I enjoyed reading David's story so much! It was such an insightful look into the restaurant world! I have no real life experience in the food world, this was a great eye-opening read for me. I would highly recommend this book!

In Eat A Peach, not only do we hear of Chang’s success stories, we get to see a more insecure and vulnerable side of him as he expands and tells stories of food (of course), failures, struggle with mental illness, imposter syndrome and more. While Part 2 is composed of chapters about random topics in non-sequential order which makes it seem a bit disjointed as a whole, each chapter when looked at by its own had a more heartfelt underlying message. If you’ve followed Chang (like I have), you’ll find Part 1 familiar. In Part 2 is where you see so much of his growth as not only a chef but as a leader, a person.

I especially appreciated that he spoke on topics of mental illness and the lack of women and people of color in the culinary world.

When I first started following Chang, his food seemed so odd -mostly inspired by Korean/Japanese food but not truly authentic. Chang at one point says that because minority chefs run into roadblocks which sometimes hold them back bc they feel obliged to uphold rules in the name of preservation / authenticity , white chefs do not.. I thought about this a lot. I have yet to try Chang’s food and now am so curious. Until we can safely travel again..

I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would when I requested it.*

I mean I knew I would enjoy it, because Chang's philosophy on food (accessibility, universality) are things I identified with as we made our way through Ugly Delicious a while ago. I mean him summing up the book (to me at least) and his philosophy with this sold it to me:

Deliciousness is a meme. Its appeal is universal, and it will spread without consideration of borders or prejudice. (Chapter 20)

Add in we ate at Momofuku in Las Vegas for my birthday last winter (Instagram link) and tried Fuku in Boston a few summers ago and his food is good, of course I was going to read this and enjoy it. And we've totally had MilkBar in Cambridge which the owner started while working with Chang.

Aside from those things, I really liked that he writes how he talks on his show and the few episodes of his podcast I've heard. He's matter of fact and super casual which I liked a lot. And I mean the intro was hilarious where he was umming and ahhhing to avoid starting the book, even if that's a façade it made me laugh and like him that much more.

In case you can't tell, I'm doing all this throat-clearing as a stall tactic. I'm delaying you from getting into the book, because honestly, I'm extremely nervous about you reading it. (Prologue)

The other thing I really took away from the book was that he faced a lot of mental health challenges that I've had a back seat to with my mother. From the depression and bipolar disorder to (bordering it seemed) alcoholism, been there done that and did not want the t-shirt. It was interesting to read a firsthand account of it and when I read his shout out to Kay Redfield Jamison below, who I read when my mom was still alive made me respect the therapist I was seeing back then even more since she recommended I read her works.

The only reference points I had for therapists were Frasier and Robin Williams in Good Will Hunting, and some light reading I'd done on depression and mania. (Camus was my first source. Later, I came to love William Styron's Darkness Visible and eventually red everything by the psychologist Kay Redfield Jamison.) (Chapter 2)

The other pieces that made me like him as a person, as much as you can like someone you only know through a TV show and restaurants they own were his views on Chick-fil-a (specifically referring to them as chicken bigots) and then basically mocking them with an incredibly intelligent restaurant with the first iteration of Fuku as social commentary on anti-Asian racism.

I loathe Chick-fil-A as a company, yet I couldn't resist giving them my business. On one visit to the chicken bigots, I was disappointed to hear we were the last customers of the night . . . I was far from the first person to look the other way when it came to patronizing Chick-fil-A. A lot of ostensibly decent people were willing to ignore the truth for a taste of deep-fried bird. I wanted to flip that phenomenon around to make our own point about culture. (Chapter 19)

And then there was the fact he was able to hold a mirror up to his own experiences in Chapter 21 and say look I'm not excusing these and I'm definitely not claiming I'm perfect now, but I'm learning and growing and that's all I can offer I mean he's a bigger man than most just being able to say that.

Recognizing my flaws doesn't mean I'm 'cured,' nor does wishing that I'd done things differently. I still regress from time to time, but I'm trying to be the person I want to be. I'm trying to build a company that is better than I am and an environment where the next generation will have better answers to the questions we're facing. (Chapter 21)

There were also great passages about his family and his relationship with his dad and brothers that just were great to read. The second half of the book was definitely a bit more scattered than the first half, but he acknowledges that and it all ties together in the end which is all you can ask for.

Recommendation: I thoroughly enjoyed this. Whether you've eaten at his restaurants, watched his shows, or listened to his podcast is immaterial. This is a fascinating look at an incredibly intelligent man and brilliant chef and the challenges he had to overcome to be where he is. It might get a little naval gazey at points, but Chang is fully aware of it and pulls you out of it pretty quick with a slap to his own face or a jolt to you as the reader!

*I received a copy of Eat A Peach from the publisher via NetGalley in return for my honest opinion. No goods or money were exchanged.

[4,5/5 stars]

EAT A PEACH by David Chang is an honest and insightful memoir about food and Chang's life.
Starting with his childhood, Chang gives us a glimpse about his struggles regarding otherness and religion, plus his early talent with golf.
From cooking school to complex culinary dishes, there was plenty of immense effort and detailed preparations meticulously described that drew me in. We feel the tenuous balance between real world and kitchen, as it also happens in other areas of life.

I so appreciated his openness and vulnerability to share about mental illness - the way people talk about it lightly and how depression is closely intertwined with family and his own insecurities. As a son of immigrants, Chang often wrestles with the sense of belonging and otherness.

Chang invites us to a unique restaurant culture and I was able to learn more about Momofuku (and his other restaurants) specialties. I really enjoyed how Chang discusses the concept behind dining out - act being a privilege in some places while a definition of daily life in others.
My favorite parts were his sincerity in the footnotes and Michelan star section (like Book Awards, I find the mystery and getting to know new things very interesting and original.)
The author recognizes the flaws in restaurant culture about inequality and also on a personal level.
However, I would have loved more depth in the themes of racism and sexism in culinary world.

In short, Chang spills his professional and personal challenges with such self-awareness - I found his excitement contagious and harshness, understandable.
Whether or not you become a chef, Chang's 33 rules at the end of the book apply to life as a whole and it was interesting to read.
Knowing little about David Chang or Momofuku, I overall really enjoyed EAT A PEACH. If you are seeking a celebrity chef memoir or even just like food, I highly recommend this book.

[ I received a complimentary copy from the publisher - Clarkson Potter Publishers - in exchange for an honest review ]

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

I tried to like this book. I was really excited to get it from Net Galley, but truthfully, I was so put-off by it, I could not fiish it. I found it to be too self-depricating, too wordy and explanatory. It moved too slowly and I just couldn't stick with it. I'm certain there is great 'lesson' in this book about perseverance, finding one's way, bucking expectations for happiness and learning to believe in one's self, but I could not hang on to read about that.

Review // Eat a Peach by David Chang

❓Memoir, Food Memoir, AAPI Lit

💗 Candid, Reflective, Honest

📖 David Chang's memoir about his Korean heritage, struggling with mental illness, and building the Momofuku empire.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Things to Know:
✨ David Chang is hilarious!! I always knew who he was (we love Momofuku!), but admittedly didn't know much about him. Not only was his memoir informative and touching, but it was really, really funny. I found myself laughing out loud constantly.

✨ If you're at all interested in food or the food industry, this one's for you! Chang does an excellent job explaining the trials and tribulations of opening a restaurant and later building a brand. There's an entire section at the back of the book with tips and tricks for getting started. It's super useful!

✨ Chang really explores his Korean heritage, including the fact that his family was living in Korea during the Japanese occupation. He talks a lot about his influences, gatekeeping in the restaurant industry, and honoring his heritage while still being able to explore food creatively. Fascinating stuff.

✨ There's also really great mental health representation in this one. Chang has bipolar disorder and is very open and honest about his struggles. He was very insightful and honest about his experiences with different treatment methods, and I loved how he really advocated for therapy, medication and getting the help you need.

Read If You Like:
✨ Food! Ramen and dumplings and bibimbap, oh my (now I'm hungry 😋😋😋)
✨ Mental health representation
✨ Honest, insightful and genuinely funny memoirs
✨ Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain

One of my new favorite memoirs! Thank you so much to David Chang and @penguinrandomhouse for the advanced copy!

A great memoir of being a business owner in the restaurant industry. I only knew a little bit about the the chef and his restaurants before reading this book. I learned so much not only about the author, but about the restaurant industry as a whole. It was really interesting. I also appreciate his honesty about the problems in restaurant culture and how he is continuing to work through being better. It was very real and honest and that was refreshing.

A master isn’t born. Mastery is a product of false starts and restarts, setbacks and surprising forward lunges. I mention “mastery” here not in the sense that a tradition is passed down to an apprentice, as though a higher power keeping close dominance and control over a craft finally anoints you with a golden torch, but as a descriptor that signifies self-determination and hard word. David Chang and his spectacular rise to culinary stardom is an example of such mastery.

In his memoir “Eat a Peach,” we get to meet the man behind Momofuko in New York City and Majordomo here in Los Angeles. He is the rockstar restauranteur, the no bullshit tough love guest judge on Top Chef with his own culinary show “Ugly Delicious” on Netflix. He is the raw, raging man who scoffs at vegetarian dishes. But thanks to the words distilled in this book we now learn that he is also a full human being with the ability to hurt deeply.

Chang tells the story of his hyper-Christian upbringing in a Korean American household, his early successes in the game of golf, and the grueling hours he spent in numerous hot kitchens trying to make it in a white man’s world. His tale includes sleepless nights that feed his mental illness. And along the way, he serves us spicy anecdotes that involve some of the biggest culinary stars (think Anthony Bourdain).

Chang’s persona as intense as his food is a unique blend of cultures, traditions, and eras. I wouldn’t have expected his memoir to be any other way. Read this, if you want to learn about a master’s creative process. It deserves a spot on your bookshelf. You will get a full menu of heart and humor. And perhaps as a dessert, you will renew your resolve to support the restaurant business during these trying times.

I really enjoyed this book! I love David Chang so I assumed I'd like the book but there really was much more to it than I was expecting. So much more than just his life story or the story of his restaurants...there was some really great advice. I definitely recommend this book!!

Q: What's the last book that made you laugh out loud?
A: Eat a Peach by David Chang

Q: What's the last book that made you cry?
A: Eat a Peach by David Chang

I loved this book. I expected it to be good, and it far exceeded my expectations.

Chang writes with humor, pathos, and honesty. He philosophizes. He tackles mental health, racism and xenophobia (that which he has internalized and that which he has observed), familial and romantic relationships, friendship, mentorship (both being a mentor and being mentored), sexism, drugs and alcohol, as well as the ins-and-outs of starting and growing what has turned into a restaurant empire. Along the way, he writes with respect and gratitude about the food and people who have shaped Chang and Momofuku into what they are today.

The first half of Eat a Peach is told more-or-less chronologically. The second half deals more with moments of reckoning and Chang’s reflections on specific topics.

A couple of other noteworthy aspects of the book:

Chang writes a lot about therapy and how much it has helped him. While therapy has become more normalized, his willingness to repeatedly bring the conversation back to therapy and its role in his life strikes me as important—especially in contrast to Chang’s often (self-admittedly) bro-ish persona.

As someone who has lived in New York City for the last 12 years, I loved Chang’s references to New York restaurants and chefs.

“Why would anybody get so mad about food? Because it is just food. And when your co-workers are lazy or inconsiderate or don’t seem to care as much as you—when they treat food as just food—they call your entire worldview into question. They make you feel foolish for believing.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Clarkson Potter at Crown Publishing for providing me with this ebook and the opportunity to review Eat a Peach.

Bob Woodward already claimed the title Rage for his recently published book, but the name would work just as well for David Chang. Since my daughter and Son-in-law are both in the restaurant business, I am drawn to books about food, cooking, restaurants and chefs. Eat a Peach included all of these elements, but in such an anger-charged atmosphere, that it created a very different response than I was expecting.
The first half of the memoir presents to the reader the upbringing of David Chang, a Korean-American whose immigrant parents wanted a better life for him than food service. How he ended up the head of a restaurant empire despite the forces arrayed against him makes an interesting story. The fact that the major force impeding his progress was his own sense of inadequacy kept the story off-balance throughout. The average reader looks for a story with some conflict which is ultimately resolved by the main character. In Eat a Peach time and time again the conflict is generated by the author/narrator himself.
Fortunately in the second half of the book Chang gives us some of his hard-earned experience presented in the form of a list of rules for business and life. Despite the fact that by the end it has become somewhat repetitive, it is still worth considering.
I might add that having the opportunity to watch Chang’s Netflix series Ugly Delicious as I read his story gave an even greater insight into his life. Watching the series alone I would never have guessed how angry and conflicted he was. Reading the book alone, I would never have been able to imagine how he could function with so much rage inside. Together, the two halves of his personality came together to create a single complex individual.

I volunteered to read this book, through netgalley in exchange, for an honest review. This book is well written. This is a good memoir about David Chang. It gets you in the feelings. It talks about what he did before going to culinary school. He did his best working at different restaurants, before opening up his own restaurant. He is an inspirational chef. I can't wait to read more by him. I would recommend reading this book to anyone and everyone. This book is in stores now for $28.00 (USD).

Absolutely loved this book! I’m a huge Dave Chang fan and have watched every Netflix show he’s in! This was an interesting look at the start of Momofuku, his mental health, and what it means to fail and succeed.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc

Pioneering chef David Chang of Momofuku writes a soul-baring memoir that grabs you from the very beginning. I was aware of Chang because of his Netflix show, but I did not know he had been cooking so long at the forefront of popular culture. It was also eye-opening to discover the ways in which my favorite foods and restaurants are truly newer players, in terms of their societal acceptance. I have always enjoyed food-based memoirs but lately, they have all seemed to focus more on the food itself, so it was refreshing to read one that pulled back the curtain and shared the emotionality that went into creating said food. It felt like Chang held nothing back in this memoir, making it a joy to read. 10/10. Would highly recommend.

A great tome from one of the early promises of culinary history. Mr Chang always on the edge of new adventures in food comes through in this latest entry to his culinary legacy. It is thoughtful , insightful . You truly get a sense of a young man coming to terms with his future. You can see the apprentice giving his all and open to the rigors of a professional kitchen,all the while noting the changes he will make. I was a subscriber to his magazine until it stopped and this memoir is a welcome addition to his literary library. Happy reading

Food as entertainment has become big business in the 21st century. Food-based television programming and celebrity chefs are major parts of the culinary landscape, with their importance spiraling upward as each enhances the other. Food TV makes more famous chefs and famous chefs make more TV.

One of the beneficiaries of this development is David Chang. Founder of the Momofuku restaurant empire and host of Netflix’s “Ugly Delicious,” he could be considered one of the poster children for this new chef culture … though it’s not necessarily a distinction that he ever really wanted.

In his new memoir “Eat a Peach” – co-written with Gabe Ulla – Chang walks readers through his unusual and checkered journey to the top of his profession. From his early days in a strict and religious Korean-American family to his start in restaurant kitchens to the early uneasiness of his Momofuku endeavors to his ultimate ascendance to the upper echelons of the food world, we’re given insight into how he got to where he is.

But that’s just half the story. We also learn about a life lived in constant fear of failure. Chang is brutally honest and forthcoming about his up-and-down fight against depression and his ongoing struggles with anger management. It’s a success story that features plenty of misfires. The one constant throughout is a deep-seated and genuine love of cooking, both in terms of culinary exploration and cultural storytelling.

We start with an overview of sorts regarding Chang’s upbringing. Growing up in Virginia with parents whose lives revolved around work and church, he struggled to find his path. He wasn’t particularly gifted academically, but an affinity for golf in his youth opened a few doors for him; unfortunately, his early precociousness leveled out – he got into his own head and started losing to players he had once beaten easily.

He was by his own admission a mediocre student, first at prep school and then in college; he majored in religious studies because he found it the path of least resistance. After school, he bounced around a bit before landing in the one place his strict entrepreneurial father didn’t want him to be – a restaurant kitchen.

At least he was in a good one, winding up working under a number of exceptional culinary figures at Craft, the famed eatery helmed by Tom Colicchio. He learned as he went, slowly educating himself (largely by making mistake after mistake), before moving on. He worked in other kitchens, but it wasn’t long before a trip to Japan inspired him to make the biggest leap of his life.

His experience imbued him with the belief that he could bring the kind of high-speed, high-quality dining he found there and translate it to the States. Specifically, he wanted to bring ramen to America; not the cheap, mass-produced packets that were ubiquitous in dorm rooms across the country, but the real deal.

Thus, Momofuku Noodle Bar was born.

In the years since, Chang has built Momofuku into an empire, albeit not without a few bumps in the road along the way. He opened multiple restaurants, all driven by the same basic sensibility, but he freely admits that he has been incredibly fortunate at almost every turn. Even his failures – misfires that might have sunk another restauranteur – turned out better than he ever could have expected.

But all along the way, Chang was haunted. Haunted by a fear of failure, a fear that drove him to push himself and those who worked for him far beyond healthy limits. His fits of anger became legendary; even as his profile grew, he would still find himself raging at the slightest misstep. His relationships with his friends, family and peers all suffered. He overreached, self-medicated … the whole nine yards. Even as he pushed for more, he steadily lost track of his own well-being. It would take a drastic shift in his own personal priorities to turn things around – a shift that would require him to take a long and honest look inward … and accept help.

“Eat a Peach” isn’t your usual celebrity memoir; Chang proves to be brutally honest about many of his own shortcomings. He celebrates his successes, of course, but he is also forthcoming about his failures. And his willingness to speak frankly about his mental health struggles is especially welcome; even now, there’s a stigma that comes with those kinds of conversations. His feelings of otherness, of being an outsider no matter where he was, come through with a heartbreaking clarity.

He’s also a hell of a storyteller, a gifted and charming raconteur who breathes enthusiastic life into his tales – culinary and otherwise. Chang’s ability to capture the intensity of life in the kitchen makes “Eat a Peach” a fiery and compelling read. We also get a glimpse of the business side of things, a sausage-making aspect of restaurant entrepreneurialism that isn’t often fully reckoned with in memoirs like this.

(Note: The book closes with an absolutely dynamite section titled simply “33 Rules for Becoming a Chef.” It is a frank, thoughtful and hilarious dissection of the realities of becoming a chef, packed with good advice. Chang is unafraid of dealing in harsh realities; at times, it borders on the antagonistic. But it all springs from a place of honest love and affection for the vocation. As with the rest of the book, Chang’s combination of genuine affection and deep-running pessimism regarding the craft is prominent.)

“Eat a Peach” is a delight, a book that will prove fascinating to anyone interested in the culinary world. Chang’s honesty and humor are just two of the many quality ingredients that make up the recipe for this delicious reading. Whether you’re a full-on foodie or simply a Food Network junkie, you’ll want to dig into this one.

Humble and humorous, Chang is a natural storyteller. An intimate and inviting discussion of depression and passion, food and family.

I'm torn about parts of this book. I appreciate the long-form discussion of mental illness, particularly within the Korean American community. I also can't tolerate the excuses for a kitchen culture of verbal abuse. I'm still making my mind up and I think that will probably happen with many people.

This is a fantastic memoir that is primarily about the creative spirit. David Chang is definitely an artist. I did not know much about him personally when I picked up this book, but I knew about and had been to his restaurant sensation Momofuku and was interested to learn about the man behind it. I got much more than I expected in this memoir which is honest and real and insightful into the human condition as well as food.

Just as the chef is known for his innovative and creative approaches towards food, the book itself is innovatively structured. In one chapter he crosses out his previous self-important thoughts about himself and replaces them with a more measured and insightful critique. In another he discusses some passionate conversations he had with Tony Bourdain. In others, he very frankly discusses his therapy, and the ways he failed to be a good person or reflect on his issues when he was away from his therapist. There's also a lot of really thoughtful discussion on racism and racist stereotypes, starting with an introduction discussing some covers that were tried and rejected by readers. The book is peppered with conversational footnotes, hilarious and personal staff emails, literary references, and all kinds of information that make you really feel like you have gotten to know everything about the writer - his soul laid bare. At the end of the book there are 33 Rules for Becoming a Chef. These are pretty wonderful -- very funny, very creative and very encouraging. Example: "All my favorite singers couldn't sing. Don't worry if you lack talent or skills. Tenacity is all you really need."

It's really refreshing to read a memoir by someone this successful who admits he was scared all the way through his success that he was on the edge of disaster. It's also impressive to read about the restaurant scene, the grueling work and the sometimes abusive atmosphere in a way that is not at all glamorized. I find a lot of restaurant memoirs tend to lionize the chefs who behave this way - and not only does Chang recognize it in himself but he has reached a point where he can fully appreciate the problems it caused. He also does an incredible job discussing his bipolar diagnosis and the ways it affects his life. You get a sense, reading the book, that for all the troubles and obstacles his mental health caused, his unique brain was also responsible for so many of his out-of-the box creative successes. This is a really empowering message and one that I think resonates with a lot of artists and creative types.

I just loved everything about this memoir, and this guy: his honesty, his tenacity, his creativity, his mind and his whole book, which is beautifully written. One of the best chef/foodie memoirs I have ever read, but it transcends that and, like all memoirs, ends up being just a fascinating story about a very interesting and talented human being. 5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Random House and David Chang for the ARC of this fantastic book.