PBS recently launched a new series focusing on the stories of 27 prominent chefs around the country.  Although the "Chef's Story" show itself is unavailable for viewing in many parts of the nation, a companion book of the same title was released containing informative, entertaining, and sometimes colorful anecdotes.  I have not had an opportunity to see the show since it does not appear on stations in New Hampshire or Washington, DC, but I found the book to be a good read.

These chefs reveal quite a lot about themselves.  For instance, prominent Washington chef Jose Andres learned the importance of the wood fire when cooking paella growing up in Spain.  It turns out his father would not allow him to touch the food for years, instead keeping him focused on feeding the fire.  His father told him, "Jose, don't you understand?  I was giving you the most important task.  If you control the fire you, too, will make a good paella one day."

Some starts aren't exactly what one might predict.  Celebrity chef Tom Colicchio worked at flipped burgers at a New Jersey Burger King and a local swim club before moving on to grander things.  And who would have thought that Michel Richard, presently of Citronelle in Washington, still loves Kentucky Fried Chicken, the food he ate while driving cross-country as a relative newcomer to America ("In France we don't have crunch," he explains.)

You learn what a small world it can be, as well, when you read that Todd English, Charlie Palmer, and David Bouley -- all featured in the book -- worked together in the same kitchen under Jean-Jacques Rachou at La Cote Basque in New York.  (English notes: "At one point Charlie and I were working side by side on the line.  That's two big guys, and it didn't leave much room for anyone else.")

Some of the stories are especially interesting.  Marcus Samuelsson of the Scandinavian restaurant Aquavit in New York would at first seem out of place as an Ethiopian.  But he explains that he was orphaned and was adopted by Swedish parents at age two.   He write that "when I actually went to Ethiopia I'd be in this constant state of fitting in but not fitting in: you look like them but you can't speak like them."  It's hard to put yourself in those shoes, but it teaches you a lot about what he brings to his kitchen.

Bobby Flay discusses the balance between TV chef and restaurateur.  Thomas Keller talks about how the simplest dishes are often the hardest to execute in a restaurant (he cites mashed potatoes, for example). 

Though only a handful of women are included, their tales are at least as interesting as the others.  I never knew that Lidia Bastianich came from a part of Italy that became part of Yugoslavia after World War II, ultimately driving her family to depart for the United States.  Cat Cora, though a talented and experienced restaurant chef, makes no bones about her interest in television.  And she still dreams of getting back into a restaurant kitchen someday -- she wrote a business plan at age 15 for a place named Spiro, which would be a Mediterranean establishment in honor of her Greek roots.

If I had a nit to pick with this book, it would primarly be in its format.  It is more of a cookbook size than a typical hardback or trade paperback.  It makes it a bit awkward to read when traveling.  And do we really need to know any more about Anthony Bourdain?  (OK, I admit I find him very entertaining, if a bit overexposed.)

Ultimately, whether it was someone who came to fine dining virtually by accident (like Robert Del Grande, a PhD in biochemistry who got into the business by way of his future wife) or who has been in the business since age 13, like the legendary Jacques Pepin, Chef's Story tells their stories in an easy and compelling fashion. If you're interested in how people came to their kitchens and have achieved a measure of success in the fine dining industry, this book is well worth the read.