From the reviews that I've read and from my son's experience as a restaurant cook most of the information is correct - especially as it pertains to NYC restaurants.

What's a line cook? Vique.

Vique, I was wondering the same thing. Maybe it's like an assembly line?

All restaurant kitchens are divided into stations such as grill,saute,fry and cold foods. A line cook is in charge of his station. he may also have a team to oversee. They are the prep cooks. Sometimes a line cook may be the pastry chef or even a butcher. In a busy kitchen everyone has their job. Some have jobs where they work alone ,others work with a small team. The line cook is responsible for every little thing that comes out of his area of the kitchen. The line cook has to manage his small staff of helpers if his job doesn't have him working alone. He also has to coordinate everything with the rest of the kitchen so everything comes out on time. Plus he has multiple orders to work on at once, hence all the stress.

Chef de parte is the French term for line cook. He is a part of the whole.

DS is a great cook and considered going into it for about 5 seconds. He has friends who are chefs in well known high end restaurants. Many would love to get out of the business. It's nothing like what they dreamed it would be when entering culinary school.

A line cook is responsible for the daily preparation of food items in the pantry, fry and/or stations or other
areas of the kitchen.

He stands behind the line where the waitress picks up food and where the food is kept warm under lights.

Thanks Wildchild, I couldn't have described it as well as you did. I didn't want to get this off on what people thought of Anthony Bourdain! Myself, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. And it's an old book, copyright 2000. I was a line cook for breakfast and lunch. I knew the "dance" and enjoyed it. We weren't allowed to garnish the plate except for oranges and parsley. Our food had to speak for itself.

I haven't read the book but I have a vague recollection that DS has maybe met the guy. I can't say for sure though. It's just a niggling little memory chip of something he once said in my brain. I do know he has referred to him and his book. He knows a lot of people and I can't keep track of who what when.

Just asked DS and he said no. One of his chef friends has met him, not him.

Thanks for the answer everyone. Vique.