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Tart: Misadventures of an Anonymous Chef
When Slutty Cheff finds herself bored and fed-up with her nine-to-five job in corporate marketing, she turns to the only thing she loves to do: cooking. So she quits her job, swaps emails for emulsions, and sets off to pursue her dreams of becoming a chef.
The world of London’s fine dining restaurants is so much more than she imagined: It’s more challenging and more exciting, too. There are the exhausting lows of sixty-hour work weeks in windowless kitchens, and the shock of stepping into the changing room as the only woman. There are the thrilling highs of a busy night, when service is running smoothly; electrifying run-ins with hot bartenders and even hotter chefs; and, always, the exhilaration of cycling hands-free through a city that is still sleeping, on a morning where anything can happen.
The world of London’s fine dining restaurants is so much more than she imagined: It’s more challenging and more exciting, too. There are the exhausting lows of sixty-hour work weeks in windowless kitchens, and the shock of stepping into the changing room as the only woman. There are the thrilling highs of a busy night, when service is running smoothly; electrifying run-ins with hot bartenders and even hotter chefs; and, always, the exhilaration of cycling hands-free through a city that is still sleeping, on a morning where anything can happen.
336 pages, Hardcover
Published August 5, 2025
492 people are currently reading
13531 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 227 reviews
July 25, 2025
Aw, this is a bit like a real-life rom-com but with a bittersweet ending: isn't this the story of our twenties -the struggle to find work and relationships that are meaningful, that nurture us and make us feel seen?
Slutty Cheff is a character who I could imagine being friends with: she's passionate even if it's about food in a way that I'm not. She hasn't learnt to pick good men yet (seems to me this is as much luck as good taste) but she's also willing to be open-hearted and pick herself up (the man-bun is hilarious!) She's vulnerable with episodes of depression but she's also got a good support network and friends who love her.
I picked this up because working as a chef in London's fancy restaurants is so far from my own experience that I was curious - and yes, this does give an insight into a crazy, insular, singular world, so pressurized as to seem exploitative. Even if most of the dishes being created are things I wouldn't choose to eat: grouse, rabbit, great slabs of steak, oysters, fish drowned in buttery sauces, expensively frou-frou little plates.
Ultimately, this feels like the story of a twenty-something young woman who is still trying out her paths in life - and I wanted to both give her a big hug, and share a dirty martini with her!
Slutty Cheff is a character who I could imagine being friends with: she's passionate even if it's about food in a way that I'm not. She hasn't learnt to pick good men yet (seems to me this is as much luck as good taste) but she's also willing to be open-hearted and pick herself up (the man-bun is hilarious!) She's vulnerable with episodes of depression but she's also got a good support network and friends who love her.
I picked this up because working as a chef in London's fancy restaurants is so far from my own experience that I was curious - and yes, this does give an insight into a crazy, insular, singular world, so pressurized as to seem exploitative. Even if most of the dishes being created are things I wouldn't choose to eat: grouse, rabbit, great slabs of steak, oysters, fish drowned in buttery sauces, expensively frou-frou little plates.
Ultimately, this feels like the story of a twenty-something young woman who is still trying out her paths in life - and I wanted to both give her a big hug, and share a dirty martini with her!
August 30, 2025
During this extremely warm summer, I'm writing bite-sized reviews at best.
Oh, well, this is kind of mistitled and the pen name is strongly misleading: This should have been called "Running" because our self-styled "Slutty Cheff" sounds more like a manic-depressive person who's telling us about how she starts to live up to her dream, then either gets bored, proficient, or panicky, runs away, and then restarts the cycle.
She's not "slutty" but constantly drunk while not in a kitchen, while also abusing cocain, ketamin, and heroin, indulging in (mostly) unsafe orgasm-less sex with the wrong people (puppy-eyes-style barman, cheating chef, asshole chef). Also, despite knowing full well about her mental health challenges, she only looks for professional help *very* late in the game, then proceeds to "hesitatingly" take her medication and wash it down with more alcohol...
You're really making those of us struggling proud, "Drunken Junkie Maybe-Cheff"! Also, don't hold your breath for another book of hers - she's sufficiently competent at writing now, so I guess she's drunkenly running away already...
Meh!
Oh, well, this is kind of mistitled and the pen name is strongly misleading: This should have been called "Running" because our self-styled "Slutty Cheff" sounds more like a manic-depressive person who's telling us about how she starts to live up to her dream, then either gets bored, proficient, or panicky, runs away, and then restarts the cycle.
She's not "slutty" but constantly drunk while not in a kitchen, while also abusing cocain, ketamin, and heroin, indulging in (mostly) unsafe orgasm-less sex with the wrong people (puppy-eyes-style barman, cheating chef, asshole chef). Also, despite knowing full well about her mental health challenges, she only looks for professional help *very* late in the game, then proceeds to "hesitatingly" take her medication and wash it down with more alcohol...
You're really making those of us struggling proud, "Drunken Junkie Maybe-Cheff"! Also, don't hold your breath for another book of hers - she's sufficiently competent at writing now, so I guess she's drunkenly running away already...
Meh!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 20, 2025
3.75
Hm. Her voice is very unique which is refreshing and it’s nice to read something that is incredibly to my taste yet new and slightly different. I think slutty chef’s articles are an art form yet the book didn’t satisfy me as much so maybe short form is her sweet spot. I often felt passages dwindled on a bit too long, especially ones that involved cooking, it became laborious. I know, what did I expect, a book about a chef! The passages about sex were interesting and written in a way that I’d never read before, which I really enjoyed. I just began to grow tired of her decisions and slightly resentful of her arrogance. Regardless a fun read and a novel concept #whodoithinkiam
Hm. Her voice is very unique which is refreshing and it’s nice to read something that is incredibly to my taste yet new and slightly different. I think slutty chef’s articles are an art form yet the book didn’t satisfy me as much so maybe short form is her sweet spot. I often felt passages dwindled on a bit too long, especially ones that involved cooking, it became laborious. I know, what did I expect, a book about a chef! The passages about sex were interesting and written in a way that I’d never read before, which I really enjoyed. I just began to grow tired of her decisions and slightly resentful of her arrogance. Regardless a fun read and a novel concept #whodoithinkiam
August 12, 2025
4.5 stars
Thank you Marysue Rucci Books for sending me a free advance copy!
TART: Misadventures of an Anonymous Chef: Well, the title for this memoir pretty much says it all. Slutty Cheff quits her corporate job to attend a culinary school. Realizing on the job training is more beneficial, she accepts a low level, prep work position at a restaurant. The food industry is grueling as workers routinely work 60+ hours a week and it’s all on their feet. Sexism and harassment run rampant. While the author struggles with burn out, there’s just something about this career that keeps pulling her back in.
Drugs, sex, food, this book has tales of it all. Full of humor and sheer honesty, I devoured this read in a day. It’s like a crazy mix of the tv shows The Bear and Fleabag.
Highly recommend if you want an inside look at the restaurant business and can handle graphic language and spicy sex details.
Thank you Marysue Rucci Books for sending me a free advance copy!
TART: Misadventures of an Anonymous Chef: Well, the title for this memoir pretty much says it all. Slutty Cheff quits her corporate job to attend a culinary school. Realizing on the job training is more beneficial, she accepts a low level, prep work position at a restaurant. The food industry is grueling as workers routinely work 60+ hours a week and it’s all on their feet. Sexism and harassment run rampant. While the author struggles with burn out, there’s just something about this career that keeps pulling her back in.
Drugs, sex, food, this book has tales of it all. Full of humor and sheer honesty, I devoured this read in a day. It’s like a crazy mix of the tv shows The Bear and Fleabag.
Highly recommend if you want an inside look at the restaurant business and can handle graphic language and spicy sex details.
August 13, 2025
Tart is a love story between a woman and cooking. And it’s also maybe just an excuse to overshare about her sex life for 300 pages. The food writing in this memoir was the best part- I really felt the passion Cheff has for cooking. I also really appreciated the details of working as a woman in male-dominated kitchens. It sounds like the author was really able to hold her own in these spaces and that’s something to be proud of.
However, the whole thing sort of feels like the author read some Anthony Bourdain and wanted to emulate his lifestyle. The author quits her boring corporate office job and experiences a brief period of depression which she solves by moving home with her loving parents and dropping $10k on cooking school. She then gets hired to cook in the first restaurant she interviews at but burns out after seven months of long hours of cooking and quite a lot of partying. But don’t worry, her family owns a cottage by the seaside, so she spends an idyllic summer cooking at a smaller, slower-paced restaurant. However, she’s bored out of her mind there and finds another job at a fine dining spot in London where she quickly moves up in the kitchen hierarchy.
While I appreciate the intention to share the way her passions fueled her journey, a lot of the content of this book felt like it was just there for the shock value and was quite gratuitous and tedious after awhile. It’s not my intention to slut-shame Slutty Cheff by any means- it’s just that it felt like there was not much originality there. Anyone who has worked in hospitality knows the stereotype of the chefs who drink to excess and sleep around. This felt like the story of a privileged young woman who wanted to live an edgier lifestyle and never really experienced any growth that made it worth writing a book about.
In the end, despite the fact that I was underwhelmed, I am still giving this memoir 3 stars because the food writing was lovely and I found myself wishing the best for her. And it was sort of delightfully scandalous, I have to admit.
Thank you to NetGalley and S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books for the opportunity to be an early reader of this title, available now!
However, the whole thing sort of feels like the author read some Anthony Bourdain and wanted to emulate his lifestyle. The author quits her boring corporate office job and experiences a brief period of depression which she solves by moving home with her loving parents and dropping $10k on cooking school. She then gets hired to cook in the first restaurant she interviews at but burns out after seven months of long hours of cooking and quite a lot of partying. But don’t worry, her family owns a cottage by the seaside, so she spends an idyllic summer cooking at a smaller, slower-paced restaurant. However, she’s bored out of her mind there and finds another job at a fine dining spot in London where she quickly moves up in the kitchen hierarchy.
While I appreciate the intention to share the way her passions fueled her journey, a lot of the content of this book felt like it was just there for the shock value and was quite gratuitous and tedious after awhile. It’s not my intention to slut-shame Slutty Cheff by any means- it’s just that it felt like there was not much originality there. Anyone who has worked in hospitality knows the stereotype of the chefs who drink to excess and sleep around. This felt like the story of a privileged young woman who wanted to live an edgier lifestyle and never really experienced any growth that made it worth writing a book about.
In the end, despite the fact that I was underwhelmed, I am still giving this memoir 3 stars because the food writing was lovely and I found myself wishing the best for her. And it was sort of delightfully scandalous, I have to admit.
Thank you to NetGalley and S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books for the opportunity to be an early reader of this title, available now!
August 25, 2025
It’s really a shame this story is labelled as literary fiction because I’d have enjoyed hating on her a lot more knowing she wasn't a real person.
(I decided to laugh at this and not think about my recent strike of mediocre books, or this could have been my last straw.)
In a few words: what an obnoxious, little brat.
In the same way Victoria Beckham told the world she wasn't wealthy when her daddy drove a Rolls-Royce, Slutty Chef is the friend with the mansion in the countryside who could afford to leave multiple jobs for the spike of it — and with lovely parents, too.
She's so heroic and so peculiar to have chosen a career in a kitchen, making our problem the difficulties of this job, the impossible schedule, the odd people, the cuts — so many bruises, so many burned arms and sliced fingers, poor thing.
The worst criticism I've read about her and her book — as someone who had no idea of her existence — is a Gen Z insult, because she's full of herself and quite annoying.
I don’t know about that because, as a fellow Gen Z, I thought she was like forty or something. And yes, I'm saying it as an insult, like when one of your relatives you see at Christmas tries to “connect with the youths” by using outdated words and showing off how funny they are — the amount of time she uses the word “lover” is enough reason to burn my copy, just saying.
But, also, slutty? Have we lost the meaning of the word “slutty”?
I could excuse pretending to be a feminist and then choosing a mediocre dick over your girlfriends, the uncountable meltdowns and that irritating interior monologue, in exchange for some good sex.
Instead the feeling is that if someone, anyone, would have told her that chefs are the worst boyfriend, of all this would have never happened.
↠ 2.5 stars
Thanks to Simon Element, S&S/Marysue Ricci Books and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.
(I decided to laugh at this and not think about my recent strike of mediocre books, or this could have been my last straw.)
In a few words: what an obnoxious, little brat.
In the same way Victoria Beckham told the world she wasn't wealthy when her daddy drove a Rolls-Royce, Slutty Chef is the friend with the mansion in the countryside who could afford to leave multiple jobs for the spike of it — and with lovely parents, too.
She's so heroic and so peculiar to have chosen a career in a kitchen, making our problem the difficulties of this job, the impossible schedule, the odd people, the cuts — so many bruises, so many burned arms and sliced fingers, poor thing.
The worst criticism I've read about her and her book — as someone who had no idea of her existence — is a Gen Z insult, because she's full of herself and quite annoying.
I don’t know about that because, as a fellow Gen Z, I thought she was like forty or something. And yes, I'm saying it as an insult, like when one of your relatives you see at Christmas tries to “connect with the youths” by using outdated words and showing off how funny they are — the amount of time she uses the word “lover” is enough reason to burn my copy, just saying.
But, also, slutty? Have we lost the meaning of the word “slutty”?
I could excuse pretending to be a feminist and then choosing a mediocre dick over your girlfriends, the uncountable meltdowns and that irritating interior monologue, in exchange for some good sex.
Instead the feeling is that if someone, anyone, would have told her that chefs are the worst boyfriend, of all this would have never happened.
↠ 2.5 stars
Thanks to Simon Element, S&S/Marysue Ricci Books and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.
August 17, 2025
middle class woman quits corporate, spends one year working in kitchens, sleeps with two chefs—then gets bored again and decides she’s a writer (and a slut?). like a mediocre brainchild of antony bourdain if he were writing instagram captions between martinis at soho house, bridget jones if she were less funny, and dolly alderton if she were less emotionally attuned… but i think she’s completely aware of the hypocrisy as she writes. i defs was as i read—eminently readable bc i too am a middle class woman who likes food and has sex.
also hard not to be hollow considering the world we live in. you hate corporate bc it’s fake then you become a chef and have to sell yourself through instagram and book deals (even if you fashion yourself in opposition all the other chefs). made me despair of the big corporate world, the london restaurant scene, and the modern state of romance. she struggles with depression throughout and tbh it’s easy to see why—i hope she continues cooking and figures it out.
also hard not to be hollow considering the world we live in. you hate corporate bc it’s fake then you become a chef and have to sell yourself through instagram and book deals (even if you fashion yourself in opposition all the other chefs). made me despair of the big corporate world, the london restaurant scene, and the modern state of romance. she struggles with depression throughout and tbh it’s easy to see why—i hope she continues cooking and figures it out.
July 23, 2025
A fun read - not as slutty as she may think.
April 11, 2025
this may be my perfect book. i'd never heard of slutty cheff before picking up this proof at LBF but i'll now be reading anything and everything she writes <3 'tart' follows slutty cheff's (an anonymous female chef) life as a progressing chef in her twenties: the highs and lows of her mental health, the macho culture of hospitality and kitchens, the exploration of well-respected restaurants across london, the men she's seeing that come and go, and the never-ending descriptions of FOOD. this could not be any further up my street! absolutely obsessed. laugh-out-loud funny and fantastic (food) porn (lol). dare i say my favourite book of the year so far?
August 22, 2025
You’re kidding me, right? I thought that this was about being a Chef. This book is 90% about her sex life, drinking, and doing drugs. Plus, it’s really over the top. The chef / food parts are quite interesting but there’s not enough of it. Thus, my low rating, although it probably only deserves one star.
I’m by no means a prude but I don’t care much for the language in this book. It seems like it’s there just for the shock or hipness value. Unfortunately, it’s that way with a lot of authors these days. Maybe if I was in my 20’s or 30’s I wouldn’t mind so much, but I’m an old guy and a bit cranky these days at that.
Thanks to Simon & Schuster for the Advance Reader’s Edition of the book to read and review.
I’m by no means a prude but I don’t care much for the language in this book. It seems like it’s there just for the shock or hipness value. Unfortunately, it’s that way with a lot of authors these days. Maybe if I was in my 20’s or 30’s I wouldn’t mind so much, but I’m an old guy and a bit cranky these days at that.
Thanks to Simon & Schuster for the Advance Reader’s Edition of the book to read and review.
April 2, 2025
Tart: Misadventures of an Anonymous Chef is an unconventional romance in that the real romance is Cheff’s love of cooking and the adrenaline it brings; being beholden to the dominatrix that is the Ticket Monster; being so in the weeds no amount of knives in your wrap will sever the grip they have on you. This is a romance that is not for the faint of heart. It’s a romance most of us enjoy watching and gossiping about with our friends, but never truly understanding. It’s the romance, no obsession, of the kitchen and being a chef.
Not since Anthony Bourdain burst onto the scene have we be given an all-access backstage pass into both the underbelly and elitism of kitchen society. Tart builds on his foundations and gives us a voyeuristic peek behind the curtain of what it’s like to work in a kitchen from a woman’s perspective. Cheff allows herself to be vulnerable in a way that so few of us are able to do or want to do. She is unabashedly truthful about her warty, imperfect life.
Cheff’s work, dating, and life stories are relatable. Every place of employment has a hierarchy; a pervy coworker, a slacker, etc., we’ve all dated or liked the wrong person and we’ve all made questionable decisions at one time or another. My point is, even if you don’t like this book as much as I did, you’ll be able to relate to something in it and probably have a laugh while you’re at it.
Tart and Slutty Cheff is not going to be for everyone. Don’t read this if you’re uptight about women talking about and having sex. Who will enjoy this book? Anyone who wants to know more about the inner workings of the restaurant industry, specifically the kitchen, from a young woman chef who has a sense of humor and is not afraid to make herself look bad on occasion. Tart would also be great choice for book clubs. Additionally, it’s a nice gateway book into non-fiction as it reads like a romcom on acid.
Thank you to publisher, Marysue Rucci Books and Simon Element for providing the digital ARC of Tart: Misadventures of an Anonymous Chef via NetGalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book.
Not since Anthony Bourdain burst onto the scene have we be given an all-access backstage pass into both the underbelly and elitism of kitchen society. Tart builds on his foundations and gives us a voyeuristic peek behind the curtain of what it’s like to work in a kitchen from a woman’s perspective. Cheff allows herself to be vulnerable in a way that so few of us are able to do or want to do. She is unabashedly truthful about her warty, imperfect life.
Cheff’s work, dating, and life stories are relatable. Every place of employment has a hierarchy; a pervy coworker, a slacker, etc., we’ve all dated or liked the wrong person and we’ve all made questionable decisions at one time or another. My point is, even if you don’t like this book as much as I did, you’ll be able to relate to something in it and probably have a laugh while you’re at it.
Tart and Slutty Cheff is not going to be for everyone. Don’t read this if you’re uptight about women talking about and having sex. Who will enjoy this book? Anyone who wants to know more about the inner workings of the restaurant industry, specifically the kitchen, from a young woman chef who has a sense of humor and is not afraid to make herself look bad on occasion. Tart would also be great choice for book clubs. Additionally, it’s a nice gateway book into non-fiction as it reads like a romcom on acid.
Thank you to publisher, Marysue Rucci Books and Simon Element for providing the digital ARC of Tart: Misadventures of an Anonymous Chef via NetGalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book.
August 11, 2025
My culinary experience is limited to this:
1. My mom cooks
2. I very rarely cook
3. I eat food
4. My brother has a culinary degree
5. I fucked HEAVY with Master Chef in my youth
However, you CANNOT hand me a book with this cover and penname and expect me to not pick it up.
Tart is like if Chelsea G Summers A Certain Hunger (minus the cannibalism and murder) and if Dolly Alderton wrote Everything I Know About Love but if she was in Skins UK.
We follow Slutty Cheff as she peruses various London restaurants in this food and sex memoir.
I expected this to be smutty, but dare I say we talk more about the messy 20s and Cheff's sex life than the actual food. Food and cooking is still massively important in this book, don't you DARE get mad at me, but I wasn't here for the food writing, I was here for the romp I knew this would be.
Slutty Cheff doesn't disappoint with the writing. Many times, I was blown away by life-altering paragraphs that were just thrown in the middle of the reflected crisis. Tart is hilarious, scandalous, and terribly real.
Thank you to Mary Sue Rucci Books for the ARC! This title was released on August 5, 2025. My review reflects the ARC edition.
1. My mom cooks
2. I very rarely cook
3. I eat food
4. My brother has a culinary degree
5. I fucked HEAVY with Master Chef in my youth
However, you CANNOT hand me a book with this cover and penname and expect me to not pick it up.
Tart is like if Chelsea G Summers A Certain Hunger (minus the cannibalism and murder) and if Dolly Alderton wrote Everything I Know About Love but if she was in Skins UK.
We follow Slutty Cheff as she peruses various London restaurants in this food and sex memoir.
I expected this to be smutty, but dare I say we talk more about the messy 20s and Cheff's sex life than the actual food. Food and cooking is still massively important in this book, don't you DARE get mad at me, but I wasn't here for the food writing, I was here for the romp I knew this would be.
Slutty Cheff doesn't disappoint with the writing. Many times, I was blown away by life-altering paragraphs that were just thrown in the middle of the reflected crisis. Tart is hilarious, scandalous, and terribly real.
Thank you to Mary Sue Rucci Books for the ARC! This title was released on August 5, 2025. My review reflects the ARC edition.
June 5, 2025
This doesn't read as a memoir. It's a fun read, but it lacks depth, especially for a memoir. The author needs to dig deeper because everything is so superficial.
August 11, 2025
I wanted to love this so much more than I did. It wasn't the content because I fully knew what I was getting into. I felt like the cheff wanted to be Bourdain so wrote her book as the female version. And I felt like she would have been more relatable and likeable had she owned her relationships and experiences. There was also an incredible amount of repetition. Not something I'd recommend but it was an easy read/listen (consumed via audiobook).
August 4, 2025
Like masterchef but with a bit more minge👍🏻
July 30, 2025
Genuinely guys this was sensational!!!! A great concept executed perfectly - the combo of high pressure environments in hospitality with her (laughable) sex life... I ate it all up.
I need to know her identity so we can be besties!!! obsessed 😝😝
I need to know her identity so we can be besties!!! obsessed 😝😝
August 6, 2025
DNF. Same story repeatedly. Drugs, sex, a little cooking. Not very interesting. The low side of restaurant life.
August 17, 2025
(free review copy) this was an utterly unique and delightful listening experience! To show my age, it instantly gave me “Bridget Jones, but with more sex and as a chef… and memoir” vibes.
Source: audio review copy via Libro.fm
Source: audio review copy via Libro.fm
August 9, 2025
Fun read. Fan of slutty and v nosey so enjoyed the insights but found a bit of a slog getting through the long descriptions without a gripping story line. Probably would have enjoyed more if she'd ended up with the woman but suppose can't hold her sexuality against her. A love story about London.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 5, 2025
So fun!!!!
Already defensive about the fact that some of the analogies drawn between food and sex are overdone. Reminds me of this boy in Spain who read out a section of Annie Lorde’s book that I had left out on the dining table. I couldn’t help but think that I would hate for him to get his hands on this book. BUT…. I’m not sure I like this writing style any less just because it is an easy target for male ridicule <3
Already defensive about the fact that some of the analogies drawn between food and sex are overdone. Reminds me of this boy in Spain who read out a section of Annie Lorde’s book that I had left out on the dining table. I couldn’t help but think that I would hate for him to get his hands on this book. BUT…. I’m not sure I like this writing style any less just because it is an easy target for male ridicule <3
June 22, 2025
Piggybacking on Bourdain’s incredibly popular, incredibly shocking memoir about the realities of being a chef - sex, drugs, and escarole - our nameless narrator shares a romance set against London’s fine dining scene.
The romance is not what you’d expect, though there’s plenty of sex.
The romance isn’t with a man or a woman, but instead with the burst of adrenaline chef gets every time she sets foot into the crazed atmosphere of a kitchen. Between the whirring tickets demanding her attention, the food runners waiting less than patiently for their plates, and her fellow chefs shouting obscenities at one another, our chef is in love.
It’s something made more accessible of late in pop culture, with books and television giving a glimpse, but it becomes clear: if you aren’t really in the kitchen you’ll never understand.
Chef struggles with depression, seeking salvation in a man, in sex, in conversations with her long suffering father, in a wrap full of knives. She falls in love over and over - and it’s hard to say which lovers are worse for her, the men or the restaurants.
Chef is brash and unforgiving. If women talking about sex (and having it) makes you uncomfortable, this book isn’t for you. But if you’re looking for an uncensored look at the obsession required to become a chef, look no further.
It’s a book that will be great for discussion, preferably around a table set with fine silver, a heavy pour of wine, and a meal that knocks your socks off. And while it’s technically listed as non-fiction memoir, it reads like heady contemporary fiction/romance.
It’s also funny as hell.
While it can be repetitive at times, I highly recommend it if food culture interests you. I devoured this one in 24 hours and I’m still thinking about it.
Vibe check: Restaurant Confidential, The Bear
The romance is not what you’d expect, though there’s plenty of sex.
The romance isn’t with a man or a woman, but instead with the burst of adrenaline chef gets every time she sets foot into the crazed atmosphere of a kitchen. Between the whirring tickets demanding her attention, the food runners waiting less than patiently for their plates, and her fellow chefs shouting obscenities at one another, our chef is in love.
It’s something made more accessible of late in pop culture, with books and television giving a glimpse, but it becomes clear: if you aren’t really in the kitchen you’ll never understand.
Chef struggles with depression, seeking salvation in a man, in sex, in conversations with her long suffering father, in a wrap full of knives. She falls in love over and over - and it’s hard to say which lovers are worse for her, the men or the restaurants.
Chef is brash and unforgiving. If women talking about sex (and having it) makes you uncomfortable, this book isn’t for you. But if you’re looking for an uncensored look at the obsession required to become a chef, look no further.
It’s a book that will be great for discussion, preferably around a table set with fine silver, a heavy pour of wine, and a meal that knocks your socks off. And while it’s technically listed as non-fiction memoir, it reads like heady contemporary fiction/romance.
It’s also funny as hell.
While it can be repetitive at times, I highly recommend it if food culture interests you. I devoured this one in 24 hours and I’m still thinking about it.
Vibe check: Restaurant Confidential, The Bear
August 20, 2025
First and foremost, don't let the author's name, Slutty Cheff make you believe this is some kind of very smutty read...it is not, and neither is she. That is her Instagram name, and she has kept herself anonymous for some time. Her posts of food and restaurants never include her face. And her posts as well as her personal story are delectable!
Tart is her autobiography of sorts. She decided to make a transition from her 9-to-5 corporate job which she hated to something in the food industry because she loved food. As she was taking a course on cooking, she got her first job as the lowest cook in a restaurant and has not looked back since. Well, she did take a few mental illness, need to figure things out "vacations".
As she began her restaurant jobs, she fell in love with the hustle and bustle, but so much more. The cooking, the comradery between employees, the after-service drinks at the bar...and yes, even falling for a bartender and a few chefs!
As she takes the reader into the kitchens where she is working, we see not everything is exciting. When she was starting out, she was basically the only woman in the kitchen and unfortunately was looked down on a bit. As the male chefs stripped off their clothes to get into their cooking outfits, she would just stand there awkwardly and wait so she would be able to change. Many chefs who for whatever reason could not fathom a woman in the kitchen, made sure she knew how they felt. And let's not get into the bullying which would have any human resource department's head spinning! But she got used to this and she endured.
She loved the work and the long hours and the food. She also explains in the book how she fell in love with a couple of chefs, and this is a part of her story as well. Parts which would break anybody's heart and have them retreat and never want to step foot in a restaurant again. And she does give herself a break, only to realize cooking and food are in her blood and no matter what she knows this is where she truly belongs.
Tart will amusingly immerse you into the world of a woman chef who through her wit explains her loves of food, hard work, loss and bravery. It will also make and keep you very, very hungry!
Thank you #NetGalley #S&S/MarysueRucciBooks #SluttyCheff #Tart for the advanced copy.
Tart is her autobiography of sorts. She decided to make a transition from her 9-to-5 corporate job which she hated to something in the food industry because she loved food. As she was taking a course on cooking, she got her first job as the lowest cook in a restaurant and has not looked back since. Well, she did take a few mental illness, need to figure things out "vacations".
As she began her restaurant jobs, she fell in love with the hustle and bustle, but so much more. The cooking, the comradery between employees, the after-service drinks at the bar...and yes, even falling for a bartender and a few chefs!
As she takes the reader into the kitchens where she is working, we see not everything is exciting. When she was starting out, she was basically the only woman in the kitchen and unfortunately was looked down on a bit. As the male chefs stripped off their clothes to get into their cooking outfits, she would just stand there awkwardly and wait so she would be able to change. Many chefs who for whatever reason could not fathom a woman in the kitchen, made sure she knew how they felt. And let's not get into the bullying which would have any human resource department's head spinning! But she got used to this and she endured.
She loved the work and the long hours and the food. She also explains in the book how she fell in love with a couple of chefs, and this is a part of her story as well. Parts which would break anybody's heart and have them retreat and never want to step foot in a restaurant again. And she does give herself a break, only to realize cooking and food are in her blood and no matter what she knows this is where she truly belongs.
Tart will amusingly immerse you into the world of a woman chef who through her wit explains her loves of food, hard work, loss and bravery. It will also make and keep you very, very hungry!
Thank you #NetGalley #S&S/MarysueRucciBooks #SluttyCheff #Tart for the advanced copy.
August 13, 2025
This was so different than anything I’ve read recently but in the best way! A funny yet insightful memoir about two of the best things in life: food and sex.
Slutty Cheff, a woman in her mid-20s who remains anonymous throughout the book, just quit her nice, stable job at a marketing firm to pursue her new dream: become a chef.
This book is filled with the high highs and the low lows that only being an unsure 20-something struggling to find her place in this world can bring.
The insight into the chef world was so fascinating. I have worked in restaurants before, but always as front of house, so it was interesting to get a look into what really goes on in a kitchen.
The author has such a unique voice and it really worked for me. I laughed unexpectedly, I visibly cringed, I gasped out loud, I went through all the emotions while reading this!
Overall, this has been my favorite non-fiction read of the year! I definitely recommend! 5 stars for sure!
Thank you to NetGalley for this arc!
Slutty Cheff, a woman in her mid-20s who remains anonymous throughout the book, just quit her nice, stable job at a marketing firm to pursue her new dream: become a chef.
This book is filled with the high highs and the low lows that only being an unsure 20-something struggling to find her place in this world can bring.
The insight into the chef world was so fascinating. I have worked in restaurants before, but always as front of house, so it was interesting to get a look into what really goes on in a kitchen.
The author has such a unique voice and it really worked for me. I laughed unexpectedly, I visibly cringed, I gasped out loud, I went through all the emotions while reading this!
Overall, this has been my favorite non-fiction read of the year! I definitely recommend! 5 stars for sure!
Thank you to NetGalley for this arc!
Read
August 10, 2025Didn’t finish. I really wanted to like this book. I was really excited for a Kitchen Confidential type book, but it felt like a bad rendition of that. The slutty/chef topics weave together like rough rope—sex clogs her mind, that’s also filled with self loathing, inflated ego, anxiety, and depression. Which might be realistic, honest, and vulnerable, but it’s hard to look past the lack of plot when this person insists on anonymity—does she become a chef at a restaurant I care to read about, or is she just going to continue being a line cook at no-named London restaurants?
The breaking part for me was not understanding why she left the first restaurant, her decision to move to the sea, and her lack of reality of what living by the sea would be.
The breaking part for me was not understanding why she left the first restaurant, her decision to move to the sea, and her lack of reality of what living by the sea would be.
August 10, 2025
Meh. It’s a book about a woman who aspires to be a chef, makes personal strides in a male dominated field, wants to be recognized for her efforts and not singled out as a female in the kitchen but then spends all her mindshare thinking about sex and men. Kind of conflicting vibes about her gender. This book seems overly egotistical but it’s supposed to be a book about searching for purpose and having experiences which clearly she shares. Not sure that her decision making is anything to be emulated but I do agree that the subtitle of the book, Misadventures of an Anonymous Chef, is apt.
August 13, 2025
Wowww a chef asked to spit in your mouth?? Scandalous! This is just normal adventures of a normal person having normal relationships and normal experiences. As someone who has worked with and been in relationships with chefs, this is the most tame recount about relationships in and out of the kitchen. If I wasn’t expecting this to actually be about misadventures of a slutty chef, then perhaps I would’ve enjoyed it more.
August 13, 2025
Really well written (I listened to the audiobook); the pacing is spot-on, so it never drags or gets boring. Not even once.
It gives a sharp, honest glimpse into the life of a young aspiring chef in London, hustling for a spot in the cutthroat world of hospitality.
The author doesn’t shy away from the gritty details—both in the kitchen and in her personal life. It’s raw, real, and probably why she chose to stay anonymous.
Definitely worth the read!
It gives a sharp, honest glimpse into the life of a young aspiring chef in London, hustling for a spot in the cutthroat world of hospitality.
The author doesn’t shy away from the gritty details—both in the kitchen and in her personal life. It’s raw, real, and probably why she chose to stay anonymous.
Definitely worth the read!
September 1, 2025
I really really enjoyed the parts about how much she loves cooking - nice to hear someone who loves what they do.
September 4, 2025
4.5 and on audio. I devoured this!! Such a sexy romp
August 19, 2025
Audiobooked during work so lowkey zoned out so don’t trust me 100% but anywayyyy
Some people swear by Everything ik about love. It’s The Defining Decade for others. This is my in-your-20s bible 😛
Some people swear by Everything ik about love. It’s The Defining Decade for others. This is my in-your-20s bible 😛
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