Food for thought: essays & ruminations

Food-science wiz Brown, perhaps best known for hosting 16 seasons of Good Eats, looks back on his life from the vantage point of his early sixties. When a memoir was first proposed to him, Brown argued against writing one because "nothing had ever really happened to me." Whether a fan of Brown or new to him, readers will find that to be true--if only because it's Brown himself who made things happen. A workaholic with a penchant for martinis, Brown ruminates on his life and career, and readers sense the ambition and determination that got him where he is today. While not bragging--he also discusses insecurities, whether about his "husky" body or mediocre dating success early on--Brown demonstrates that perseverance and curiosity for learning got him through difficult times like the loss of his father. From his humble culinary origins delivering pizza to cooking to impress women to nonstop researching for and writing his science-minded cooking show, Brown's essays reveal a real human being many will relate to and enjoy reading about.

Food Network host Brown (Good Eats: The Final Years) details his culinary career in this appealing memoir in essays, which takes readers from the author's early life in North Hollywood, Calif., through his stints at Iron Chef America and Cutthroat Kitchen. As a child with a penchant for "unorthodox flavors," Brown developed an early fascination with food science, and attended culinary school in New England before finding work at a bakery. While in school, he dreamed up the concept for his first show, Good Eats, which put a cheeky spin on food science, and recounts the bumpy road to getting it produced on the Food Network. Elsewhere, Brown reveals what he hates to cook (hard shell blue crab); examines famous scenes of cooking and eating in Hollywood blockbusters including The Godfather and Apocalypse Now; and shares some of his favorite regional dishes, like Nebraska's unlikely combination of chili and cinnamon rolls. The author's dry wit ("I'll never go back because I don't want to see the inevitable change that forty years have wrought," he writes of a magical trip to an Italian village. "Looking in the mirror is bad enough") makes this irresistible for home cooks and foodies alike. It's another delicious treat from Brown. Illus. Agent: Eric Simonoff, WME. (Feb.)

Food-science wiz Brown, perhaps best known for hosting 16 seasons of Good Eats, looks back on his life from the vantage point of his early sixties. When a memoir was first proposed to him, Brown argued against writing one because "nothing had ever really happened to me." Whether a fan of Brown or new to him, readers will find that to be true—if only because it's Brown himself who made things happen. A workaholic with a penchant for martinis, Brown ruminates on his life and career, and readers sense the ambition and determination that got him where he is today. While not bragging—he also discusses insecurities, whether about his husky body or mediocre dating success early on—Brown demonstrates that perseverance and curiosity for learning got him through difficult times like the loss of his father. From his humble culinary origins delivering pizza to cooking to impress women to nonstop researching for and writing his science-minded cooking show, Brown's essays reveal a real human being many will relate to and enjoy reading about. Copyright 2025 Booklist Reviews.

Bestselling Brown, star of the Food Network's Good Eats and author of several Good Eats cookbooks, turns to essays as he ruminates on a wide range of culinary questions, great meals, and his personal and professional lives. Prepub Alert. Copyright 2024 Library Journal

Food Network TV star Brown has demonstrated his mastery of both food and thought in everything, from the scientific facts that spiced up his shows Good Eats and Cutthroat Kitchen to his one-man show Last Bite. His recipe for success translates from screen and stage to page in this memoir in meals and of the man made by those meals, with much respect paid to the quality ingredients (especially his wife) that have elevated everything he dishes up. There's whimsy and wit, as in his description of returning to Cap'n Crunch cereal after decades of developing his knowledge of food chemistry, and in the cartoons illustrating his culinary escapades. Brown also provides more personal insight into how his identity intersects with his feelings about food, without letting go of the point of view that has made him a popular creative food scientist. VERDICT Whether exposing his favorite guilty-pleasure Little Debbie treat or the meals he won't ever return to, Brown writes like he cooks (and judges cooking competitions), with confidence punched up with a shake of the curmudgeon and an extra dash of comedy.—Emily Bowles

Food Network host Brown (Good Eats: The Final Years) details his culinary career in this appealing memoir in essays, which takes readers from the author's early life in North Hollywood, Calif., through his stints at Iron Chef America and Cutthroat Kitchen. As a child with a penchant for "unorthodox flavors," Brown developed an early fascination with food science, and attended culinary school in New England before finding work at a bakery. While in school, he dreamed up the concept for his first show, Good Eats, which put a cheeky spin on food science, and recounts the bumpy road to getting it produced on the Food Network. Elsewhere, Brown reveals what he hates to cook (hard shell blue crab); examines famous scenes of cooking and eating in Hollywood blockbusters including The Godfather and Apocalypse Now; and shares some of his favorite regional dishes, like Nebraska's unlikely combination of chili and cinnamon rolls. The author's dry wit ("I'll never go back because I don't want to see the inevitable change that forty years have wrought," he writes of a magical trip to an Italian village. "Looking in the mirror is bad enough") makes this irresistible for home cooks and foodies alike. It's another delicious treat from Brown. Illus. Agent: Eric Simonoff, WME. (Feb.)