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Bittersweet: A Memoir: The Life and Times of the World’s Leading Chocolate Taster
As seen on The Today Show!
The world’s leading chocolate taster shares his wild ride to attain the most envied job, and explains his warning heard around the that we might soon run out of chocolate.
Angus Kennedy, dubbed “the real life Willy Wonka,” has the best job of all time, tasting candy for a living. But the journey to his sweet life has followed a rocky road. In this inspiring, smile inducing memoir, he shares how despite an alcoholic mother, a father dying of cancer, and multiple brushes with death, he rose to fame and became the king of cocoa. He also gives a fascinating tour of the little-known chocolate industry and answers such questions what the state of the cocoa bean is and if we’re going to run out of chocolate, is chocolate good for you, and how to know if you’re eating high-quality chocolate.
Doused in Kennedy’s signature humor and wit, this unforgettable memoir is a tale of dysfunction, but also redemption. It is baked to perfection for lovers of great chocolate and great stories, and reveals the secrets of the chocolate world and its king, the bitter and the sweet.
The world’s leading chocolate taster shares his wild ride to attain the most envied job, and explains his warning heard around the that we might soon run out of chocolate.
Angus Kennedy, dubbed “the real life Willy Wonka,” has the best job of all time, tasting candy for a living. But the journey to his sweet life has followed a rocky road. In this inspiring, smile inducing memoir, he shares how despite an alcoholic mother, a father dying of cancer, and multiple brushes with death, he rose to fame and became the king of cocoa. He also gives a fascinating tour of the little-known chocolate industry and answers such questions what the state of the cocoa bean is and if we’re going to run out of chocolate, is chocolate good for you, and how to know if you’re eating high-quality chocolate.
Doused in Kennedy’s signature humor and wit, this unforgettable memoir is a tale of dysfunction, but also redemption. It is baked to perfection for lovers of great chocolate and great stories, and reveals the secrets of the chocolate world and its king, the bitter and the sweet.
209 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 25, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 4, 2019
Please consider this review to be completely petty. It was -not- for me.
I was so excited when I checked this book out! I've tried reading other chocolatier or candy-taster memoirs, and most are dull. One was so creepy as he talked about his personal life that I had to put the book aside, as I was thinking clearly of "Criminal Minds" episodes. As I checked this book out, that was heavy on my mind. Surely, this book couldn't be so sinister and the other was probably some weird...thing. This book wasn't weird at all. The author had a hard life and faced a lot of tragedy from a young age. I'm not disputing that. I took issue with his smug delight in being a rags-to-riches story, his lack of in-depth explanation of how he got to where he is, his seeming omission of any consequences of living in grinding poverty and lack of education. "I just fell into this! I had no opportunities, and I made my own luck!" He keeps mentioning the same successes he's had, over and over, with sentence variety but constant theme. He insists that making and losing fortunes are somehow equal, and I realize so, so clearly that he and I have vastly different philosophies. For some reason, he shoves every inspirational quote and useless advice to advancing that you can think of, into the book. "Do what you love! If you wish hard enough, it will happen!" only more out-of-touch with modern realities of people under forty. He is in his fifties and is clearly uncomfortable with that fact. I was annoyed by this and wished he'd stopped mentioning it. Do you know what he hardly mentions, though? Chocolate. I wanted to know about the history of it, and chocolate tasting, and the chocolate industry. It's hardly anywhere in this book. What a waste of my time.
I was so excited when I checked this book out! I've tried reading other chocolatier or candy-taster memoirs, and most are dull. One was so creepy as he talked about his personal life that I had to put the book aside, as I was thinking clearly of "Criminal Minds" episodes. As I checked this book out, that was heavy on my mind. Surely, this book couldn't be so sinister and the other was probably some weird...thing. This book wasn't weird at all. The author had a hard life and faced a lot of tragedy from a young age. I'm not disputing that. I took issue with his smug delight in being a rags-to-riches story, his lack of in-depth explanation of how he got to where he is, his seeming omission of any consequences of living in grinding poverty and lack of education. "I just fell into this! I had no opportunities, and I made my own luck!" He keeps mentioning the same successes he's had, over and over, with sentence variety but constant theme. He insists that making and losing fortunes are somehow equal, and I realize so, so clearly that he and I have vastly different philosophies. For some reason, he shoves every inspirational quote and useless advice to advancing that you can think of, into the book. "Do what you love! If you wish hard enough, it will happen!" only more out-of-touch with modern realities of people under forty. He is in his fifties and is clearly uncomfortable with that fact. I was annoyed by this and wished he'd stopped mentioning it. Do you know what he hardly mentions, though? Chocolate. I wanted to know about the history of it, and chocolate tasting, and the chocolate industry. It's hardly anywhere in this book. What a waste of my time.
December 9, 2025
Bittersweet A Memoir is a captivating blend of humor, hardship, and irresistible chocolate lore. Angus Kennedy delivers an honest and entertaining look at his tumultuous upbringing, his brushes with danger, and his eventual rise as the world’s most celebrated chocolate taster. His storytelling is warm, witty, and deeply human, offering readers both emotional depth and delightful behind the scenes insights into the chocolate industry. A charming, inspiring, and deliciously engaging memoir for anyone who loves true stories with heart and chocolate.
February 25, 2019
This was such a fun book. The author is the world's leading expert on chocolate and shares the ins and outs of the chocolate/cocoa industry, including how the world almost ran out of chocolate! and what cocoa farmers go through (many have never even tasted chocolate!)--and also how he got the best job EVER. Scenes from his childhood made me tear up--his mother was an alcoholic and his father passed away, and he survived by eating candy for nourishment--but his humor makes him a great narrator. I read this book very quickly, and then enjoyed a chocolate bar as a sweet finish : )
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews