White Slave

by Marco Pierre White

auto-biography

Genres: Food, Autobiography

297 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Val Penny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do not consider myself a bad cook, but I am certainly not interested in doing all the fiddly bits that go with being a top class chef. So when I saw this auto-biography on the "read me before I go" shelf in my local library, I decided to do just that. This auto-biography was actually ghost written by James Steen for the legendary chef who is open-handed in his acknowledgement of Steen's work

It is clear from the very start of the book that the early loss of his mother, and being brought up with two much older brothers by a strict,lone-parent father had a marked affect on White. His father was also a chef, but of the old school. So as he was dyslexic, Marco left school early and lurched unquestioningly into cooking for a living. Where his talent and his determination came from is not specifically identified. However, perhaps it was luck that drove him to the stoves of Yorkshire's then most serious restaurant, the Box Tree at Ilkley.

There he was introduced to the demands of haute cuisine and well directed towards the Michelin-style kitchens of the Roux brothers, Nico Ladenis, Raymond Blanc and Pierre Koffmann. He never left England, yet he absorbed enough French kitchen lingua franca to convince Michelin he was the peer of Bocuse, Guérard and Robuchon. White tells progressively of his achievements - one star, two stars, then the final accolade of three (as well as four and then five red knives and forks) in the Little Red Book. These were his by the age of 33, a world record. He must have been an exceptional chef: extremely fast, with a very good eye, unerring taste and great skill in absorbing and reinterpreting the knowledge, and recipes, of others.

However, Marco Pierre White always seemed to be more than a chef and in this book I became sure that I would not like him if I met him. He portrays himself as a bully. He justifies this by arguing that he was striving for perfection. That seems to me to be no excuse. His antics during his career earned him lasting notoriety and he seems happy to boast of and justify behaviour that would land most employers in a court or tribunal.

Society urges the extinction of bullying in school or workplace while embracing its vicarious experience in a host of reality shows including those with Marco Pierre White and fellow three star chef Gordon Ramsay. Today, happily, there are many kitchens turning out excellent food where dysfunctional personalities do not rule.

I did not warm to White's endless boasting. Although I admire his feats of culinary genius and also his success in changing from humble cook to Savile-Row-tailored restaurateur, I found the book particularly self-serving. Nevertheless, I did unearth some truth among the bombast. For example, White was a chef who attained celebrity by the printed word alone: no TV. Just gossip, scandal, news and good reviews. Although White mixed with the international greats of the Michelin set, his experience of cooking and, indeed, of life seems to have been quite restricted. He focused purely on what was required to achieve success within the Michelin Guide.

I was surprised that White rarely mentions taste and flavour when talking about cooking: he does go on about the look of a plate. Equally, there seems little sign of respect and affection for the dining public (unless they are rich or famous or both - and even then he seems to have terminable arguments with them). The profession of chef-restaurateur is rightly described as being part of the "hospitality industry". This term conceals a big truth: the man in charge of a restaurant has to like his customers more than he loves himself. To this end White does not seem to me to be a good role model. I found this book fascinating and am very glad I read it but I suspect I did not come away with the thoughts the author wanted of me.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting memoir of chef Marco Pierre White.

Poignant in parts, sad in others, outright hilarious in others. Gordon Ramsey being peed on by a dog through the skylight literally had me breathless with laughter.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars and largely because it compliments White Heat so well. White describes his cooking in White Slave and it fleshes out the recipes in White Heat, as well as the kitchen and the people in his orbit. Like most autobiography, this is ghost written and while it captures his voice very well, it is as evere for those who like the form. Autobiography is insight into the person, in part sober self-reflection over the life lived, and of the seminal moments and people. And it's fun to follow along - the title is outlandish, like the chef himself, but also apropos because he did work like one to achieve so much, so soon. And then clearly burned out. It's interesting how this UK edition was re-titled for the US market as The Devil in the Kitchen not only because of its sanitizing effect for the politically correct, but that it is exactly what he was like in the kitchen in how he moved. It is well worth looking at the available footage from his years at Harveys, where he made his name, cooking. It's service and the man, whatever one thinks of him, cooks at great speed that is terrifying to behold - and I say that having worked in these kinds of kitchens. The expectations are high, the environment is demanding, and then keeping up - or trying to - with the best cook present is terrifying. It's hard to appreciate how difficult this work it, how physically exacting it is - labourer's work with an artist's touch. Two solitudes without any sort of calm between them.

[John Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

My wife usually has two books on the go all of the time. One is fiction and one is non-fiction. This was my attempt at the same thing, but for me, the practice doesnt work and the time that it has taken me to read this book (9 months) will testify.
It is one of the few nonfictionbooks that has caught my eye as, from what little I knew of this Supremo of the kitchen, I liked him. It was an interesting read that chartered his life from humble beginnings in Leeds ( where I could easily have met him as we lived quite close for a time) to his experiences in some of the top Kitchens in Europe.
If you are interested in Cooking then this is a book for you although I was a little disappointed as I had expected it to be full of some of the recipes that he had made his own.

As an aside, I bought this book when I couldnt find the book that I really wanted, White Heat, his first book, at anything like a reasonable price. Luckily Santa Claus came to my rescue and from my first 'dips' into it, I dont think that it will be 9 months before I finish that one.

[Chris Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting, funny, full of glorious characters, a really enjoyable read...

[loudaconnoway · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved Marco Pierre White's biography - the style of writing, his experiences. Took this one everywhere with me and read anywhere I could!

[Helen Hutchings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written autobiography, fascinating insight into the life of a top chef.