What do you think?
Rate this book
Workhorse: My Sublime and Absurd Years in New York City's Restaurant Scene
A razor-sharp look at one woman’s nearly two decades in the New York City restaurant scene, including as the assistant to famed restaurateur Joe Bastianich, owner of Babbo and partner of Eataly, and what happens when your job consumes your life.
During the day, Kim Reed was a social worker to the homebound elderly in Brooklyn Heights. At night, she'd scramble into Manhattan to hostess at Babbo, where even the Pope would have trouble scoring a reservation, and Gwyneth Paltrow and Ryan Reynolds squeezed through the jam-packed entryway like everyone else. Despite her whirlwind fifteen-hour days, Kim remained up to her eyeballs in grad school debt. Her training—problem solving, crisis intervention work, dealing with unpredictable people and random situations—made her the ideal assistant for the volatile Joe Bastianich, a hard-partying, “What's next?” food and wine entrepreneur. He rose to fame in Italy as a TV star while Kim planned parties, fielded calls, and negotiated deals from two phones on the go.
Decadent food, summers in Milan, and hobnobbing with the rich and sometimes-famous were fun only inasmuch as they filled the void left by being always on call and on edge. With no life outside her job, Kim was staring down a future alone, without building the family she craved. Workhorse is a deep-dive into coming of age in the chaos of New York City’s foodie craze and an all-too-relatable look at what happens when your job takes over your identity, and when a scandal upends your understanding of where you work and what you do. If she could make the impossible possible for someone else, Kim realized, she needed to do the same for herself.
During the day, Kim Reed was a social worker to the homebound elderly in Brooklyn Heights. At night, she'd scramble into Manhattan to hostess at Babbo, where even the Pope would have trouble scoring a reservation, and Gwyneth Paltrow and Ryan Reynolds squeezed through the jam-packed entryway like everyone else. Despite her whirlwind fifteen-hour days, Kim remained up to her eyeballs in grad school debt. Her training—problem solving, crisis intervention work, dealing with unpredictable people and random situations—made her the ideal assistant for the volatile Joe Bastianich, a hard-partying, “What's next?” food and wine entrepreneur. He rose to fame in Italy as a TV star while Kim planned parties, fielded calls, and negotiated deals from two phones on the go.
Decadent food, summers in Milan, and hobnobbing with the rich and sometimes-famous were fun only inasmuch as they filled the void left by being always on call and on edge. With no life outside her job, Kim was staring down a future alone, without building the family she craved. Workhorse is a deep-dive into coming of age in the chaos of New York City’s foodie craze and an all-too-relatable look at what happens when your job takes over your identity, and when a scandal upends your understanding of where you work and what you do. If she could make the impossible possible for someone else, Kim realized, she needed to do the same for herself.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 9, 2021
17 people are currently reading
273 people want to read
About the author
Kim Reed
10 books7 followersKim Reed was born in 1978 and grew up along the East Coast. She has a BA from Siena College and an MSW from New York University. Before her work as an executive assistant, Kim practiced social work in New York City for nearly a decade. Workhorse is her first book.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
November 30, 2021
I can sometimes really struggle with enjoying Non-Fiction reads. They can often be dry and textbookish to me, a huge turn off.
Workhorse read like a work of fiction. The storytelling that Reed used in her own memoir speaks very highly of her writing abilities. An interesting story that is completely relatable to every Executive Assistant the world over, I'm sure.
The recounting of her New York lifestyle, some of the real world events of the restaurant industry and some celebrity encounters make this one a page-turner.
The overall story felt a little repetitive after the first 40-50% of the book, but interesting nonetheless.
I'll add this as another successful read for my New York way of life reading list!
Thank you to #HachetteBooks for this #gifted copy of #Workhorse. #HBSocialClub
Workhorse read like a work of fiction. The storytelling that Reed used in her own memoir speaks very highly of her writing abilities. An interesting story that is completely relatable to every Executive Assistant the world over, I'm sure.
The recounting of her New York lifestyle, some of the real world events of the restaurant industry and some celebrity encounters make this one a page-turner.
The overall story felt a little repetitive after the first 40-50% of the book, but interesting nonetheless.
I'll add this as another successful read for my New York way of life reading list!
Thank you to #HachetteBooks for this #gifted copy of #Workhorse. #HBSocialClub
November 10, 2021
Thanks to Hachette for a gifted copy for honest review
This memoir recounts the author's years as executive assistant to Joe Bastianich, and the growth and experiences she had through those years. Reed does a great job looking at the polarities of her job- summers in Italy and luxury gifts while hardly making a dent in her student loan payments, finding community with the others working in the organization but having no time for an actual personal life. She makes it sound both glamorous and terribly exhausting. There is a chapter that focuses on Reed's last days with the company as the media revealed the abuses and behaviors of the company's other leader (Mario Batali). It's a look at a world I have never lived in, and it's well written and interesting.
This memoir recounts the author's years as executive assistant to Joe Bastianich, and the growth and experiences she had through those years. Reed does a great job looking at the polarities of her job- summers in Italy and luxury gifts while hardly making a dent in her student loan payments, finding community with the others working in the organization but having no time for an actual personal life. She makes it sound both glamorous and terribly exhausting. There is a chapter that focuses on Reed's last days with the company as the media revealed the abuses and behaviors of the company's other leader (Mario Batali). It's a look at a world I have never lived in, and it's well written and interesting.
August 22, 2022
For fans of memoirs with a dash of reality tv + those interested in NYC's restaurant scene. I really liked it, and i actually think it would make a really good book to movie adaptation👀
Review coming soon!
Review coming soon!
October 15, 2022
My love of the chef/restaruant memoir has been well documented. I love learning about the pace, the personalities, the challenges, the operations and the quirks of dining. But this particular memoir fell flat for me. I didn't understand the author's motivations and then when I began to see, it seemed a little shallow to me. Was money her motivating factor? Her role in working for Joe seemed like a BIG right turn from social work. Why did she want to do social work in the first place and where did that drive go? (I understand that burn out is a thing, but this didn't seem like burnout.) Also, she seemed very immature relationally, but to her credit, in this book, she seems to recognize all of those mistakes.
I wonder what all of the people she talked about in the book think about her and this recollection of things? At times, it seemed very name-droppy and show-offy. It also felt like she was trying to tell her own "Devil Wears Prada" story, but then would all of a sudden talk about something good about Joe to balance it out.
Anyway--I was excited when I finished. But still would like to go back to an Eatly sometime soon. And maybe watch Master Chef.
I wonder what all of the people she talked about in the book think about her and this recollection of things? At times, it seemed very name-droppy and show-offy. It also felt like she was trying to tell her own "Devil Wears Prada" story, but then would all of a sudden talk about something good about Joe to balance it out.
Anyway--I was excited when I finished. But still would like to go back to an Eatly sometime soon. And maybe watch Master Chef.
July 15, 2021
I've worked in some form of Executive or Personal Assistant role for more than ten years, so I know the ins and outs of the job like the back of my hand. I've worked in a variety of roles for UHNW (Ultra-High Net Worth) individuals and families, influencers and celebrities, and Co-Founders and CEO's across the fashion, entertainment, and technology industries all over the world. I was drawn to Workhorse mostly by its description, hoping to find it relatable, and also hoping for an glimpse behind the doors at places like Babbo, Eataly, and the other wildly successful Joe Bastianich backed businesses.
I could really relate to a lot of Kim's writing in Workhorse, seeing many of my own qualities and same work ethic within her. Early on in the book, she manages to capture the essence of what I imagine Babbo to be like, in its completeness. My imagination was running wild conjuring up images of the excitement building in the celebrity filled dining room each evening, the constant chaos in 'the pickle', the personalities of Mario and Joe.
Throughout the book, the reader will follow Kim from her days working as a social worker to her evenings and weekends as a reservationist and coat checker at Babbo, all the way to Rome and Milan, as she undertakes the job of being Joe's right hand woman, mingling with Italy's upper crust. This book gives fantastic insight into the working of an assistant, especially one working in the UHNW category for a well-known individual. Kim did a really great job conveying the accuracies of the position, the thrills, chaos, and complete unpredictability that such a job title carries.
She manages to paint an excellent picture of her surroundings throughout the book, and is truly able to take the reader on a journey with her as she jets around the globe working for Joe.
Although the book talks about many of the glamorous aspects of the role, like flying around the world and attending once in a lifetime events, Kim is also realistic in describing the downsides like the long hours, isolating social life, the heart palpitations, and the ungratefulness of others.
This is a fantastic book for all the assistants out there, it's highly relatable, well written, and an easy, enjoyable, and engaging read.
Avocado Diaries
I could really relate to a lot of Kim's writing in Workhorse, seeing many of my own qualities and same work ethic within her. Early on in the book, she manages to capture the essence of what I imagine Babbo to be like, in its completeness. My imagination was running wild conjuring up images of the excitement building in the celebrity filled dining room each evening, the constant chaos in 'the pickle', the personalities of Mario and Joe.
Throughout the book, the reader will follow Kim from her days working as a social worker to her evenings and weekends as a reservationist and coat checker at Babbo, all the way to Rome and Milan, as she undertakes the job of being Joe's right hand woman, mingling with Italy's upper crust. This book gives fantastic insight into the working of an assistant, especially one working in the UHNW category for a well-known individual. Kim did a really great job conveying the accuracies of the position, the thrills, chaos, and complete unpredictability that such a job title carries.
She manages to paint an excellent picture of her surroundings throughout the book, and is truly able to take the reader on a journey with her as she jets around the globe working for Joe.
Although the book talks about many of the glamorous aspects of the role, like flying around the world and attending once in a lifetime events, Kim is also realistic in describing the downsides like the long hours, isolating social life, the heart palpitations, and the ungratefulness of others.
This is a fantastic book for all the assistants out there, it's highly relatable, well written, and an easy, enjoyable, and engaging read.
Avocado Diaries
January 20, 2023
3.25 stars. I found the timeline confusing. (Admittedly, I did listen to the audiobook while renovating my kitchen, so this might be on me.) The character development was weak beyond “charismatic” or “ sharp blue eyes” so it was hard to get a true sense of the people in the author’s orbit. When she talks about the social work clients, her voice and writing are 5 stars. It was cool to hear it read in the author’s voice.
A main theme in this book is how little people with assistants do for themselves. They don’t write their own tweets or blog posts, pick out their own gifts, pay their own parking tickets. My new year’s resolution when I hear some rich, famous, or “successful” person spew some bootstraps /self help bs will be to ask “How many people are working for them?”
The same week I finished this audiobook, a piece was published in The Atlantic about Noma in Denmark closing, and that roughly 45% of its kitchen staff was unpaid interns. Workhouse repeatedly circles back to money, the need to hold 2 jobs, and how underpaid Ms. Reed is for her position and workload. (In both the restaurant and social work domains) If it’s this bad for an attractive, educated white lady, I would posit that you can multiply her circumstance by a factor for spanish-speaking or non-white staff. However, the B&B group did seem to take reasonable good financial care of its pastry chef when she contracted terminal cancer.
When I finished this book, my first thought was that Ms. Reed needed a quarantine lockdown project and wrote this book. One absolutely amazing and admirable trait of Ms. Reed is that she is very respectful of privacy, and does not sling mud or “name names”. Probably she could have written a very dirty exposé and secret-sharing book and she chose not to. Impressive restraint!
A main theme in this book is how little people with assistants do for themselves. They don’t write their own tweets or blog posts, pick out their own gifts, pay their own parking tickets. My new year’s resolution when I hear some rich, famous, or “successful” person spew some bootstraps /self help bs will be to ask “How many people are working for them?”
The same week I finished this audiobook, a piece was published in The Atlantic about Noma in Denmark closing, and that roughly 45% of its kitchen staff was unpaid interns. Workhouse repeatedly circles back to money, the need to hold 2 jobs, and how underpaid Ms. Reed is for her position and workload. (In both the restaurant and social work domains) If it’s this bad for an attractive, educated white lady, I would posit that you can multiply her circumstance by a factor for spanish-speaking or non-white staff. However, the B&B group did seem to take reasonable good financial care of its pastry chef when she contracted terminal cancer.
When I finished this book, my first thought was that Ms. Reed needed a quarantine lockdown project and wrote this book. One absolutely amazing and admirable trait of Ms. Reed is that she is very respectful of privacy, and does not sling mud or “name names”. Probably she could have written a very dirty exposé and secret-sharing book and she chose not to. Impressive restraint!
September 5, 2023
I had a hard time picking a rating for this, and in the end it may be on the harsh side because I was expecting this to be more about food, when in fact it is about the author herself, her slow growth into adulthood, her own prejudices that got in the way of her seeking a job that would allow her to pay off her student loans rather than staying with work that she didn't love and did not pay the bills, and her continued inability to see how that continued to hamstring her the longer she worked with the Joe and Mario show. I suspect she got the book contract because she was employed by them for so long and was willing, on some level, to dish, but it isn't really dirt so much as a critique of the whole structure that underpins the high end restaurant business. I read a review that called it a wistful insider's story and that sums it up.
The author started working at Babbo when she was in college, mostly as a coat checker or manning the reservation line, but then after literally years, she became Joe Bastianich's executive assistant. So she went everywhere and saw everything, but not from the chef's side of the table. There is a lot of name dropping, and she got valuable lessons I have no doubt, but she does not paint a picture that is enticing. She does describe her own motivations, seeking a seat at the table--which she got--but in the end it wasn't enough.
The author started working at Babbo when she was in college, mostly as a coat checker or manning the reservation line, but then after literally years, she became Joe Bastianich's executive assistant. So she went everywhere and saw everything, but not from the chef's side of the table. There is a lot of name dropping, and she got valuable lessons I have no doubt, but she does not paint a picture that is enticing. She does describe her own motivations, seeking a seat at the table--which she got--but in the end it wasn't enough.
November 2, 2021
I was reminded of my years as a young associate attorney when I read Workhorse: My Sublime and Absurd Years in New York City’s Restaurant Scene by Kim Reed. You are expected to be available 24/7, put your own life aside, and are constantly on edge worrying someone is going to be mad at you. As a young attorney, it was a bragging right to say you’d stayed at work all night getting a motion “court filing” drafted. Kim’s life was like this except she got to go to really cool places and eat really good. Her memoir gives us the inside scoop into the kitchens of NYC. She worked at a fancy place called Babbo. I had to Google it. She was the assistant to the celebrity chef Joe Bastianich. I had to look him up too. I felt like I was living vicariously amongst the food snobbery elite. I loved every quality minute of it. The drama was so much better than in a law office or courtroom. Although there were a lot of A-list celebrities I had to look up, it made me appreciate a good meal even more. This is a wonderful escape from your own life. If you think you’re overworked, crack open this book. @hachettebooks has kicked off Nonfiction November season with a sweet ingredient.
November 13, 2021
Kim Reed was a recent college graduate who was a social worker and hostess at the famous Babbo Ristorante a place that is part of Joe Bastianich vast empire and also one Chef Mario Batali work places along with being a partner with Joe. The author takes this hostess job in the last part of school to help her make bills. This place is one of the places in New York that famous stars and people in the know go to be seen. You want a reservation you have to book it a month ahead. Kim is good at performing her job and when the opportunity comes along to be an executive assistant for Joe Bastianich she jumps at it and why not this will help pay down the student debt and will come with some amazing perks. This is the main focus of this biography the 8 years Kim spent in this position. She is very good at her job but this comes at a cost in her personal life in her love life and developing friendships. It is amazing to read about the various parts of the Bastianich empire along the way and culminates with the recent news concerning Mario Batali. This is a good four star read. Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Books for an ARC for a fair and honest review.
November 16, 2021
Workhorse aptly describes Kim Reed's life in the restaurant world first as a hostess/reservationist at NYC's Babbo and later as the executive assistant to restauranteur, Joe Bastianich. The majority of the book details Reed's job working for Bastianich, an almost Jekyll/Hyde type of boss who swings from demanding and quixotic to compassionate and fun. Yet, Reed becomes addicted to her work and all that it entails. Working incredibly long hours with basically zero time for herself she relishes being Bastianich's "one-stop shop" -- an addictive role for her. Until it becomes too much.
Reed provides an incredibly detailed look into the restaurant world, though at times, I found the book weighted down with too much information and a long cast of characters that could be hard to keep track of.
As a reader, you root for Reed as she comes to realize that she's put herself on hold for so many years and her eventual realization that she is her first priority. I would like to thank #NetGalley and Hachette Books for the opportunity to read and review this electronic ARC.
Reed provides an incredibly detailed look into the restaurant world, though at times, I found the book weighted down with too much information and a long cast of characters that could be hard to keep track of.
As a reader, you root for Reed as she comes to realize that she's put herself on hold for so many years and her eventual realization that she is her first priority. I would like to thank #NetGalley and Hachette Books for the opportunity to read and review this electronic ARC.
November 15, 2021
Reed has an incredibly engaging writing style, truly bringing the restaurant world to life in this read--with all its foibles, highs, and lows. I've eaten at Eataly and enjoyed perusing Spain...A Culinary Road Trip after visiting there myself, and of course, am fairly aware of Batali's fall from grace. So, I was curious to pick up the read and get an insider's perspective. It really opened my eyes to even more than I could have guessed, on all the levels.
This became a DNF for me due to content (language, intimacy, etc.) not in line with my personal content policy. The language I expected, to a point, but it ultimately became too much for me personally.
I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
This became a DNF for me due to content (language, intimacy, etc.) not in line with my personal content policy. The language I expected, to a point, but it ultimately became too much for me personally.
I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
December 3, 2021
I really enjoy reading memoirs of jobs that I don't do and over the years have ready many written by people in the restaurant industry - mostly as chefs and servers. I really appreciated learning about Reed's experience at Babbo - as a hostess, working the reservation phone line and then for a long time being the executive assistant for Joe Bastianich.
There are times that I think she held back a little - I wish she had really gone there a little more. But I really enjoyed learning about her experiences. I loved learning more about places/things I know - a little behind the scenes from before Eataly was open or her involvement in writing Bastianich's Master Chef behind the scenes blog entries.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free ebook and Hachette Audio for the free audiobook. The audio narration was great and I loved hearing the author's story directly from her.
There are times that I think she held back a little - I wish she had really gone there a little more. But I really enjoyed learning about her experiences. I loved learning more about places/things I know - a little behind the scenes from before Eataly was open or her involvement in writing Bastianich's Master Chef behind the scenes blog entries.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free ebook and Hachette Audio for the free audiobook. The audio narration was great and I loved hearing the author's story directly from her.
December 12, 2021
This was a really great book! I didn’t know anything about the B&B restaurant group in New York (and around the world) but learned a lot about the company and the role of an executive assistant for someone who is the face of many restaurants and a leader in the hospitality industry. Kim shares her successes and personal challenges throughout her almost two decades working for the restaurant group in some capacity and the impact this work had on her social life, finances, mental well-being and even her physical health. The story is easy to follow and there are lots of interesting experiences and events explored. I am very thankful for netgalley and the publisher giving me the opportunity to read an advance copy, and for introducing me to a wonderful book I may have not otherwise had a chance to read!
Read
January 2, 2022I love memoirs, memoirs of all kinds. I find them fascinating. Taking a peek into other people’s lives and experiences is so pleasing to my high levels of curiosity. And as longtime Food Network lover, I was interested in this memoir of someone who worked very closely with Joe Bastianich, as his personal assistant, and Mario Batali, as a hostess at his popular restaurant Babbo.
I wouldn’t put this in my favorites category by any means, it isn’t life changing or highly impactful. But if you like memoirs of all shapes and sizes, you may like this. It just isn’t my opinion that it needs to be at the top of your TBR pile. Worth noting that the audio is read by the author, which is always my favorite way to take memoirs in!
I will say, I was a personal assistant when I was younger and it seems Kim Reed was a MUCH better assistant than I ever was!
I wouldn’t put this in my favorites category by any means, it isn’t life changing or highly impactful. But if you like memoirs of all shapes and sizes, you may like this. It just isn’t my opinion that it needs to be at the top of your TBR pile. Worth noting that the audio is read by the author, which is always my favorite way to take memoirs in!
I will say, I was a personal assistant when I was younger and it seems Kim Reed was a MUCH better assistant than I ever was!
February 20, 2024
When I first started the book I was a bit skeptical because it almost felt like she was trying to write the front of house version of kitchen confidential, which it just wasn’t.
The more I read on though I realized it was in no way attempting to be an alternate view of kitchen confidential. I found it to a really insightful internal reflection of that line that divides and creates work/life balance. This line did not seem to exist for Kim until a major turning point that really propelled Kim into her next phase of life.
I thought she did a great job of connecting things especially in the second half of the book as you started to make some of those connections, like ahh that’s why she told us that anecdote before.
Overall I really enjoyed it, especially as someone who lives in NYC.
The more I read on though I realized it was in no way attempting to be an alternate view of kitchen confidential. I found it to a really insightful internal reflection of that line that divides and creates work/life balance. This line did not seem to exist for Kim until a major turning point that really propelled Kim into her next phase of life.
I thought she did a great job of connecting things especially in the second half of the book as you started to make some of those connections, like ahh that’s why she told us that anecdote before.
Overall I really enjoyed it, especially as someone who lives in NYC.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 20, 2024
Similar to the Jeannette McCurdy book, it’s sort of a depressing story, but I really liked how she told it
Especially as someone who lives in the city and walks by the places that she talks about.
Also, really helpful insight into what it’s like to be an executive assistant and the restaurant world of New York. A whole industry I know nothing about!!
I also really like the theme of getting lost in a job and finding yourself and how to prioritize what and when !!!
Also! I don’t understand the last line !? She doesn’t know a soul in what place?!
I love how she still cherishes her time at Babbo from so long ago, before working for Joe.
Especially as someone who lives in the city and walks by the places that she talks about.
Also, really helpful insight into what it’s like to be an executive assistant and the restaurant world of New York. A whole industry I know nothing about!!
I also really like the theme of getting lost in a job and finding yourself and how to prioritize what and when !!!
Also! I don’t understand the last line !? She doesn’t know a soul in what place?!
I love how she still cherishes her time at Babbo from so long ago, before working for Joe.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 23, 2021
This is very interesting reading--half memoir, half coming-of-age tale. There is a lot of detail that creates a vibrant sense of place and time in the author's stories. Very recent events are covered which make the story feel fresh and immediate. The author's world is one I'll never travel in, but she made it accessible and didn't go for easy answers and conclusions. The story, environment, and people involved are messy and complex, which feels authentic.
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!
June 26, 2021
This memoir of working as a member of the Babbo restaurant crew and then as a personal assistant to Joe Bastianich (co-owner) was one of the most remarkable books I've read this year. I know nothing of the restaurant business or working as a personal assistant but this book made me feel like I did, and pulled back the curtain on both. To me, it was a combination of Kitchen Confidential (Anthony Bourdain) and Sweetbitter (Stephanie Danler), and the writing is on par with both. I didn't want this book to end.
January 30, 2022
This was a bit of a heartbreaking book but I loved it nonetheless. The author devoted most of her 30s working for someone who didn't really seem to appreciate how dedicated she was. The work environment was totally toxic as far as I was concerned, but I can see how the life was also somewhat addictive. I never ate at Babbo and now am glad I didn't. B&B do not sound like they were very nice people at all.
January 6, 2022
3.5/ I really enjoyed the sense of place. If you like watching cooking shows and want a sneak peak of what it would be like to travel the world as an executive assistant, you’ll like it. The end could have been tightened up. I hope the author finds success and happiness, ending made me a bit sad for her.
March 19, 2022
After working for almost 20 years in the food and beverage industry, this story brought back lots of memories and was like stepping into a time machine. Everything Kim went through was all to finally find herself. The last chapter was tearful for me bc you can never go back and it be the same. I’m thankful for the F&B family that shaped me as much as she was!
April 28, 2022
Interesting and entertaining, but ultimately no new ground broken here. Maybe legal wouldn't let her dish any real dirt.
If you like books like this, anthony Bourdain and Ruth reichl are the best in the genre. I would also recommend Sous Chef bc it really makes you feel the pressure of restaurant work.
If you like books like this, anthony Bourdain and Ruth reichl are the best in the genre. I would also recommend Sous Chef bc it really makes you feel the pressure of restaurant work.
July 7, 2023
I wanted to like this memoir by Kim Reed, who worked at Babbo in NYC and then as Joe Bastianich’s personal assistant for many years prior to the Mario Batali scandal and the pandemic. The restaurant industry details were interesting but Joe and the author were vaguely unpleasant, and shockingly un-self-aware. Other characters were somehow indistinguishable. There was a lot of whining about things with no action to change those things. If it’s too hot in the kitchen get out of the kitchen. This book needed a better editor.
January 13, 2022
A good book about the stress of being the executive assistant to a high profile restaurant celebrity. Very similar in tone to The Devil Wears Prada, but not as cheeky.
April 7, 2022
This was fine - I thought it was going to be more about the restaurant scene itself and was disappointed that it was not the case. Interesting enough to keep me reading though.
July 26, 2022
Easy read lose steam a bit on the way through
March 24, 2023
This was just so boring.
March 20, 2024
I admire the hard work, but I didn’t find the author’s story very compelling.
July 27, 2022
This book was super relatable for me as someone who has dedicated a good portion of her life to the restaurant industry. As someone who knows what it's like to be labeled as a workaholic. I honestly loved this book a lot and I felt as though I was with the author in Italy during her time there, as she provided such amazing detail. I felt every emotion with her and I loved her description of each and every character.
September 1, 2022
This memoir recounts Kim's experience working for Joe Bastianich as hostess at Babbo in New York City while earning a master’s in social work, later serving as Bastianich’s executive assistant staying with the B&B Hospitality Group for over a decade. Reed worked long hours while making just enough to pay her expenses, leaving her student loan burden over her head well into her thirties. Due to this, she was never able to build any meaningful relationships, often getting tied up with men that were emotionally unavailable.
The life of an executive assistant brought with it many luxuries such as summers in Milan, hanging around influential people and designer brands. However, when she moved on from B&B Group after a sexual harassment scandal surfaced, she had nothing to show for all her hard work. The reputation was destroyed along with the allegations and friendships tied to work were quickly dismantled. Now in the later stages of her life, she must start over. Sometimes focusing on personal development is more important than any job or any paycheck. Always remember, your job should never define you. Working to the bone making someone else's dream a reality will not bring self gratification, or an experience that we will reflect on in a positive light in our elderly age.
The life of an executive assistant brought with it many luxuries such as summers in Milan, hanging around influential people and designer brands. However, when she moved on from B&B Group after a sexual harassment scandal surfaced, she had nothing to show for all her hard work. The reputation was destroyed along with the allegations and friendships tied to work were quickly dismantled. Now in the later stages of her life, she must start over. Sometimes focusing on personal development is more important than any job or any paycheck. Always remember, your job should never define you. Working to the bone making someone else's dream a reality will not bring self gratification, or an experience that we will reflect on in a positive light in our elderly age.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews