Igni: A Restaurant's First Year

by Aaron Turner

From the first six months, through a mid-year break of camping and cooking in the bush, to the harsh winter months and on to the end of its first year, this book tells the story of IGNI, a high-end degustation restaurant in the backstreets of the Australian coastal city of Geelong.

Documenting a warts-and-all account of what it takes to open and run a new restaurant, chef and owner Aaron Turner reveals the daily challenges he faced – from the financial strains, the stress, fear and tantrums, to personal crises and the pressure of success and failure. His story is told through his own dated 'diary' entries, the development of recipes, a gradually unfolding narrative through each chapter, and stunning photography that captures the brilliance of a determined young chef in a new restaurant.

240 pages, Hardcover

Published October 17, 2017

Reviews

[Sophie Roseby · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the first sentence, I was hooked. Even the white writing on the black page....total page turner. I don't want to spoil anything so i'll simply say this book reads like a raw, honest memoir, looks stunning, features amazing photography and has some beautiful recipes as the silver lining. Beautiful, beautiful book to add to your collection.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book itself is beautiful, the recipes spare and inspired and magical. Most of the book is whining. And it’s the same self-doubting, self absorbed statements reiterated ad nauseum. I’m not shading the fact that he went through a hard time and was working through it. The repetitive nature of the narrative was exhausting. It’s like sitting with that one friend after a couple of drinks who doesn’t actually want to figure out what’s wrong & grow through it. They just want to lament and make excuses about why they’re never going to make it out.