Groundbreaking chef Paul Liebrandt writes a memoir in recipes, recounting the story of his rise to culinary fame, subsequent fall and resurrection, and the dishes inspired by key moments at each turn in the road.Paul Liebrandt takes us on a ride through his life as a world-class chef. Mixing up stories of the day-to-day at his New York City restaurant, Corton, with memories from his childhood, his education as a young chef, and his scramble up the ladder of success, Liebrandt shows how all great chefs build their recipes from mismatched parts, "raiding our mental databases, rummaging around for successful combinations, a nifty technique, an abiding example set by our mentors." Drawing inspiration from his meager childhood meals--"fried eggs, swimming in a tray of fat" or "gigantic bowls of porridge, thick as cement"--as well as from the great dishes of culinary legends, this memoir is Liebrandt's literary tasting menu, a representation of one chef's life so far, summed up by the dishes cooked and eaten along the way.