Out of the Frying Pan

Out of the Frying Pan
Gillian Clark
Thomas Dunne Books, St. Martin’s Press
ISBN: 0-312-36693-0
Non-Fiction, Memoir
Reviewed by Kate Greenwood

Loving both reading and cooking for family and friends, Gillian Clark’s book, Out of the Frying Pan A Chef’s Memoir of Hot Kitchens, Single Motherhood, and the Family Meal, was an obvious choice for me to pick up. Clark tells the story of her search for harmony in work and family through food and the establishment of her own top 100 rated restaurant in Washington, DC, Colorado Kitchen.

Clark’s writing flows easily and she uses abundant similes to express herself. Lessons learned raising her two daughters and running a kitchen mirror each other and she reveals them throughout the book. “I’ve found that my kids and my cooks often learn best after they’ve ignored my warnings and painted themselves into a corner. Repeating myself does nothing for them. I may bite my tongue to keep from saying I told you so, but there is nothing more valuable than the hard-earned lesson they get when I let them fall.” Intermixed with the narrative, Clark has included some of her better known homemade recipes including the perfect hamburger and a fabulous sounding cheesecake with blueberry sauce.
Along the way to owning her own restaurant, Clark met much resistance in and out of the kitchen but she persevered hoping to show her daughters that hard work and determination will lead to success. The opening and success of Colorado Kitchen illustrated this and her story will encourage young chefs starting out in the business as well as single moms struggling to get through the day.
I found this book particularly relevant given that my older brother is also a chef. His cooking career has paralleled Clark’s and many of her struggles were also his. Clark learned that dealing with restaurant owners and management could be troublesome and that led her to being her own boss. My brother has recently taken that same step and opened his own catering company. Both my brother and Clark found resistance when they cooked from scratch and used only fresh, in season, ingredients. In the end, chef knows best and after reading this memoir, I am wishing that I lived on the east coast!