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Chefs, Drugs and Rock & Roll: How Food Lovers, Free Spirits, Misfits and Wanderers Created a New American Profession Audiobook
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Chefs, Drugs and Rock & Roll transports listeners back in time to witness the remarkable evolution of the American restaurant chef in the 1970s and 1980s. Andrew Friedman goes inside Chez Panisse and other Bay Area restaurants to show how the politically charged backdrop of Berkeley helped spark this new profession; into the historically underrated community of Los Angeles chefs, including a young Wolfgang Puck; and into the clash of cultures between established French chefs in New York City and the American game changers behind the Quilted Giraffe, River Café, and other storied establishments. Along the way, the chefs, their struggles, their cliques, and, of course, their restaurants are brought to life in vivid, memorable detail. As the ’80s unspool, we watch the profession evolve as American masters like Thomas Keller rise, and watch the genesis of a “chef nation” as chefs start crisscrossing the country for work and special events and legendary hangouts like Blue Ribbon become social focal points, all as the industry-altering Food Network shimmers on the horizon.
Told primarily in the words of the people who lived it—from writers like Ruth Reichl to chefs like Jeremiah Tower and Jonathan Waxman—Chefs, Drugs and Rock & Roll treats readers to an unparalleled 360-degree re-creation of the industry and the times through the perspectives not only of the pioneering chefs but also of line cooks, front-of-house personnel, investors, and critics who had front-row seats to this extraordinary transformation.
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“In the 1950s, a bunch of creative kids reinvented the rules of the music business and created rock and roll. In the 1970s, a similar bunch took on the restaurant business and started a revolution that is still building today. In his deeply researched Chefs, Drugs and Rock & Roll, Andrew Friedman brings vividly to life the pioneers who made this happen.”
— Russ Parsons, author of How to Pick a Peach
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“An easy-going history that will be devoured by foodies and cooking fans as well as those interested in American cultural history.”
— Library Journal -
“Frequent cookbook collaborator Friedman takes a sweeping look at the rise of the American celebrity chef in the 1970s and ’80s…Committed foodies will eat it up.”
— Booklist -
“An intriguing perspective on a profession that very quickly captivated our attention.”
— Kirkus Reviews -
“Andrew Friedman’s genuine curiosity and deep admiration for chefs and the American restaurant industry have enabled him to capture some of the greatest history of our times. I encourage you to accept his invitation to join in the most fascinating table-side storytelling as heard from the colorful characters who shaped our contemporary restaurant culture.”
— Michael Anthony, Executive Chef, Gramercy Tavern -
“Great fly-on-the-wall reporting…The pace is relentless, but Friedman’s observations…will have foodies riveted all the way through.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) on Knives at Dawn
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About Andrew Friedman
Andrew Friedman has made a career of getting to know the heads and hearts of professional cooks and athletes. For more than ten years, Friedman has collaborated with many of the nation’s best and most revered chefs on cookbooks and other writing projects. His writing career began in 1997, when Alfred Portale asked him to collaborate on the Gotham Bar and Grill Cookbook. The book received wide acclaim and since then he has worked as a cookbook collaborator on more than twenty projects, helping a number of the nation’s best chefs (Alfred Portale, David Waltuck, Tom Valenti, and many others) share their unique culinary viewpoints with readers. He lives in New York City with his family.
About Roger Wayne
Roger Wayne served in the Air Force as a radio and television broadcast journalist in South Korea and won several awards before obtaining a BA degree in communications and journalism. He is an actor living in New York, narrating audiobooks, working on independent film projects, performing off Broadway, and auditioning for major network shows.