The Perfectionist : Life and Death in Haute Cuisine

The Perfectionist : Life and Death in Haute Cuisine by Rudolph Chelminski

“On the Monday evening of February 24, 2003, a stupefying announcement broke into the 11 P.M. news bulletins throughout French radio and TV: Bernard Loiseau,…” more…

Review by E. E. McCain :
I picked up this book after learning of the untimely passing of Bernard Loiseau. I previously read “Burgundy Stars” while I was in culinary school and considered that book to be an inspiration. I recommend reading “Burgundy Stars” before tackling this book to get a perspective of Mr. Loiseau during his rise to three stars that is not communicated in “The Perfectionist”. The two work in tandem well. Of course, the suicide of Mr. Loiseau hangs over every passage of this book, so there is a heavy feel to the text from start to finish. With the outcome known, the writer and reader are never able to relax and lightly appreciate the rise of this remarkable man. At every point both the writer and reader are looking for signs of what would lead to the demise of both the man and his image. This is one of my problems with the book. There are few if any light moments to temper the emotion of the death that we all know is on the horizon.

While the tone of the book may be dark, the story is amazing. I feel that anyone who works at high levels or overachieves can take something away from this book. Mr. Loiseau’s mental problems are only one component of his personality. “The secret of success is consistency of purpose.” No one ever embodied this quote more that Bernard Loiseau. Don’t focus on his mental illness, focus on his passion for prefection. Another problem that I have with the book was that the author integrated himself into the text nicely with personal accounts of his relationship with the great chef, but I wanted more of this.

I think that more personal reflections by the author would have endeared me to the story a bit more, but this is just a minor criticism. Overall, I highly recommend this book. I would give it 4.5 out of 5 if possible. If you are a chef, then this is a must-read. Remember, try to read “Burgundy Stars” first, it will make your experience with “The Perfectionist” complete.

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