---
product_id: 211127868
title: "The Devil in the Kitchen: Sex, Pain, Madness, and the Making of a Great Chef"
price: "$107"
currency: NZD
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 9
url: https://www.desertcart.nz/products/211127868-the-devil-in-the-kitchen-sex-pain-madness-and-making
store_origin: NZ
region: New Zealand
---

# The Devil in the Kitchen: Sex, Pain, Madness, and the Making of a Great Chef

**Price:** $107
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** The Devil in the Kitchen: Sex, Pain, Madness, and the Making of a Great Chef
- **How much does it cost?** $107 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.nz](https://www.desertcart.nz/products/211127868-the-devil-in-the-kitchen-sex-pain-madness-and-making)

## Best For

- Customers looking for quality international products

## Why This Product

- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Description

Buy The Devil in the Kitchen: Sex, Pain, Madness, and the Making of a Great Chef Illustrated by White, Marco Pierre (ISBN: 9781596914971) from desertcart's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.

Review: The original and best - Marco Pierre White put chefs on the map without meaning to. His reputation whilst at Harveys in the 80s filled many a column inch in the London and National Press and yet refrreshingly, he wasn't courting fame, he simply wanted to feed people the best food they could possibly imagine. Before reading this book I had heard of his fearsome reputation, his genius, and his regular appearances in gossip columns (again, not something he courts). When you understand from the early chapters of this book that this is the story of a boy who lost his mother at age six, then you begin to understand the man behind the myth. To say he was passionate and driven would be to understate the case dramatically. He was a loner, being motherless, and later, estranged from his father. Food was everything to the point where he barely had time to eat it any more, let alone sleep or have a life away from the kitchen. Its a gripping story with cameos from various famous faces and a fascinating historical snapshot of London in the Eighties. Its a story of how hard work maketh the man, a story sadly seen all too rarely amongst today's fame hungry consumerism. Marco himself remains a likebale enigma. He has been rude, unpleasant, violent even, and has the decency to admit it and explain why without offering excuses for his past mistakes. He appears awkward with women, understandably so since he wasn't brought up around them, and spent his adolescence in front of a hot stove. He is almost pathologically sensitive and proclaims his affection for a friend in one chapter before stating in the next "we havemn't spoken since". This has happened to just about every mentor and friend he has comes across and perhaps reveals a fear of getting close to anyone in case they leave as his mother did. Or maybe he's just picky, who knows? Its a shame though, as he appears to inspire great and deep affection in those who know him. Its hardly surprising that having been the youngest and first British chef to acheive three Michelin stars, he hung up his apron in 1999 whilst still in his thirties. He is now married with a total of four children and more of a businessman than a chef today. However, if you saw him in Hell's Kitchen earlier in 2006, you will see, as I did that there is an unmistakable charisma there and a code of honour and respect that is positively Sicilian. I will also mention that this is edited (or ghostwritten) but I sense that this could be because Marco is dyslexic and has never switched on a computer in his life. His turn of phrase, from the humourous to the downright poetic, is unmistakeable and his vibrant rumbling tone, with just a soupcon of Leeds, is heard loud and clear throughout. As you can probably guess, this book made a huge impact on me and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone, regardless of their usual reading preferences. I am sure you, like me, will agree that this motherless boy deserves his happily ever after with his wife and family.
Review: A pleasure to meet you sir! - I have been a fan of this great man for years and finally got to read his bio a few weeks ago and what a read it was! Ever since I saw a documentary years ago I have been fascinated by what makes this man tick. I have never believed what the press said about him as I like to make my own mind up about people. The papers have always seemed to have it in for Marco and have given him some really unfair names over the years. Yes, he bollocked guys if they did not pull there weight...But it was never personal, just part of working in a VERY BUSY professional kitchen and he did fall out with one or two good friends, but don't we all? If you buy this book you will see in to the Real life of, yes, the greatest British chef who has ever lived bar none! The main artery that runs through this book is story of Marco loosing his mum at the age of six and it just shows him as a real person with real feelings and he really does have a very kind heart as you will find out if you read this fine book...The final page really made me weep, and as a full blooded male I am not ashamed at all!. If we had grown up on the same street we could have been best mates as we both liked fishing , shooting and...POACHING! good on yer Marco and God bless you great man!

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | 68,982 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) 39 in Restaurant Cookbooks 679 in Biographies & Memoirs (Books) |
| Customer reviews | 4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars (2,453) |
| Dimensions  | 13.97 x 1.91 x 20.83 cm |
| Edition  | Illustrated |
| ISBN-10  | 1596914971 |
| ISBN-13  | 978-1596914971 |
| Item weight  | 1.05 kg |
| Language  | English |
| Print length  | 272 pages |
| Publication date  | 27 May 2008 |
| Publisher  | Bloomsbury USA |

## Images

![The Devil in the Kitchen: Sex, Pain, Madness, and the Making of a Great Chef - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41IfnC6OpxL.jpg)
![The Devil in the Kitchen: Sex, Pain, Madness, and the Making of a Great Chef - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51SxRF04xcL.jpg)
![The Devil in the Kitchen: Sex, Pain, Madness, and the Making of a Great Chef - Image 3](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/811UW08BgEL.jpg)
![The Devil in the Kitchen: Sex, Pain, Madness, and the Making of a Great Chef - Image 4](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81Sc4a7WkHL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The original and best
*by C***R on 14 December 2007*

Marco Pierre White put chefs on the map without meaning to. His reputation whilst at Harveys in the 80s filled many a column inch in the London and National Press and yet refrreshingly, he wasn't courting fame, he simply wanted to feed people the best food they could possibly imagine. Before reading this book I had heard of his fearsome reputation, his genius, and his regular appearances in gossip columns (again, not something he courts). When you understand from the early chapters of this book that this is the story of a boy who lost his mother at age six, then you begin to understand the man behind the myth. To say he was passionate and driven would be to understate the case dramatically. He was a loner, being motherless, and later, estranged from his father. Food was everything to the point where he barely had time to eat it any more, let alone sleep or have a life away from the kitchen. Its a gripping story with cameos from various famous faces and a fascinating historical snapshot of London in the Eighties. Its a story of how hard work maketh the man, a story sadly seen all too rarely amongst today's fame hungry consumerism. Marco himself remains a likebale enigma. He has been rude, unpleasant, violent even, and has the decency to admit it and explain why without offering excuses for his past mistakes. He appears awkward with women, understandably so since he wasn't brought up around them, and spent his adolescence in front of a hot stove. He is almost pathologically sensitive and proclaims his affection for a friend in one chapter before stating in the next "we havemn't spoken since". This has happened to just about every mentor and friend he has comes across and perhaps reveals a fear of getting close to anyone in case they leave as his mother did. Or maybe he's just picky, who knows? Its a shame though, as he appears to inspire great and deep affection in those who know him. Its hardly surprising that having been the youngest and first British chef to acheive three Michelin stars, he hung up his apron in 1999 whilst still in his thirties. He is now married with a total of four children and more of a businessman than a chef today. However, if you saw him in Hell's Kitchen earlier in 2006, you will see, as I did that there is an unmistakable charisma there and a code of honour and respect that is positively Sicilian. I will also mention that this is edited (or ghostwritten) but I sense that this could be because Marco is dyslexic and has never switched on a computer in his life. His turn of phrase, from the humourous to the downright poetic, is unmistakeable and his vibrant rumbling tone, with just a soupcon of Leeds, is heard loud and clear throughout. As you can probably guess, this book made a huge impact on me and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone, regardless of their usual reading preferences. I am sure you, like me, will agree that this motherless boy deserves his happily ever after with his wife and family.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A pleasure to meet you sir!
*by B***A on 10 November 2012*

I have been a fan of this great man for years and finally got to read his bio a few weeks ago and what a read it was! Ever since I saw a documentary years ago I have been fascinated by what makes this man tick. I have never believed what the press said about him as I like to make my own mind up about people. The papers have always seemed to have it in for Marco and have given him some really unfair names over the years. Yes, he bollocked guys if they did not pull there weight...But it was never personal, just part of working in a VERY BUSY professional kitchen and he did fall out with one or two good friends, but don't we all? If you buy this book you will see in to the Real life of, yes, the greatest British chef who has ever lived bar none! The main artery that runs through this book is story of Marco loosing his mum at the age of six and it just shows him as a real person with real feelings and he really does have a very kind heart as you will find out if you read this fine book...The final page really made me weep, and as a full blooded male I am not ashamed at all!. If we had grown up on the same street we could have been best mates as we both liked fishing , shooting and...POACHING! good on yer Marco and God bless you great man!

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Obsessed, Obsessive, Difficult, Genius
*by K***R on 22 May 2017*

Marco Pierre White what an amazing story. Ever wanted to know what you can achieve by hard work and passion? How about the youngest ever 3 Michelin Star holder and First Ever British 3 Michelin Star Chef. The almost rock star status he had achieved by his late twenties is all the more amazing when you consider. He grew up on a council estate in Leeds, his mother died when he was 6 and his father worked all hours to keep the family together. This is the story of how he did it, warts and all. After all Marco was also famous as the foul mouthed bully of the kitchen. It seems to work though as many of his young chefs went onto make big names for themselves. Including the mighty Gordon Ramsey. At the time this book was written, they had fallen out big time.I hope that many years later they have reconciled, but given Marco's past record I doubt it. Anyway, a fantastic book that should make 99.9% of people run away from the thought of being a chef and should make 99% of chefs realise that really they may never be more than glorified cooks. Such were the standards he set.

## Frequently Bought Together

- DEVIL IN THE KITCHEN
- Medium Raw

---

## Why Shop on Desertcart?

- 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016
- 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories
- 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price
- 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members)
- 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection
- ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews

**Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.nz/products/211127868-the-devil-in-the-kitchen-sex-pain-madness-and-making](https://www.desertcart.nz/products/211127868-the-devil-in-the-kitchen-sex-pain-madness-and-making)

---

*Product available on Desertcart New Zealand*
*Store origin: NZ*
*Last updated: 2026-02-11*