When Top Chef judge Gail Simmons first graduated from college, she felt hopelessly lost. All her friends were going to graduate school, business school, law school . . . but what was she going to do? Fortunately, a family friend gave her some invaluable advice—make a list of what you love to do, and let that be your guide. Gail wrote down four words:
Eat. Write. Travel. Cook.
Little did she know, those four words would become the basis for a career as a professional eater, cook, food critic, magazine editor, and television star. Today, she's the host of Top Chef: Just Desserts, permanent judge on Top Chef, and Special Projects Director at Food & Wine magazine. She travels all over the world, eats extraordinary food, and meets fascinating people. She's living the dream that so many of us who love to cook and eat can only imagine. But how did she get there? Talking with My Mouth Full follows her unusual and inspiring path to success, step-by-step and bite-by-bite.
I found this to be a very entertaining read. Her love of food really comes out in all her stories. She does not get too detailed about her life, keeping that high level but does get detailed in the food she has enjoyed. In fact, each chapter starts with a short favorite food memory.
The behind the scenes stories of working her way up through the food industry are interesting and humorous. Of course, my most favorite chapters were the ones where she started on Top Chef and all the behind the scenes stories. On that show, I have always found Padma rather stiff and humorless but Simmons shows the reader a different side of her.
Once Gail Simmons knew what she wanted to do in life, she really went for it. She claims some of it is luck but I felt that she made her own luck.
Talking with my Mouth Full is a fast, entertaining and interesting read.
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