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The Saucier's Apprentice: One Long Strange Trip through the Great Cooking Schools of Europe | 
 enlarge | Author: Bob Spitz
Publisher: W. W. Norton
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $8.20
You Save: $16.75 (67%)
New (33) Used (19) from $6.95
Avg. Customer Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 146006
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.4 x 6.1 x 1.4
ISBN: 0393060594
Dewey Decimal Number: 641.013
EAN: 9780393060591
ASIN: 0393060594
Publication Date: May 12, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
The education of a barbarian in the temples of haute cuisine.
In the blink of an eye, Bob Spitz turned fifty, finished an eight-year book project and a fourteen-year marriage that left him nearly destitute, had his heart stolen and broken on the rebound, and sought salvation the only way he knew how. He fled to Europe, where he hopscotched among the finest cooking schools in pursuit of his dream. The urge to cook like a virtuoso, to unravel the mysteries of the process, had become an obsession.
Spitz hit the fabled cooking-school circuit in a series of idyllic European villages, and The Saucier's Apprentice is a chronicle of his exploits. Combining an outrageous travelogue with gastronomic lore, hands-on cooking instruction, hot-tempered chefs, local personalities, and a batch of memorable recipes, Spitz's odyssey recounts the transformation of a professional writer—and lifelong kitchen amateur—into a world-class cook. 30 illustrations.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 6 more reviews...
 Whiney, self-important tour guide goes nowhere October 4, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
After just going on a 2 month tour through Europe at the age of 51, I thought this book would extend the pleasure of my trip. NOT! His whiney, self-important, self-centered view of every aspect of his trip really bugged me. Even his writing style: labored similes, over indulgent use of foreign words, expectation that everyone shares his world view just made it harder to get through. I kept waiting for the moment when he would learn some kind of life lesson and curb his infantile behavior. A little humility would have gone a long way.
 I can certainly identify September 14, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I am on my way to Paris this week for a culinary experience not unlike Mr Spitz. I am not going to the classes he did, but am looking forward to tasting foods one can only dream about in the United States. Mr. Spitz traveled to France and Italy in 2004 following demise of a relationship (actually two relationships) and went to a number of cooking schools over a period of several months. He honed his techniques, met some interesting people and shared those experiences after a period of allowing his memories to rest.
There are a number of recipes (all really good, too) and heartfelt writing that I truly enjoyed. There are some dull moments, describing times when he clearly was not enjoying himself, but I envy him the experience, and am looking forward to creating my own.
A Personal Journey through Food.... September 10, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I really enjoyed this book as it took me on a journey of a man at a crossroads in his life and dealing with it through a love of food and friends. As a trained culinarian, you can't learn how to become a chef in three months but, if you love food, you can learn and enjoy something that really feeds the soul. Spitz took something he loved and crafted a great diary of sorts on travel, relationships, group encounters and how food, in spite of disparate languages, can help make a person whole. I read it in a few days and tightly bound me to him, his cooking school encounters and his experiences through a difficult time in his life. Highly recommended.
The Saucier's Apprentice August 30, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I disagree with the reviews of this book that are negative. I think it is an excellent account of a 50 year old mans search for self. The writing is exceptional, the recipes are written for the novice cook (like myself),and I enjoyed it so much I did not want it to end. I guess the negative reviewers have never suffered a "mid life crisis", otherwise they would see the value in this book. My only complaint is my own, I don't speak any French, so I needed to keep looking words up; and I have never been overseas.So as far as I am concerned his accounts are true for me.
Give this book a chance. You won't regret it.
I choked my way through it August 4, 2008
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
Bob Spitz rambling account left me thinking that his time would have been better spent on an analyst's couch rather than at cooking schools. The author's narcissism is left unchecked and, therefore, he rarely accepts responsibility for his situation or poor attitude. I would gladly return the book and send the money directly to him for his therapy fund.
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