Originally published at The Green Man Review!

A look behind the kitchen door, into the world of restaurants, chefs and what it takes to thrive in this business, Agg’s unflinching look at her life feels like a master class in the art of running a restaurant, but I’m sure it’s just a tip of the iceberg. NOTHING is off the table, from her life as a suburban teen (complete with exploratory vibrator sessions) and falling in love to running her award-winning restaurants and her love of food. Agg has a charming prose style, one that feels as if you’re sitting right next to her at a bar, sharing some charcuterie. And it’s just as delicious.

While she calls herself a “bad feminist”, the book is ripe with bits on how women are treated in the world, shining the light on what she’s done in her own life that fed the patriarchal beast. In fact, by leaving no stone unturned in this memoir, Agg shows feminism in its warts-and-all splendor. Throw in pictures from an illustration of a charcuterie board to Bogie and Bacall, and you’ve got one delicious book you may just devour in one sitting.

(Penguin, 2017)