I Hear She's a Real Bitch

by Jen Agg

A sharp and candid memoir from a star in the restaurant world, and an up-and-coming literary voice. Toronto restaurateur Jen Agg, the woman behind the popular The Black Hoof, Cocktail Bar, Rhum Corner, and Agrikol restaurants, is known for her frank, crystal-sharp and often hilarious observations and ideas on the restaurant industry and the world around her.
I Hear She's a Real Bitch, her first book, is caustic yet intimate, and wryly observant; an unforgettable glimpse into the life of one of the most interesting, smart, trail-blazing voices of this moment.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Food, Biography, Canada, Biography Memoir, Feminism

288 pages, ebook

First published March 14, 2017

About the author

JEN AGG is a restaurateur in Toronto, Ontario (CANADA).

Reviews

[Jasmine from How Useful It Is · Rating 5 out of 5]

TWITTER GIVEAWAY: RT/Follow to win a finished copy. *US ONLY* Giveaway Ends 9/30/17. 8PM CST. My twitter handle is @howusefulitis Thanks! :-)

About: I Hear She’s A Real Bitch is a memoir written by Jen Agg. It was recently published on 9/12/17 by Penguin Books, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, paperback, 368 pages. The genres are autobiography, culinary, and non-fiction.

My Experience: I started reading I Hear She’s a Real Bitch on 8/21/17 and finished it on 9/15/17. I enjoyed reading this memoir a lot. I take time to read it carefully so that I can understand more. I don’t work in the restaurant or bar business but after reading this book, I may dine differently. I might refuse my drink if the server bring my drink over with octopus hands.. haha.. I haven’t read too many memoirs, but this one might be the best one I read this year and I am inclined to read more in the future. The title is an attention grabber and the illustrations are definitely an added bonus. This book definitely has experiences worth reading!

In this book, readers will follow the point of view of Jen Agg, an owner of The Black Hoof, Grey Gardens, Rhum Corner, Cocktail Bar, and Agrikol in Cananda. The start of this book talks about Charcuterie board, a signature dish serve at The Black Hoof. There is an illustration of what a Charcuterie board looks like. Jen talks about her personal experiences with staffing and training. Then she talks about her childhood, her teenage years was filled with alcohol, cigarettes, and many unreliable men. She worked in different bars & grills from servers to bartenders and then her first steps into being an owner. She discusses about opening up a café and closing it down, challenges of having a partner and the leap taken to be her own boss, and the ups and downs of running a business as a woman with today’s social media affecting it all.

The title of this memoir has a swear word and it’s no surprise the content of the book will hold a few swear words. This book is very well written, informative, and easy to read. I like Jen’s real talk about restaurant profitability and food waste. I like what’s called “octopus hands” when serving drinks. It’s an eye opener for me to learn about the dynamic between servers and cooks in addition to the abuse because this is the first time I have heard of it. There were no dull moments reading this book. The illustrations on “pussy can take a pounding” is funny. I enjoyed Jen Agg’s perspectives on vodka. I like her story about her experiences on having a partnership. It’s definitely hard to find a compatible partner to run a business with. That’s why I choose to run this blog (a hobby) on my own even though I wish to post a review everyday instead of once or twice a week.

I’m surprised at the author’s honesty about herself in this book. She takes accountability in her actions even when it makes her look bad like sleeping with her best friend’s boyfriend and a married man. I’m also surprised why the author would feel discomfort seeing eleven years old girls wearing shorts shorts and crop tops if she herself masturbate with her mom’s plug-in at twelve and losing her virginity with a random guy at a bar. What Jen does in her teenage years, I should think she’s no prude. I’m also surprised she names name of her staff who is a cutter.. isn’t that private? She exposed herself as being born with one breast which is a surprising reminder for me. Sometimes I forget such things do happen. It’s a little tough reading about her opinions on reviews because my blog is all about reviews. I guess it’s a lucky I don’t get paid for my reviews.

I give props to Jen Agg for adding in illustrations and pictures to this memoir because it grabs readers attention. There are illustrations of her restaurant ideas, mix drinks ingredients, a glimpse of a menu, a bar setup, and of herself in the nude with very exposed private part. There are other pretty illustrations as well as dishes that her restaurant offers. On the other hand, aside from humor, I also enjoy her discussions about her marriages and of business failures and success. I like to know the mistakes made and lessons learned. I’m also surprised that she uses Craigslist! Somehow I think only people in USA uses it. I recommend reading the glossary at the end of the book before starting the memoir. There is something to take away from reading about someone’s personal experience and I highly recommend everyone to read this book!

Pro: serving tips, restaurant owner insider info, personal experience, pictures and illustrations, humor, teenage smoking, drinking, and sex, business fail and business success,

Con: none

I rate it 5 stars!

***Disclaimer: Many thanks to Penguin Publishing Group for sponsoring the giveaway. I appreciate the opportunity to read and review. Please be assured that my opinions are honest.

xoxo,
Jasmine at www.howusefulitis.wordpress.com for a detailed review

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Publication 16/05/17

Confession: I had absolutely no clue who Jen Agg was, I have never eaten in any of her Toronto area restaurants, but I thought the title was intriguing enough to give it a try. The restaurant bits were really interesting, some of the personal life tidbits not so much. When one chapter switches from exploring the idea of the importance of getting along with your co-workers to relating how you stole your mom's vibrator at age 12, I cannot help but feel that way in which you have just met someone five minutes ago to look at an apartment and they're talking about their male menopause(true story, it happened). So chapter transitioning was a bit awkward at first.

As a reader, I am growing tired of publishing ploys to make women relatable to other women. Talking about how you made a lot of mistakes but really good things happened along the way makes you relatable. How you stuck your ground and wouldn't be pushed around also makes you relatable. Newsflash- it isn't by going on about how horny you are or how much you and your husband get it on. Take it from a Canadian Girl Guide( we never ever tell a lie) that just makes us jealous!

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an uncorrected digital galley in exchange for an honest review

[Krystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am happy I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway, as it is something I wouldn't pick up to read, unless I knew who she was or was familiar with her bars and restaurants.
That being said, I actually enjoyed the book, it's very well written and offers quite a bit of insiders info in the hospitality business. The good, the bad and the ugly. From opening up to having to shut down and go bankrupt, to finding the man of your dreams and finally making it. The stupid "bro" mentality of hazing the new comers, the bullying of front end staff by the kitchen staff, the ego's, getting a good review to getting a bad review.

It was one of the more interesting memoirs i've read so far this year, it read more like a novel and wasn't all over the place. It was interesting to me because I got what she was saying, i've been in customer service my whole working life and you want an organized team and fairness. Jen Agg is the kind of "girl boss" i'd want to work for. To her this isn't just a career it's her dream and vision, her passion and she wants her employees to feel the passion and be respected no matter what level they are on.
This is a great book for managers and owners to read in any area of customer service.

#GoodreadsGiveaway

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

I'm not sure why I picked this one up, but certainly the Anthony Bourdain blurb didn't hurt. But I think I learned something important in my ho-hum experience of reading Sweetbitter (my review here) - when it comes to restaurants, I'm just not that into stories about the front of the house. Jen Agg is a restauranteur but not a chef, and after a few chapters I felt like I wasn't learning much about the stuff I was most interested in, that she was hard to take, and when the book came due at the library I realized I hadn't picked it back up anyway. I might as well return it. I love seeing women in all types of leadership but that doesn't mean I have to like them all.

[Catherine · Rating 1 out of 5]

I so hate this book. I would have thrown it across the room and then tossed it into the nearest garbage can early on, but it was a gift from a very kind friend and I felt obligated to finish it. Reading this barely edited book length rant/autobiography felt like being pinned in a bar by a loud, drunk person with a hand clamped on your arm, leaning into your face breathing alcohol fumes as they bellow their personal life at you. Agg spares the reader nothing, including graphic descriptions of her masturbation and early sex life, a nude self portrait with lady parts spread, and endless rants about people who have disappointed her. I'd forgive most of that if Agg had actually experienced the sexism she claims to war against (apparently by tweeting), but she's actually a highly privileged person whose restaurant starts were funded by others and who seems to prefer to put white men in the power positions in her restaurants. (And whose first restaurant apparently paid no taxes at all -- she takes no responsibility and blames this entirely on her first husband -- stiffing the Canadian taxpayers some $300,000). She's a poseur, in short. And an egotistical, selfish person, too. Ack, do not read this piece of crap posing as an edgy book.

[Sandra The Old Woman in a Van · Rating 1 out of 5]

I haven’t read this book but am responding to Jen Agg’s stint as a judge for the Food52 Piglet cookbook contest. She was a round two judge and reviewed 2 books. The rules state the judge should cook at least three recipes from each book. Jen is a known rule breaker, says she stated up front she had no intention to cook any recipes due to extenuating life circumstances and went on to flippantly judge the books based on a quick read - because as a restaurant professional she feels she can judge recipes just by reading them.

Well, flipping the table, I am an avid reader and have reviewed Jen’s style and type through her judging, her Twitter feed, the end notes of her book and her followers. I can easily judge a book/memoir without reading it - no problem. This one is not worth reading. Jen may have more to write in a memoir after she grows up a bit, but her “rule breaking” persona is just brutish and used as a defensive tool to avoid personal responsibility. I think the take home message to s the restaurant industry is male dominated and misogynistic- welcome to the reality of most professions.

I wouldn’t spend money on this book. Check it out from the library and thumb through it but it isn’t a keeper.

[Lauren Simmons · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay so...Jen Agg is a person I admire, who makes restaurants I love. She is so fucking strong and has such vision and has only been kind and generous to me.

But.

I felt the first few chapters of this book were hard to read. Maybe I was imposing my prudishness or jealousy that my high school experience wasn't as salacious, but I just really didn't feel like I needed to read about the all the underage drinking and sex and stuff.

The chapters about making restaurants are great. The art in the book is lovely. The glances in to the complex relationships between BOH and FOH and in to the Toronto restaurant scene are insightful and interesting.

On the whole I felt the editor could have had a stronger hand. That said, the book as it is is decidedly ALL Jen Agg. And knowing Jen I'm guessing she doesn't care what I think, and should be proud that the book definitely captures her.

PS also there is some serious fat phobia in this book which kinda sucks.

[Stephanie P · Rating 2 out of 5]

I appreciate that the author is an important part of the restaurant and bar industry. And her approach to leadership and business is impressive, especially re: breaking down gender stereotypes and encouraging wage equality. Totally amazing.

As a book however, I'm left wanting. Truthfully I've never skimmed a book so fast, actually fully skipping over chapters (ie. the sections about her childhood memories and adult sex life felt like filler - fast forward please.) The most interesting stuff is around the launch of her businesses and getting insight into her restaurant/bar vision.

I live in Toronto, love this city, and savour good food. Learning more about the culinary institutions in town is interesting. But I'd be hard pressed to recommend this read. One and a half stars.

[Danielle · Rating 1 out of 5]

My rating of this book has nothing to do with Jenn as a maverick and trailblazer in her industry. I appreciate all the great things she has done for food and drink in Toronto. We need more women like her! But the book was -sorry...a disaster. Her editor...where are you? The juicy bits were fun but meant nothing to her story as an entrepreneur. She is raw and unashamed which is great but was this book about her personal challenges? Or how she’s had to fight through a difficult times in the restaurant industry? This book was an outpouring of her brain. She’s smart. She’s a fighter. But that could said have been about 200 pages shorter. Many sections were just boring.

[Sonia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ordinary

The book started out with a promise of being a relatively interesting account of how Jen created and runs her restaurant business. However it quickly degraded into a mediocre memoir about an average American suburban childhood. The author attempted to make it interesting by writing about how she was a tomboy until she grew into a teenager and became interested in boys and smoking. While this may be interesting to hardcore fans of Jen Agg, I do not recommend this to anyone who wants to read an interesting or a well written memoir.

[Vanessa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried, I really tried, but it screams "oh I'm not like other women" style white washed feminism. Like others, I would agree that there was some interesting parts, some parts even hilarious. But I just can't get this bad taste out of my mouth, scoffing outloud and far too many eye rolls later. I really wanted to love this book, and have a strong female character in the food Buisness to admire....but sadly.

[Olivia Law]

I found this book really frustrating! Truth be told, I didn’t know who Jen Agg was before reading this - but I did think that reading a book about a trailblazer in the Canadian restaurant scene would be interesting and that I’d learn something.

However, something about the writing here irked me. I found the book quite messy, with no drive or “why” behind most of it. It came across as the author introducing her opinion as a “hot take” and it ending up just being the most mainstream opinion ever. Very “not like other girls”.

Still, I did find it interesting to learn more about the industry, and the parts of Agg’s life she shared in this.

[Tara Poitras · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't realise she was behind so many restaurants. It was an interesting read but she's super braggy. I'm all for pride but some of her statements are a bit OTT. She claims to have started some trends which i think is a bit bold. She's also an over sharer.

[Michael Di Matteo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jen agg uses feminism and inequality as the scapegoats for her overt arrogance/inflated ego “ah men don’t catch backlash for the same arrogance I exhibit!”
Jen hates chefs because she isn’t one. Her restaurants are hit or miss. I will credit le swan with my current favorite bavette in the city. That said she clearly has inconsistencies in her food and rather than fixing them, she picks apart the odd 2 start reviews in an unhinged, manic way.
Jen, when reflecting on poor decisions from her past, usually justifies them with excuses rather than reflecting on how they were wrong i.e when she slept with another woman and claimed that it was necessary to save her marriage.
Jen has brought a food and restaurant culture to toronto for which I am grateful however, she is past her prime. If she looked inward a bit rather than pumping her ego back up, she could possibly regain the role she once had
There are definitely good dishes at her restaurants - one just needs to know how to strategically order them. Beware of the $100+ steaks that she doesn’t know how to make
Jenn agg says food criticism that is too focused on the food itself is often boring - there is too much bad writing in this space. Jenn agg is looking for good writing in food criticisms which is fine but let’s not forget food criticism at its core is about the food. Jenn agg is very art and entertainment focused that she often puts aside the food. I get the sense there is probably a lot of “ah that’s good enough” in the kitchens in her restaurants and again that’s fine but definitely something to be aware of when dining at her restaurants
Very ironic in the chapter “bad review” when she goes on about “shitty internet buzzy food critics” being mostly “shitty” and less than a paragraph later, acknowledging the toronto star barred Corey Mintz, from reviewing the hoof because jen and him were friends lol. This book is filled with opinion asterisks justifying why jen’s take on something is ok when for others it is not
She is overly edgy and attention seeking. She feels the need to let the reader know when she has had sex i.e “the first thing me and roland did when we got to montreal was nap and then fuck…because that’s how you start a vacation” - pretty cringe.
She has done a lot of work in the exposure of toxic kitchen culture and inequality in the kitchen between men and women through her Kitchen Bitches conference among other things. It is quite commendable to see a person of power using their influence to change the space for the benefit of future generations

All in all, while I don’t agree with a lot of Jen Aggs opinions, I think she is still a fairly entertaining story teller. Also I wish this book talked more about toronto restaurant lore.

[Cathie · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you enjoyed the late Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, you should snag a chance to read I Hear She's a Real Bitch.

At times she goes through rants of her life, but what she also shares - and this is what I enjoyed readng - the highs and lows of the restaurant business and industry, specifically in Toronto and Montreal. There are surely tidbits anyone working in the restaurant industry should pay heed to.

She also discusses the food writing industry - journalists and food bloggers - as well as the affects of such "reviews".

Love it. Hate it. Great read for food enthusiasts (WILL NOT SAY "FOODIE")

Now if only she provided the recipe for the three corn ravioli...

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A while ago I read Generation Chef: Risking It All for a New American Dream, the story of a young chef determined to open a renowned restaurant, and the business and food selection processes were most interesting. Jen Agg's story is from an opposite POV, in that is she was not a chef but a trained bartender, running her own cocktail bar in Toronto. After Agg lost the bar business she opened The Black Hoof, a restaurant featuring charcuterie, the craft of curing meat such as salami, sausages, pates, and more, even though she had no training in the culinary arts. But before she gets to the biz of running a restaurant, she covers her teen years and what led her to opening what would become world famous eateries in Canada.

It took me a bit to get interested in what Jen had to say but turned out this was this a rocking read! I had never heard of Agg before but I was instantly captivated by her blunt and outspoken personality which came through loud and clear (and you get a clear picture of just how much sex she does get!). This is a perfect book for Anthony Bourdain fans.

For more on the restaurant biz, try The Fourth Star: Dispatches from Inside Daniel Boulud's Celebrated New York Restaurant, Restaurant Man, and Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany, and the novel, Sweetbitter.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital review copy.

[Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoroughly interesting and detailed account of operating a small, upscale restaurant. Attention is given to every little nuance in order for the customer to have a delightful experience. We also learn all about the owner and how she came to developing and running her establishment.

[Nancy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Less angst; more restaurant. And lose the nude sketch. I really don't care.

[Samantha March · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t read a ton of memoirs, but I’m always very interested in women entrepreneurs and their stories. Jen Agg is in the restaurant business, and her story unfolds how she got into the industry, how she became successful, and all the good and bad in between. There was a lot of interesting aspects to the book, but a lot of slower moments for me that made it challenging for me to stay invested. I skipped around a bit but I enjoyed the motivational moments, just not an all around favorite of mine.
I received a review copy

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brave memoir written with honesty by restauranteur Jen Agg. After finishing this book, I have a lot of respect for her, as well as her vision in creating spaces for people to gather and enjoy food together, and acknowledging the contrasts of her personality and experiences. There were a few ah ha moments in regards to women in business and I may have taken in the bro stereotypes paragraph a bit too much as a fellow/potential bro encroached on my airplane seat space/personal bubble with his bare foot 🤨🤣. If anything, it's a great example of a memoir exploring that we can hold opinions but we all continue to learn and will have contradictions within ourselves.

[Storm Daly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this memoir. It was such a fun look into an incredibly hardworking and intelligent woman. It was impossible to not fall in love with her during the book, and if you read it and don’t feel the same, we probably wouldn’t get along.

[Ashley Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

🙏

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sad to look up and find that the Black Hoof closed in 2018. As I was reading, I was formulating a trip to Toronto to include a visit to her restaurant, but I'll keep an eye out for her new restaurant openings.
Interesting turmoil displayed around her feminist beliefs/values - not the first time I've seen this in a book.

[Meg Power · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book that is a combination of food, booze, feminism, raunchy humor and swearing. Jen Agg's writing is fast, witty and felt like I was sitting inside her head and seeing all of the things she was describing. Highly recommend for anyone who loves the food world but is tired of only hearing the male perspective.

[Alexis · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. A memoir/collection of essays about one woman's life and being a restauranteur in Toronto/Montreal. Agg has an interesting voice and a lot of opinions and I found that I enjoyed hearing what she had to say, especially since our lives are so different. I don't always agree with her, but I was engaged in this.

And I want a cocktail and some charcuterie now.

[Christie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much detail was about characters that only lasted a chapter, if that. This book felt more like a trip to the laundry mat than a story.

That said, I really enjoyed learning more about the restaurant industry, and always love being familiar with a city setting!

[Karen Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew Jen Agg briefly in the late '90s when she and Tyler ran Cobalt, and I worked/lived/dated the owner of/was always at Aunties and Uncles, a very good brunch joint down the street. Jen was always warm and witty and Cobalt was fantastic, even if I shudder at the memory that my favourite cocktail was a sweet blue mess called, I believe, the Marge Simpson.

So anyway, I've enjoyed watching Jen slay the Toronto bro-heavy restaurant scene, applauded her unapologetic feminism even if the delivery sometimes makes me uncomfortable, and admired her capacity to literally bring something new to the table when it comes to moving the food scene forward in Toronto. My husband still considers the brain ravioli he ate at The Black Hoof to be one of the best things he's ever eaten.

And these are all the same reasons I enjoyed her book. It wasn't the Kitchen Confidential/gossipy book I was hoping a tiny bit for, but when she was revealing, she wasn't afraid to go balls to the wall, especially when revealing information about herself. I respect that, even if I didn't really need to know all the sexploits. (Sometimes I'm a prude.)

And I really can't wait to eat at Gray Gardens. And not just because the Kensington Market of her youth is also the Kensington Market of my youth, and it's very possible it was me sitting outside of Courage My Love with my suburban hippie friends, giving other suburban hippie girls the hair wraps she writes about getting in the early 90s. Reading the book made me feel nostalgic for pre- turn-of-the-century Toronto.

I'm just looking at my liquor cabinet--I have gin, but no blue curacao. I might have to dash out to the LCBO ... Marge Simpsons on the back deck tonight, perhaps.

[Teena in Toronto · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Black Hoof, Cocktail Bar and Rhum Corner are about a twenty minute walk northeast from me. I like rum and have walked by the Rhum Corner to check it out but I seem to pick the wrong times because it's been closed when I've gone by. I'll get there eventually.

Jen Agg is the owner of these bars/restaurants (along with two others) and this is her story. The book starts with her childhood in Scarborough, working in restaurants and bars for others, realizing her dream of opening her own bar (Cobalt on College Street) but closing it due to a bankruptcy, meeting and marrying her second husband and designing and opening more bars/restaurants.

I liked the writing style. I found the author honest and open about her experiences. It was interesting reading about all that is involved in deciding to open a bar and/or restaurant, creating and designing it, running it and the personalities involved. There is no doubt about the passion the author has about the bar and restaurant industry and her establishments.

The author has a mouth and she's not afraid to use it (and there's nothing wrong with that). I think you'd either like her or you wouldn't ... and she couldn't care less. As a head's up, there is swearing (she likes to use the F-bomb frequently) and TMI about the author's sexual activities that goes beyond information about the restaurant industry.

It would have been nice to have more pictures of her restaurants, some of the dishes and drinks offered, etc.

Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2017/08...

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd give this a 3.5 if I could but am fairly happy to round up to 4. I felt like the book was a little long, and found myself eye-rolling slightly at certain things (too cool for gentrification while having to acknowledge she helped usher it in / generally only likes hanging with guys while acknowledging that it sounds lamely "cool girl") . However, for this die-hard fiction reader, the book was compulsively readable and I enjoyed reading about her process in opening restaurants and how it dovetailed with her outlook and personality.

[Allegra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe it's the quarantine talking, but I was LIVING for this book. Made me desperately anxious to get back to eating incredible meals out and overall just reminded me of how much I loved working in the service industry. Jen is hilarious and I loved the slightly all over the place vibe of her writing.