Sugar Burn: The Not so Hot Side of the Sweet Kitchen

by Ryan Kurr

After leaving a career in the insurance industry and then one in massage therapy, Ryan Kurr decides to follow his dream of becoming a Pastry Chef. As Ryan whisks his way through some of Chicago’s most acclaimed restaurants with notoriously difficult, award-winning chefs at the helm, he learns an important recipe for self-worth and balance that includes ingredients that are both sweet and savory.

After graduating from pastry school, he began trial days in kitchens, quickly learning the pace was lightning-quick and strenuous. He struggled with his own intense anxieties and sensory overloads as he became acclimated to the industry. After landing his dream job at a famous pastry-driven restaurant, owned and operated by a recent James Beard Award winner, he struggled to keep up, stay alive and pay rent. Surrounded by adrenalized mania, and gargantuan egos, he began to question the structure of the culinary world, his skill and his dream. In turn, he then analyzed what it truly means to be successful.

Sugar Burn is Kurr's detailed and truthful look into the world of professional pastry kitchens and all its pleasures and idiosyncrasies.

Genres: Nonfiction, Foodie, Cooking

230 pages, Paperback

First published December 6, 2014

About the author

Ryan Kurr is an author, pastry chef, and mystic practitioner. His debut memoir, Sugar Burn: The Not So Hot Side of the Sweet Kitchen was released in 2015. The first two books in his Esoteric Alchemy series became Amazon bestsellers in the LGBT Fantasy genre. His freelance work on spiritual and metaphysical witchcraft and original recipes has been published by Witches Magazine. He currently lives in Portland, OR.

Be sure to follow Ryan Kurr on Bookbub for the latest on flash sales https://www.bookbub.com/profile/ryan-...

Reviews

[Paula Ramsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet Read

I really enjoyed this! I am a hobby baker who has been told more than once I should open a bakery. I always say if I do that, it wouldn’t be a hobby, or fun, anymore...it would be a job.
Ryan’s story is eye-opening & anyone who thinks that being a chef, pastry or not, should read this. He is honest & forthcoming about his experiences.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unique read

[Trisa (Absolute Bookishness) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received a free copy of Sugar Burn: The Not So Hot Side of the Sweet Kitchen from Goodreads First Reads.

Not exactly what I expected, but somewhat enlightening as far as what one might experience while pursuing a career in the culinary industry. Sugar Burn gave me the impression that the kitchens or restaurants (the atmosphere and conditions as well as the chefs, staff, management, and so on) I saw on Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares were more of the rule than the exception. Not good.

While my greatest passion is health care/medicine, I do have a great love for culinary arts, specifically pastry. (I come from a line a great cooks and so grew up with a passion for food. I love expressing myself creatively through food; it's my creative release. But I'm more of what you'd call a home cook.) I had intended to study the culinary arts formally one day (as a personal goal), but after reading this book I'm not so sure I'd get the level of training or knowledge I had hoped for. Still, after looking up many of the pastries mentioned in this book, I do have an idea of what I might try making next--with or without professional training.

But let's get back to the book. It could benefit from more editing. Some errors were easily overlooked while others were very distracting. Some of the tangents or rants in the middle of some of the stories served as more notable distractions; sometimes I'd get lost and have to go back a few paragraphs so I could keep on track.

I do share Kurr's perspective that the way much of the culinary industry trains, treats, and compensates its members is horrible and needs serious revision--especially in leadership training which is apparently overlooked. (Unfortunately, it isn't the only industry known for such behavior toward the economy's present and future workforce. I'm sure many grad students, interns, and others would agree.) However, this and similar points were reiterated quite a bit, to the point of redundancy.

I wasn't a fan of some of the language (though some might not mind). I did find one thing particularly offensive, so I chose not to rate this book (ignore the 1 star rating). (I don't want to give a poor rating over one statement, but I also don't want to ignore it entirely either. Just trying to offer an honest, constructive critique.)

[Raluca Sandu · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book via Goodreads and only read it now because I have been so late with my TBR books.

I enjoyed the writing and enjoyed reading about the adventures of Ryan. Despite the feeling I got through the whole book, that he didn’t know himself what exactly he wanted to do in life, leaving everything and starting a whole new career was something brave and hats off to Ryan for that.

On the other hand, I had a problem with his personality. I found that he was often complaining, liked to exaggerate things a lot and always tried to appear as a victim.

I didn’t like at all the way he treated his boyfriend Anthony (and this is HIS version of the story, so there’s a chance he even softened it a bit), and occasionally found him selfish and dishonest with the people around him. The way he quit his first pastry job through a text left me dumbfounded. I’m sure Melaina was indeed a horrible person, had a tough behavior, and he must have really went through hell in the few weeks when he worked there, but leaving that way is coward and selfish. I mean, as a restaurant owner, regardless of her behavior, she deserves to know that one of the employees won’t be coming anymore… to me, it’s the least one can do, especially knowing he won’t be seeing her again afterwards.

I would recommend this book especially to people who plan to integrate a culinary school, as it can give useful tips and advice.

[Michelle Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

You have opened my eyes to all the behind the scenes of a working restaurant, bakery & other food places. I too love to cook and bake, it's a passion for my family, but I am so glad that I chose to keep it that way. I would never have had the guts to keep going! This is a very good book.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads . I enjoyed reading this book .I will be looking for more books from the author in the future , Great book !!