A riveting behind-the-scenes look at the world of three-star French haute cuisine as revealed through the biography of one of Franceas most celebrated chefs, The Perfectionist is an unforgettable portrait of Bernard Loiseau, and the sophisticated, unforgiving world of French gastronomy. Loiseau was one of only twenty-five French chefs to hold Europeas highest culinary award, three stars in the Michelin Red Guide, and only the second chef to be personally awarded the Legion of Honor by a head of state. Despite such triumphs, he shocked the culinary world by taking his own life in February, 2003. One of the ratings for his restaurant had taken a disappointing drop, and rumors swirled that he was on the verge of losing a Michelin star (a prediction that proved to be inaccurate). Recounting his ascension to wealth and fame, Chelminski unravels the complex character of Loiseau while giving a fascinating, unvarnished glimpse inside an echelon filled with competition, culture wars, and impossibly high standards. BACKCOVER: aLoiseau seems likely to become a mordant icon of the eternal war between critics and cooksa] Chelminski] has a moving story to tell, with universal implications: the downfall of the artist through perfectionism and paranoia.a

aAdam Gopnick, The New Yorker

aThe Perfectionist tells, in rich detail, the story of Bernard Loiseauas rapid rise and desperate efforts to stay on top, but this cautionary tale is also a deeply informed guide to the last half century of French cuisinea]a

aWilliam Grimes, The New York Times

aOne of the finest and most incisive portraits of a chef ever writtenaand a sobering account of the real human costs of being the best.A book as strong on who cooks as what is cooking. Absolutely fascinating.

aAnthony Bourdain, author of the New York Times bestseller Kitchen Confidential

aA revealing look at the rise and fall of French chef Bernard Loiseaua]a

aPeople Magazineas aGreat Readsa

aThe Perfectionist is a good book: knowledgeable, revealing, and informative. It brings back to life in very believable ways a man who much of the time was, as the clichA(c) goes, larger than life.a

aJohnathan Yardley, The Washington Post

aa]rich and finely detaileda]if youare at all curious about what makes our always maddening yet intriguing allies tick, then tuck into The Perfectionist...a

aUSA Today

aThe Perfectionist examines Loiseauas suicide in the context of French culinary history, delving deep into the mad passion that seems to drive many master chefsa] Mouthwatering descriptions abounda]the behind-the-scenes look at the kitchens of some of Franceas finest restaurants is fascinatinga]a

aThe Boston Globe

aa]The Perfectionist effectively reveals the pressure-cooker atmosphere among a culinary elite dominated by intense rivalries, fickle reviewers, and hypercritical chefs for whom there is no such thing as second best.a

aEntertainment Weekly

aRudolph Chelminski is an excellent and absorbing writer who obviously understands the inner workings of the culinary world, as well as how chefs think. His empathy for the industry as a whole - and for Bernard Loiseau in particular - makes The Perfectionist a fascinating read.a

aDaniel Boulud, Chef/Owner DANIEL, author of Letters to a Young Chef and Daniel Bouludas CafA(c) Boulud Cookbook

A riveting behind-the-scenes look at the mysterious world of three-star French haute cuisine is revealed through the biography of one of France's most celebrated chefs--Bernard Loiseau, who ended his own life on February 24, 2003, after one of his restaurant's ratings took a disappointing drop.

Freelance writer and author, RUDOLPH CHELMINSKI has been living in Europe ever since the sixties, when he was sent to Paris as a writer for LIFE magazine. He has also written for Smithsonian, Playboy, Reader's Digest, Wired, Atlantic Monthly, Town and Country, Fortune, Money, People, Time, and many other publications.