us decide. Gary Pansey is shown warts and all and Ian skillfully uses humour so we like him anyway.
November 23, 2012
Ian Little returns with his next instalment of the Dedbridge Saga, this time featuring Chef extraordinaire Gary Pansey and his quest for self fulfilment. Pansey has everything, a beautiful wife, two doting kids, fantastic house, an amazing career as TV's top chef and a string of businesses all thriving but not everything is as it seems. Depressed and exhausted by the relentless fame, Pansey seeks something more. This book is fast paced, full of humour and a interesting insight into Pansey's background and what drives him to succeed.
November 8, 2012
A "Write" tasty read...
Hell In The Kitchen was a real feast, simmered a little at the start. But felt the book come to the boil nicely once it got into the funny revealing passages about the culinary world and the effect of fame on a celebrity chef. If you pardon the pun, a "write tasty dish" leaves, me wanting more, yes more, laddie!
Hell In The Kitchen was a real feast, simmered a little at the start. But felt the book come to the boil nicely once it got into the funny revealing passages about the culinary world and the effect of fame on a celebrity chef. If you pardon the pun, a "write tasty dish" leaves, me wanting more, yes more, laddie!
April 3, 2013
A funny satire, fast-paced and highly entertaining.
July 28, 2013
Great characters, and a thoroughly amusing read. Rags to riches tale of a serious 'cook' and it has a happy ending! Recommended.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews