Hungry: Eating, Road-Tripping, and Risking It All with the Greatest Chef in the World

The hype about New Nordic cuisine may have diminished, but René Redzepi of Noma restaurant in Copenhagen remains a compelling figure. Gordinier (food and wine editor, Esquire) chronicles four years during which the author traveled with Redzepi. Chapters bounce among the United States, Mexico, Denmark, and Australia. Gordinier documents the highs and lows of Noma, from being named the best restaurant in the world to dealing with a norovirus outbreak. Just as the author undergoes a sort of rebirth following the end of his marriage, so too does Redzepi, leading to the closure and reopening of Noma. The book richly describes remarkable ingredients being turned into fantastic meals. Better still, though, Gordinier captures a sense of why such creativity in cooking matters and what the Nordic movement meant.