BOOKFINDS

The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry by Kathleen Flinn

The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry: Love, Laughter & Tears at the World’s Most Famous Cooking School by Kathleen Flinn

Can it be true? Is it really November? Is Thanksgiving just a few weeks away? In the spirit of the coming holidays and the food that will be brought to our homes and our tables, I felt it only fitting to read Kathleen Flinn’s memoir about her time at Le Cordon Bleu.

I have always heard of this infamous school in passing. A side note to stories of famous chefs. The place where Julia Child studied and cooked, learned and grew. In my mind I imagined white marble and silver, everything polished and gleaming. Chickens roasting in pans with buttery juices overflowing. Chefs in white coats tasting the delicacies with their pinky fingers and expressing, “Mais oui!” to their proud students. In reality, as you will learn from Flinn’s wonderfully honest and enjoyable memoir, the path is bumpy and uphill. Gutting a fish never entered my mind but it was certainly a part of Flinn’s journey.

In the end, this is a story of the unusual turns and twists our lives take when we reach for dreams, challenge ourselves and seek new destinations on our journey. A beautiful memoir and a wonderful read for the food-filled holiday season!