“What is amazing to me, a writer who's been covering this industry since about the time Grant arrived at the French Laundry, is the honesty and jarring frankness with which Grant and Nick write, from every angle—personal, emotional, even financial. Grant's career, the opening of Alinea, his beating cancer—it's a hell of a story.”
Michael Ruhlman, author of Ratio and The Soul of a Chef
“This is not the cancer story in which the disease makes the guy realize he needs to stop focusing on his work and finally spend time with his two young sons, see his parents more, and reconnect with his former sweetheart. No, this is the cancer story that makes a man realize that his screaming ambition was right the whole time and that if he had only a month to live, he’d better get some stuff done.”
Time magazine
“Much like sitting down to eat at his groundbreaking restaurant Alinea, reading the story behind Grant Achatz’s life will take you places you never imagined. From his upbringing in a small family restaurant to staring death in the face while winning the title of “Best Chef in the United States,” his is a truly inspiring story—not only as a chef but as a person.”
Eric Ripert, Chef/Owner, Le Bernardin
“As readers and booksellers, we’re always delighted when a book affects us in one overarching way, but when it does so in three or four ways it’s something to behold. Life, on the Line pinned me to my chair. Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas’s book is intense, what I can only think of as the literary equivalent of Grant’s food—surprising and unique. … Ultimately, the book is a candid testament to a phenomenal creative drive joined with a phenomenal will to live. This Life is stunning.”
Sheryl Cotleur, Book Passage, Corte Madera, CA
“Life, on the Line is easily one of my favorite food memoirs of all time. It's honest and powerful. For those of us in the book industry, the lessons they teach about the perfection possible in ceaseless change that's solidly grounded in hard work are essential.”
Michael Barnard, Owner & General Manager, Rakestraw Books, "The Bookstore in Danville", Danville, CA
