ALL OR NOTHING

Blending Kitchen Confidential, Blood, Bones & Butter, and Breaking Bad, a culinary memoir that illuminates the highs and lows of addiction, anxiety, and ambition in the world of haute cuisine.

Thirty-one-year-old Jesse Schenker has rocketed to the top of the culinary world. An Iron Chef winner and James Beard nominee, he was voted Best New Chef by New York Magazine, and his acclaimed Recette was named Best New Restaurant by the New York Times. But Jesse’s epic rise masks a little-known past filled with demons and obsession, genius and mania.

Growing up in wealthy suburban Florida, Jesse was introduced to the culinary world―and the world of hard drugs. Becoming a high-school dropout addicted to heroin and crack, he was alienated from his family and wanted by the cops. By twenty-one, he had robbed, cheated, and lied to everyone in his life―and had overdosed, been shot at and nearly beaten to death. His eventual arrest motivated him to get clean.

Jesse learned to channel his obsessiveness and need to get ever “higher” into his career. But his growing success fueled his anxiety, leading to panic attacks and hypochondria. In this startling and down to earth memoir, Jesse lays it all on the table for the first time, reflecting on his insatiable appetite for the extreme―which has led to his biggest triumphs and failures―and shares the shocking story of his turbulent life.

How does a homeless addict become an acclaimed chef without losing himself in the process?

• Addiction and Recovery: From a high school dropout hooked on heroin and crack to finding sobriety in the last place he ever expected: a jail cell.
• Behind the Scenes Kitchen Life: The intense, high-pressure world of New York’s elite kitchens, where Jesse trades one addiction for another: the relentless pursuit of culinary perfection.
• Mental Health and Ambition: A raw look at the anxiety, panic attacks, and hypochondria fueled by the same obsessive drive that earned him an Iron Chef win and a James Beard nomination.
• An Inspirational True Story: The unforgettable story of going from homeless, wanted by the cops, and alienated from his family to becoming the celebrated chef-owner of the acclaimed NYC restaurant, Recette.

Jesse Schenker is executive chef and owner, with his wife, Lindsay, of The Gander and Recette in New York City. He was named one of the Best New Chefs by New York magazine, and beat Chef Geoffrey Zakarian in an Iron Chef America battle. He lives in New York City with his wife and two children.