Skirt
Steak: Women Chefs on Standing the Heat and Staying in the Kitchen
By
Charlotte Druckman
320
pages, Chronicle Books, 2012
It
was necessary to write Skirt Steak.
Reading it will make you realize just how necessary it was.
The
book is as straightforward as its title suggests: food writer
Charlotte Druckman interviewed 73 American women chefs on multiple
aspects of their profession, and organized her findings by topic to
paint a picture of the situation of women in the professional
kitchen. While she does not quite manage to weave everything into a
smooth narrative, Skirt
Steak
is a gold mine of information.
The thoroughness and girth of the research accomplished by the author
are commendable.
Perhaps
inevitably, it sometimes feels a bit dry. There are sections where
multiple direct quotes are dumped on us in succession. There are so
many names dropped that, unless you are very familiar with the
restaurant industry, you are likely to feel quite lost. Thankfully,
there is a very useful index you can turn to, should you ever need to
look up a specific chef. In this manner, this book can serve as a
reference for future use.
