Even if you’ve never heard the name of award-winning chef David Chang, you’re almost certainly familiar with his work. There’s his restaurant empire, Momofuku Group; his Netflix series “Ugly Delicious” (which features more than one location in Japan); and he even became the first celebrity to win $1 million on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.” Now, thanks to “Eat a Peach: A Memoir,” out from Clarkson Potter last September, the world gets another, more personal, look into Chang’s career. You will walk away from it admiring his achievements and impact on restaurant dining. But how you will feel about the man behind the culinary creativity is far less certain.
There’s a delicate balance when evaluating a memoir, being conscientious of critiquing the book versus an ad hominem attack on the author. To be sure, Chang’s prose is snappy and candid, and he has a knack for setting up engrossing vignettes and keeping you on your toes with quippy footnotes.