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Sugar Burn: The Not So Hot Side of the Sweet Kitchen
After leaving a career in the insurance industry and then one in massage therapy, Ryan Kurr decides to follow his dream of becoming a Pastry Chef. As Ryan whisks his way through some of Chicago’s most acclaimed restaurants with notoriously difficult, award-winning chefs at the helm, he learns an important recipe for self-worth and balance that includes ingredients that are both sweet and savory.
After graduating from pastry school, he began trial days in kitchens, quickly learning the pace was lightning-quick and strenuous. He struggled with his own intense anxieties and sensory overloads as he became acclimated to the industry. After landing his dream job at a famous pastry-driven restaurant, owned and operated by a recent James Beard Award winner, he struggled to keep up, stay alive and pay rent. Surrounded by adrenalized mania, and gargantuan egos, he began to question the structure of the culinary world, his skill and his dream. In turn, he then analyzed what it truly means to be successful.
Sugar Burn is Kurr's detailed and truthful look into the world of professional pastry kitchens and all its pleasures and idiosyncrasies.
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eBook: Amazon
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Or you can add it on Goodreads.
“Simply honest and real. I love how he describes his experiences. More so, I love how each experience did not sour him from taking on another challenge. He paints such a sincere picture of how professional kitchens are and how unglamorous it really is. Still...his passion and determination keeps him going. Everyone in the industry should have a copy of this. I'm sure we can all relate to some of these humbling moments.”
—Maria Selas, Amazon Customer Review
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"I really enjoyed this! I am a hobby baker who has been told more than once I should open a bakery. I always say if I do that, it wouldn’t be a hobby, or fun, anymore...it would be a job. Ryan’s story is eye-opening & anyone who thinks that being a chef, pastry or not, should read this. He is honest & forthcoming about his experiences."
—Paula R., Amazon Customer Review
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"Ryan's literary work illustrates the intensity that exists in the culinary world - with the pastry kitchen as no exception. Through his personal experiences he has captured the insanity, intensity and all-out madness that drives this ego-driven industry. Sugar Burn is an adventurous read for any foodie and a necessary field manual for those about to enter the professional kitchen. I couldn't put it down!!"
—Janet H., Amazon Customer Review
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