A Day in the Life and Sous-Chef Summary and Analysis

Bourdain is now executive chef at Brasserie Les Halles, a French restaurant in New York City, and works long hours. His first thoughts upon waking are about food preparation for the day ahead. Bourdain is generally the first to arrive, and the kitchen staff gradually drifts into place in order to begin lunch service at noon. Bourdain has earned a reputation for being demanding, and the purveyors know not to bring inferior products into his kitchen.

Before long, preparations are underway for the dinner serving and Bourdain leaves the restaurant temporarily to explore the fresh produce market where he purchases a few items that will become part of tonight's specials. In between expediting orders and managing inventory for upcoming days, Bourdain also manages personnel issues. Dinner service at the...