Life, on the Line: A Chef's Story of Chasing Greatness, Facing Death, and Redefining the Way We Eat

Grant Achatz, one of the country's most admired chefs and driving force behind Alinea, one of the country's best new restaurants, develops a cancerous tumor that invades his tongue and kills all sense of taste, so that food becomes no more than "cardboard," salt "just sand" in his mouth.Extreme foodie can't taste food. That is irony that is almost sublime in its unexpected and nearly unbelievable incongruity. That's Beethoven without hearing, Monet without eyesight."Life on the Line" delivers two stories. The first is like foie gras, long and difficult in the preparation but then delectable in its texture and taste. The second is like organ meat, bloody and basic, definitely not appetizing at first but then in the end, also very satisfying.The first follows Achatz from his introduction to cooking at age five standing on an overturned milk crate in his mom's kitchen stirring a packet of cherry Jell-O into hot water to his rise - two decades later after stops at Charlie Trotters, the French Laundry and Trio - to acclaim as one of the nation's top chefs, undisputed leader in what's become know as molecular gastronomy and the inspiration behind Alinea, the Chicago restaurant "Gourmet" Magazine in 2006 put at the top of heap of the fifty best restaurants in the country. That's after being open a little more than a year.The second story is gruesome. Excruciating in its detail, it follows Achatz through treatment and to what almost amounts to salvation after being diagnosed with stage IVb Squamish cell carcinoma of the tongue.At the time of the diagnosis in 2007, the tumor had taken up more than 50 percent of the visible part of his tongue. The only recognized treatment was horrific: to remove the tongue, part of the jaw and neck. To a chef, that sounded more like butchery than surgery. Not only would he lose all taste, it would likely leave him unable to speak normally. Even then, the long-term prospects were bleak.Rather than follow the recommended course, Achatz insisted on an alternative, radical and experimental regimen of chemotherapy and radiation that, if successful, offered the chance he would taste food again.But if successful he might live, his sense of taste might return and he might be able to cook and thereby create.The memoir is collaboration between Achatz and his business partner and friend Nick Kokonas. The authors are preoccupied with operating the nation's best, most acclaimed restaurant and creating great cuisine. It's pretty clear they don't aspire to write great literature.The memoir is occasionally clunky and sometimes reads as if dictated while in the middle of doing something else more important. The book's mid-section, dealing with the opening of Alinea, is a patchwork of newsletter reprints sent periodically to the restaurant's investors reassuring them about budget and timeline. Achatz and Kokonas trade off as narrators in the last half of the book, and it's often confusing, disjointed or at the very least distracting trying to figure out who's doing the talking.Those criticisms, consider them mild, are in the end quibbles. "Life on the Line" tells two enthralling stories. First, the education and rise of a chef who has changed the culinary world and left a lasting legacy of invention and creativity. Then there's the story of the heroic and extremely courageous battle to fight cancer and to survive.An alinea is the familiar copyediting mark that looks like a reverse letter "P" and signals next or next paragraph. It's a great name for a restaurant that lifted gastronomy to the next level. The book is a feast for people who like to read about food and also for anyone who loves great story telling.

Wow. This book totally blew me away.Grant Achatz is one of the most acclaimed chefs in the US, if not the world. His Chicago restaurant, Alinea, has been ranked among the best in the world. He mastered his culinary artistry under the tutelage of Chef Thomas Keller, of Bouchon and The French Laundry, but has taken molecular gastronomy and culinary genius to a whole different level. And in 2007, at the height of his and the restaurant's success, Achatz was diagnosed with Stage 4-b squamous cell carcinoma--tongue cancer. (There is no Stage 5.) While most doctors advised Achatz to have a portion of his tongue surgically removed, thereby ending his career, he underwent an alternative treatment of chemotherapy and radiation first. But there were some sacrifices he would have to make.Life, on the Line: A Chef's Story of Chasing Greatness, Facing Death, and Redefining the Way We Eat is more than a book about Achatz's struggle with cancer and how it affected those around him, including Kokonas, his business partner at Alinea. (In fact, the cancer battle really doesn't come up until the last quarter of the book.) The book traces the genesis of his love of cooking, his struggles in the competitive and harrowing culinary world, and his desire to reinvent the way people approach and eat food. For a foodie like me, I couldn't read the book fast enough--it made me hungry and it made me long to be back in the culinary world myself. Having the opportunity to ride on Achatz's shoulder throughout his journey is an amazing one, and the book (especially when Kokonas begins co-narrating the story, as plans for Alinea start to take shape) doesn't make Achatz out to be a saint. It portrays him accurately, even while he undergoes painfully brutal treatment for cancer.This is a tremendously well-written, captivating and uplifting book for so many reasons. It is a privilege to understand what shapes Achatz's culinary philosophy and what goes into his culinary creations. And to watch as he approaches cancer with the same strength he faced every other challenge, including not being taken seriously as a chef, is amazing. He may be an incredible chef, but it is clear from this book that Grant Achatz is a pretty incredible man as well.

I didn't know of either Grant Achatz nor of Alinea but I enjoy reading books about chefs and kitchen nightmares . Grants drive , dedication since a teenager and battle with cancer makes a great read . I loved his dream trip to France which left him very disappointed with fine dining . I loved his humour , what a great book . Then around half way we are introduced to business partner Nick Kokonas and I am afraid I wasn't interested in his story. the chapters about business and finance for me just got in the way and I began to skip much of the story . Rather like how a bad coffee can spoil a meal I was left wanting something different .

I didn't really have any expectations for this book, apart from my natural curiosity about the roots of chefs.This is a great memoir, because it interweaves the life narrative of Grant Achatz and his Alinea co-owner, Nick Kokonas.We get clued in on all the culinary experiences of Achatz and of Kokonas that would result in Alinea and it being crowned best restaurant in the US after only 18 months of opening. It's specially interesting to read Achatz's time at The Franch Laundry being mentored by Thomas Keller.I had not been aware that Achatz had had cancer of the tongue. Achatz & Kokonas do not shy away from dealing and expressing themselves on the subject. After all, Achatz is lucky to be alive and that Alinea is still as innovative as it has always been.A great read for anyone remotely interested in chefs and food. An important insight for aspiring chefs.

Fascinating tale of someone who aspired to work at the very highest levels of fine dining, and of course the challenges he met along the way. The book is co-authored with his business partner and they take turns in writing chapters, which turns out to be an effective narrative device.

Great read, highly engrossing from beginning to end!From his humble start cracking eggs in his grandmaS diner, through to working in the best restaurant in America, to going it alone and finally the heart wrenching story of him facing-and beating-a life threatening disease, this is a great story through and through.Some may not like the change of pace when the naration changes from Achatz to Kokonas, stick with it and you won't be dissapointed.Awesome!

After watching tnis man on the chefs table this was a must read 📖 for me!