Patrick’s Picks 2022 Biographies/Memoirs

Honorable Mention

Love, Loss, & What We Ate : A Memoir - Padma Lakshmi

If you have ever watched the show Top Chef then you know that while the show is the best food competition on tv it would be nothing without it’s host Padma Lakshmi. A veritable human food encyclopedia, Lakshmi’s intimate knowledge of all things culinary and expert palate push competitors to deliver their best and create dishes that impress her. Her memoir dives deeper than the reality show host façade and explores her childhood as an immigrant, new to the United States and how her upbringing and travels have influenced her thoughts on food and life. Brimming with the good, the bad, and the ugly, this is an incredibly heartfelt and thoughtful memoir on dealing with everything the world throws at you and still finding the time to enjoy the food and family along the way. If you’re looking for a great account to follow on Instagram, please follow her, I’d also recommend her Hulu show, Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi. For the globetrotting foodie.

Second Runner-Up

Crying in H Mart - Michelle Zauner

Crying in H Mart is the type of memoir that has you laughing one moment and sobbing the next. In her memoir Michelle Zauner explores her relationships with her parents, especially with her mother as she becomes sick and ultimately passes. A study on grief and the way food connects us to our loved ones who’ve passed. Just as Zauner found solace in cooking her mother’s native Korean dishes, I have found that specific foods and restaurants hold so much of a person when they have left us. Food connects us in such a visceral way, it can be a lifeline between those of us living and those who have already gone before us. This intimate and poignant memoir took my heart out , wrung it out, fed me a heartwarming meal, and sewed me back up again. Inspired I made my own pilgrimage to H Mart, marveling at everything new, rejoicing in the fantastic fresh produce, and filling my cart with too many delicious things. For the person whose heart is hungry.

First Runner-Up

Jim Henson : The Biography - Brian Jay Jones

Since I was a little kid I have loved the Muppets. From Sesame Street to Muppet Treasure Island to Fraggle Rock, Jim Henson’s work has had a huge impact on my life and this brilliant biography on him really gave me insight into the man behind the muppet. This biography takes you through the life of Henson and explores how his life shaped his work. Insanely creative, entrepreneurial, hardworking, and funny while you come to see Henson in an almost godlike way, you are also exposed to his flaws and imperfections and gain a truly full fledged view of the person. From Henson’s time growing up outside of Washington DC, to in depth investigations of all of his works, to his family life this is an exemplary biography on one of the most prolific creative geniuses. For the child at heart.

Patrick’s Pick 2022 Best Memoir/Biography

The Man Who Ate Too Much : The Life of James Beard - John Birdsall

My favorite biography/memoir of 2022, The Man Who Ate Too Much : The Life of James Beard was a fascination look at a figure in American culinary history who like an onion had layers upon layers to him (thanks Shrek!). Beyond just being the “Dean of AMerican Cooking,” this biography delves into who James Beard was and what shaped his views on cuisine and food. Born in Portland, Oregon in 1903, Beard was fundamentally influenced by the food of the Pacific Northwest, its freshness, seasonality, and commitment to local production. This along with his time spent traveling and cooking and eating formed Beard into the man who shaped the direction of the American culinary world in the mid 20th century, truly pushing it towards what it has become today. A gay man living with a foot outside the closet door, this biography also explores what life was like for queer people in the 1900’s and how sexuality was both a pass into exclusive worlds of society but also held one back in the public eye. A fantastic portrait of someone who lived a delicious life, this biography will inspire you to cook a fantastic meal, open a bottle of wine, and toast to good food and friends, as well as many more good meals in the future. For the person who loves to eat.