Why I Cook

Name: Why I Cook
Brand: Hachette Audio
Availability: InStock
Author: Tom Colicchio
ISBN: 9781668644317

Author: Tom Colicchio

Narrator: Will Damron, Tom Colicchio

Unabridged: 7 hr 36 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Artisan

Published: 10/08/2024

Categories: Nonfiction, Cooking, Media Tie-in

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included

Synopsis

From Emmy Award-winning chef Tom Colicchio—a cookbook and memoir that shares an exclusive look inside the mind and kitchen of the beloved restaurateur and TV personality. Tom Colicchio cooked his first recipe at 13 years old—a stuffed eggplant from an issue of Cuisine magazine that he picked up out of boredom—and it changed his life. Now for the first time ever, Tom recounts the extraordinary personal journey that brought him from his working-class Italian background in Elizabeth, New Jersey, to the award-winning kitchens of New York City’s best restaurants, to the set of Top Chef and the stage of the Emmy Awards. Through 10 memoir chapters and 60 recipes, Why I Cook shares Tom’s personal reflections of more than 40 years behind the stove. From pre-dawn fishing excursions with his grandfather to running the flat-top at the snack shack of the local swim club, to finding his way as a young chef in New York City, Tom chronicles the dishes and memories that have shaped him as a person and chef. Through these meaningful dishes, gorgeous recipe shots, and images from Tom’s childhood, Why I Cook is the most personal look into Tom’s life yet. Winner, IACP Award, Best Book of the Year in Literary Food Writing
Named a Best Book of 2024 by Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Named a Best New Cookbook / Gift Book by Food & Wine, Harper’s Bazaar, The New York Post, and more

Reviews

Goodreads review by Herbie on November 17, 2024

1/3 memoir and 2/3 cookbook. I like how Tom Colicchio put this book together: personal essays generally following his life + career chronologically, paired with recipes divided by season. The recipes vary between complicated, high-end fare inspired by his professional experience and much more rustic......more

Goodreads review by Michelle on November 29, 2024

Reading 2024 Book 228: Why I Cook by Why I Cook by Tom Colicchio I have watched all the episodes of Top Chef and even rewatch some seasons when I see a chef on another show. When I saw Tom had a new book I had to listen to it. Wanted to load my reading with lots of memoirs for #nonfictionnovember. Syn......more

Goodreads review by Abby on December 25, 2024

Equal parts memoir, and family recipe book "Why I Cook" is not about TC's success as a restauranteur though you will learn about his rise to glory. This book, at its core, is a love letter to the insatiable desire to learn, grow, love. While I enjoyed reading of Tom's lauded career, I found solace i......more

Goodreads review by Amanda on April 17, 2025

This is an enjoyable look into the personal and professional life of a successful long-time chef, Top Chef judge, and advocate. I knew the broad strokes of Colicchio’s life, but it was interesting to hear from him what was going on behind the scenes. I found Colicchio to be humble enough to admit wh......more

Goodreads review by Suzy on February 21, 2025

This book is an enjoyable quick read. Like other chef memoirs with recipes (isn't that all of them?) I ended up wondering why certain aspects of Colicchio's life were emphasized and others were not. Top Chef and his entire TV career get about 20 pages at the end which will surely disappoint fans. Al......more