i loved this book so much, it became my de-facto holiday gift of choice. it is a fascinating insight into mario batali, and his formative work in italy. written in a clear concise hand by bill buford, it resonates with both the amateur and the pro, with insights into what it takes to "make it" in a big time kitchen, and also how to appreciate the foods we sometimes take for granted such as the humble polenta.

Heat is an enjoyable romp through the world of celebrity chefs. Although the scenes from New York were informative and gave the reader a "different" side of Mario, the last half of the book in Italy was the best. The descriptions of the small town and its characters were fabulous. If you love to cook and watch Food Network, this book is for you.

I enjoyed this book because it felt as if I was being taken into the world of chefs and their assistants. Once I started the book,it was hard to put down. I enjoyed it so much that I passed it on to a friend who I felt would also enjoy the book.

This book was a Christmas present for my wife. We had spent five weeks the previous fall eating our way through parts of Italy. I got got read it first. It was a burner on so many different levels. For me, it was an update on New York restaurant kitchens. I had cooked with Dionne Lucas and others in the middle 60's. The Batali kitchens seemed more frenetic than the kitchens of 40 years earlier but the personalities were no less intense than then than now nor the absolute requirements for perfection from the kitchen staff.

Batali, whom I do not know other than through television, is revealed larger than life, self indulgent but admirable. Attention to the lives, structures, hierarchies, aspirations frustration of the kitchen staff, by individual, gender and ethnicity was well drawn and compelling.

And Italy!

The tightly drawn glimpses into the lives of Italian gastronomy, the raising, choosing, preparation and adulation of food, the relationships between geography, culture, family, agriculture and personality were more than one could have expected from a book dedicated solely to that exploration.

How all this great stuff was fit, so organically, into less than several thousand pages. amazes me

My wife couldn't put it down.

This book was purchased as a gift for my adult son, who also happens to be an excellent cook. He has been talking about it to everyone. I highly recommend it to those with an interest in the way a professional kitchen runs and a fascination with programs like the Iron Chef on the Food Channel.