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In Fireproof: A Memoir of a Life on Fire, Chef Curtis Duffy shares his journey with his trademark intensity and candor.
We follow his path from his grim and brutal childhood, his growing devotion to his culinary craft, and his tenacity in clinging to the idea that he could make something of himself despite the self-doubt that has dogged him from his earliest years. Through Curtis’s eyes, we see what it took to survive being raised under the roof of his savage biker father, how he coped with the tragic deaths of his parents who still haunt him, how he became a world-class chef—and the toll that dedication took on marriage and family life—and how he navigates all of the dramas that play out behind the swinging door to the kitchen, and all of the elation experienced from achieving monumental goals, making dreams come true, and the joy of learning from people at the very top of their profession.
We meet the greats, from Anthony Bourdain to Grant Achatz, and the not-so-greats—those young chefs who just want to be on TV and fall to pieces when asked to break down a chicken or bake a simple pie. By turns raw and heartfelt, hilarious and defiant, Curtis takes on the cult of celebrity, shares his deep joy in creating remarkable dishes, and walks us down his path of survival against terrible odds, redemption, and success—and herein, we learn what makes him FIREPROOF.
