Eat a Peach: A Memoir

Eat a Peach: A Memoir – David Chang

David Chang is the chef and restaurateur behind Momofuku, the New York restaurant group that transformed American dining in the 2000s with bold, inventive food influenced by Korean, Japanese and American traditions. He went on to become a television personality and media figure. In Eat a Peach: A Memoir, written with Gabe Ulla, he tells the story of his life and career with striking honesty.

Chang grew up in northern Virginia, the son of Korean immigrants, and was a competitive junior golfer under pressure from a demanding father. After college, he worked in restaurants and studied cooking, spending time in Japan, before opening a small noodle bar in Manhattan’s East Village in 2004. Its success, followed by a string of other restaurants, made him one of the most influential chefs of his generation.

But the memoir is as much about Chang’s inner life as his achievements. He writes candidly about his lifelong struggles with depression and bipolar disorder, his anger, his self-destructive behavior and the toll his intensity took on himself and those who worked for him. He reflects on the toxic aspects of restaurant kitchen culture, his own failings as a leader, and his efforts to change, as well as on identity, race, family and creativity.

He also shares his thoughts on cooking and creativity, explaining how he approaches flavor, ideas and innovation.

Raw, funny and thoughtful, Eat a Peach will appeal to food lovers, aspiring chefs and readers interested in mental health and entrepreneurship. It contains strong language and discussions of mental illness and suicidal thoughts. Readers affected by these issues are encouraged to seek support.