Hannah Selinger's new memoir explores her decade-long journey in the NYC restaurant industry, offering a nuanced perspective shaped by her experiences as a former sommelier. Unlike conventional chef memoirs, Selinger's writing emphasizes the difficulties and misogyny faced by service workers, recounting her time in the first Momofuku and the traumatic experiences with notable chefs. Her work serves as both a personal reflection and a broader commentary on the cultural and operational nuances of early 2000s fine dining, encapsulating both the allure and disillusionment of the industry.
To Selinger, Chang's memoir, even with its sense of guilt and regret, still failed to grapple with the trauma left in his wake.
As I was working through that piece, I realized that, in opening that door to that one experience, I had a lot of other things that were bothering me.
Drawing on industry memoirs like Service Included over chef memoirs, Selinger offers a time capsule of the early 2000s NYC restaurant scene and its major figures through a service worker's point of view.
It's full of timely, sharp criticism as well as the gossipy, tell-all elements that highlight the complexities and challenges of working in fine dining.
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