Publishers Weekly
02/21/2022
“My clenched hands and stern smirk are meant to keep the doubters and haters at bay,” writes celebrity chef Rush in his bombastic debut. In profanity-laced prose that may as well be written in all caps, Rush—who found fame when a photo of his buff arms manning a grill at the White House went viral in 2018—recalls the brawn that went into his success. He grew up in Mississippi in the 1970s as a “sickly” and “quiet boy” who later joined the military, where he got hooked on culinary competitions and eventually worked his “ass off” in the Pentagon kitchen. For a while, he skated by on bluster, but in time he found mentors, began cooking for the White House in 1997, and became a mentor himself. Oscillating between encomiums (“Being Noticed + Success = Getting Hate”) and tough talk (“People always wanted me to kiss ass. And a guy like me just can’t do that”), the narrative seems to scoff at vulnerability. Disappointingly, though there’s much to admire in Rush’s career—particularly his efforts to promote suicide awareness and help those with PTSD—his story never gets beneath the surface. Some may wonder if this is just a promotional push for the author’s upcoming TV series. (Apr.)
Kirkus Reviews
2022-01-13
A Black chef’s journey from poverty to the kitchens of the White House.
Rush grew up poor in Mississippi, playing sports, lifting weights, and cooking. As “an extremely quiet kid,” he was an easy target for bullying and racism. Feeling helpless, his frustration and rage began to grow. In search of a better life, he joined the Army, where he became a cook. After demonstrating a gift for ice sculpting, Rush was asked to be on the culinary team and began competing in events. Soon he was assigned to the Pentagon to work for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In addition to his other duties, Rush began taking culinary classes and working catering jobs on the side, which led to an assignment at West Point. Despite his continued career advancements, the Army was hardly immune to prejudice: “Racism reared its ugly head time and time again.” With raw emotion and increasing profanity, Rush describes his difficult times in the military, often unapologetically responding to racist behavior and possible physical violence with his own threats. After one altercation, the author admits wondering if something may be wrong with him, so he began attending therapy for PTSD. However, he writes, “they were overmedicating me and everybody else.” So Rush flushed his meds and turned to cooking as a coping mechanism, and he also discussed with other soldiers the power of cooking to ameliorate PTSD. The author went on to work under four different presidents at the White House, and he earned moderate celebrity status in 2018 when a journalist took a photograph of his massive biceps, which he honed through decades of work “lifting 700 pounds out of anger, performing 2,222 push-ups every day to help those who gave up, who think about giving up, and who need help.” This notoriety, he writes, has helped him in his quest to assist wounded soldiers and provide direction for underprivileged kids.
Some readers may balk at the language, but this is an undeniably inspiring story.
