I received an advanced audio copy of Your Table is Ready by Michael Cecchi-Azzolina from the publisher Macmillan Audio via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What It’s About: Michael Cecchi-Azzolina worked for years as a maître d’hotel at some of the most famous and exclusive restaurants. In this role, if you wanted a seat or to be seen or make a splash, you had to get through him.

This book includes a lot of stories and traces the author’s journey through the New York restaurant scene. I found some of the stories really captivating especially the ones related to the mob. I think if you’re a foodie or you recognize a lot of these places, it will be extra captivating to you because you will kind of have the full background. I did not know the places or the chefs and so I think this kind of limited my enjoyment of the book.

While this memoir didn’t fully work for me (mainly cause I knew nothing about the topic and the author did not give context, why should he? It’d read a bit braggy if he had!) , I think if you are familiar with the New York food scene you’ll enjoy this book.

I went into this hoping that Your Table is Ready: Tales of a New York City Maître D' would be for the restaurant industry what Heads in Beds was for the hotel industry or Chasing Hillary was for campaign reporting: an entertaining deep-dive into the many wacky scenarios wait staff encounter everyday in their line of work. In fairness to Michael Cecchi-Azzolina, that probably describes about a quarter of this book. The author's hilarious voice impersonations and plucky underdog schtick will have you howling through tales of neurotic French managers and wannabe mobsters with a score to settle. There are some heartfelt moments as well, like whenever MCA goes to visit yet another coworker in the hospital who's about to succumb to AIDS (he names sixteen of them in the acknowledgements).

But the rest of the book leans way too far into "bro" territory for me. Although the author throws in the occasional nod that it was a different time and the industry has changed since the 1980s (probably at the behest of his publisher), he still basks in the glory days of endless booze and drugs, careless hook-ups, and constant sexual harassment (none of which he portrays himself as having taken part in). Sometimes it felt like gratuitous oversharing, and other times more like bragging. Not to mention that some of the stories sounded rather implausible, such as the time a hot foreign lesbian couple decided to pleasure him. . . in the middle of a crowded restaurant. . . with butter. Yeah. (Hilariously, he also claims that he refused a job offer from the Trumps to work at the Plaza Hotel, which doesn't square at all with the rest of the book, where MCA characterizes himself as constantly looking for a better-paying job. Methinks he's pandering a bit).

There's also organizational issues. Your Table is Ready is very scatterbrained, jumping around the author's years of traveling, acting, pursuing higher education, and eventually settling down, all of which are merely mentioned in passing. Worse is how all the restaurants start to blend together and none of the large cast of characters makes a lasting impression beyond brief anecdotes. I don't know if I've ever been to a restaurant with a maître d', but this book left me convinced that fine restaurants are a waste of time and money. I think I'll just stick to eating at chain restaurants with the rest of the plebs.

A fascinating and educational memoir about the glamorous and fancy restaurant industry in New York City including a behind the scenes look at how the industry truly operates from a maitre D with 30+ years of experience. Spoiler alert: it’s not as glamorous as it seems on the outside!

The audiobook is narrated by the author, which I always adore when they do that in memoirs/nonfiction. I know nothing about the restaurant industry so it’s very educational and Michael’s raw honesty and personality is very refreshing.

TOODALOO off to shove my face because this book made me HUNGRY!

Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio, Michael, and NetGalley for an ALC of this title!

I love it when the author narrates their own book! I know exactly the tone of the book right away rather it be sarcastic, serious, funny etc. Cecchi-Azzolina is a actor. He makes the audio book so much more entertaining, almost like a performance. However like most autobiography, it is very subjective.

I have never worked at a high end restaurant let alone in the New York City. It is very similar as any other restaurants, except I did not get to meet any celebrities and my tips were a lot less. I recommend this book to anyone does not have any restaurant work experience and would like to know how it works.

3.5 out of 5 stars
Received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A dishy look into the hottest restaurants in NYC chronicled by Cecchi with 35 years of experience in the industry.

Cecchi provides a back-of-house look at the restaurant business. From the chaos to the success, this is an unflinching memoir that will drop plenty of names and leave you feeling hungry.

In the middle of a reading season that is similar to a drought, so trying different things to bring reading back into my life. While on a car trip, I decided a non fiction audiobook could be a great companion and it was.

I enjoyed the behind the scenes look at the restaurant scene in New York City and while I was never a waitress, I have enjoyed a plethora of restaurants in New York City and beyond, so it was fun to hear all the things that you don't see while dining! My favorite stories were the dealings with not just the celebrities but the known in New York City and the negotiations about dining times and tables - may have rolled my eyes a few times!

A fair warning that this book had moments that made me blush! A few penis stories with some sexual harassment on the side and some drugs and excessive drinking, but I appreciated the honesty of it all. I would recommend this one to those who love the food memoirs as this perspective from someone other than the owner or chef made it feel unique.

I always appreciate with a non fiction when the author reads it. They just give it extra flavor, so I was so glad to hear Michael share his own words with this audiobook.

This book was very entertaining. I’ve always been mesmerized by the restaurant service industry and what goes on behind the scenes, especially when it comes to fine dining. I was not prepared for how it seems to really be. With all of the risqué things that apparently go on. I wish there was more focus on the food aspect than there was and maybe a little more on well known and celebrity guests but overall I enjoyed this audiobook.

Wow - this one turned me off with language and the narrator. Sorry - it did not work for me. I started this but just could not get past the tone and the vulgarness of the author. It really was nothing like I thought it would be.

Really enjoyed this look into the restaurant life. As a former server/bartender parts of this made me so nostalgic and the groups of people that popped up on the book felt familiar.
Great audio narration and an entertaining listen!

Thank you so much to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book. I was so excited to read this book because of my deep love and passion for working in the industry. I was extremely disappointed. This book was not for me.

I have read a lot of food writing, and enjoy books about the industry from a purely voyeuristic point of view. I requested this book based on these preferences. I listened to an audio format. If books had ratings like movies, this would've been rated R for language. Lots of cursing throughout. I expect some language from chef books, but I was not prepared for it in this book about the front of the house. In hindsight I'm not sure why? Anyway, I did not complete the book because I was turned off by the language. I'm giving it 3 stars for bringing a new and interesting to the food and restaurant writing sphere.

This book was a really realistic look into the hospitality industry, with some scandalous bits as well. The author, unfortunately, was just really annoying. He kept trying to give himself the gravitas of Bourdain and failing. Also came across kinda scummy with regards to young women in the industry.

I listened to this as an audiobook. I did enjoy the interesting stories but it fell short for me. I have read Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain and thought it was similar but not with the gravitas that he has. The stories by Cecchi-Azzolina were interesting. Would I recommend this book? Maybe but you have to be very interested in the restaurant/food culture to appreciate it.

3.5 stars

I requested this to try something outside of my usual romance or mystery reads. It’s surprisingly good! I feel like I’m sitting down in a private room at a cafe or restaurant and enjoying an evening full of storytelling from someone I’ve just met.

There was a lot of name-dropping, but these stories were engaging, like the kind you'd listen to if visiting a friend who was invited to some sort of dinner party of a friend of a friend where everyone couldn't avoid listening to the loud, obnoxious guy in the back. Sure, he was full of himself, but a fair amount of the stories were fun. That's how this book was.

Your Table is Ready by Michael Cecchi-Azzolina is a collection of his personal stories about his life in the NYC restaurant industry. He spent a lot of time talking about his youth, working in and around the mob, before finally getting to actual restaurant stories.

A lot of his stories, narrated by the author himself, centered around which employees were sleeping with whom (Worded a tad differently in the narration) and who was doing which drug, especially how to use the drugs they stored in the ice bins behind the bar.

Side notes:

* I enjoyed the fact that the author did his own narration.
* The author seemed more interested in sharing who he slept with and when, misogyny be damned, rather than more interesting Maitre d' stories.
* I still enjoyed the book.

Thanks very much to Netgalley and Macmillan audio for the opportunity to listen to and review this book.

This audiobook was a wild kaleidoscope look at the experiences of the author in the high-end New York food and beverage scene for over 30 years. The included stories were captivating and the narration was well-done.

I definitely recommend this to others intrigued with all things NYC, anyone with experience in the service industry, and fans of food world insider information.

I received an ARC of this audiobook by the publisher via Netgalley in an exchange for an honest review.

Your Table Is Ready is a highly entertaining memoir set in the fine dining world of New York City. Cecchi-Azzolina recounts wild stories starting in his childhood in Brooklyn where his family was connected to the mob and meanders towards the present, making pit stops along the way. The book is not PG. If you go into Your Table is Ready expecting only white pressed linens and polished silverware, you might be a little naïve to the happenings out of sight of guests in restaurants. Sex, drugs, flagrant violations of employment law, they're the norm in this world. Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential also shined a light on this corner of the world. However there's more sex in Your Table is Ready compared to Kitchen Confidential, if that puts you off I wouldn't recommend the book to you.

I found the book to be peak soapy entertainment. It's like when you're getting coffee with a friend you kind of know from back in the day but they're a lot more wild than you. So you vicariously live through them wanting to hear all the drama and escapades. I also work as a flight attendant so a lot of his stories are similar in theme to the stories we flight attendants tell each other. Which celebrity was an asshat? What crazy thing did the first class passenger seated in 3A do on their flight last week? You did what on your LAX layover?! I find it to be highly diverting.

Cecchi-Azzolina is a talented storyteller. He doesn't quite have the writing chops of Anthony Bourdain (but honestly most people don't). But I enjoyed myself. Sometimes you want to indulge in a good gossip session. 4 out of 5 stars.

I don't live in NYC, but I love visiting and this audiobook transported me there. I loved hearing about Michael's backstory and growing up years with the Italian mob. I loved the vignettes and the stories -- although I did find the middle a little tedious with all of the descriptions of the sex/drugs. I'd definitely recommend this to my NYC friends who are more familiar with the celeb + NYC social scene + restaurants as I'm sure they would be SO interested to hear the behind the scenes view. THANK YOU for the ARC!

“It’s an addiction, the adrenaline rush you get trying to execute all the necessary steps to serve a meal. You run your ass off and then suddenly it’s over. Done. You’ve got through another night. Time to count the money and walk out, hopefully, happy.”

I adored Your Table is Ready: Tales of a New York City Maître D’ by Michael Cecchi-Azzolina. Thank you Macmillan Audio for this copy. The author narrates this and it’s exactly as it should be. He has a great voice and I couldn’t imagine hearing his tales in any other way.

Anyone can appreciate this book. You’ll laugh and gasp at his tales. You’ll learn tricks and trade secrets of the service industry and its workers. You’ll hear about celebrities, gangsters, and the various rich people that frequent NYC restaurants. You’ll dive into the experience of living and working in NYC during the height of the AIDS crisis. You’ll even follow him to restaurants he helped build, from the ground up. All the way to the COVID pandemic and the ways restauranting has changed because of it. Cecchi has lived a lot of life. He has decades of stories pertaining to the industry.

“Except many of those I’ve worked with are gone. Some left the city, defeated, beaten down by the pressure of making it. Others took “real” jobs, ones with health insurance, paid vacations, and all the benefits taken for granted when you’re not slinging hash in a restaurant. They left disillusioned with an industry that has historically been brutal to its workers. Left because of the stress of constantly having to be “on” every single night. Left because of the abusive customers, the long hours, never having holidays off. They left because they didn’t want to keep standing for hours on end with no
breaks, waiting eight to ten hours to finally get to eat, knees and feet slowly giving out. They left because they got sick of having to deal with scurrilous and psychotic owners, belligerent cooks, chefs, and managers. It all takes its toll…

…But it’s also opened the eyes of many in this industry. We’ve had a chance to rethink the business—who we are, what we do, what we need to do, what we want to do. So many people have refused to go back to their shitty and abusive restaurant jobs that restaurants are desperate for help.”

But this book, this book specifically speaks to the soul of anyone who has worked in the service industry. This book is FOR those people, our author even says so in his dedication. Even if they haven’t worked in high end places or big cities, there’s a thread of unity that lives in anyone who has been in food and drink service. There’s a love for this and a hatred for this industry. This book made me tear up because he touched on everything. He describes the adrenaline and the expertise it takes to get through a busy night, the abuse workers take from the general public, the drugs and alcohol that can fuel the workers, the relationships that build, the toxic way management and Chefs often treat their workers. The good, the bad, and the ugly. The moments of shining triumph. The art of food, the moment a good drink can calm a man angry customer, the way extraordinary service changes a while experience.

There’s celebrity experiences that I take with a grain of salt. That’s not because I discredit our author’s experiences but because I know how one moment can shape your entire perception. We all have our biases and first impressions aren’t always the most accurate. But damn, this was fantastic. He encompasses so many things I have felt about the industry and haven’t been able to put in words. I’ll forever have a passion for food, cocktails, and the culinary experience. I’ll forever hope for better treatment for the workers who dedicate any portion of their life to this industry. I’ll never forget the dance, the performance of being a server, a bartender, or a host.

“While I will never forget the bad, what I most remember is what I loved. There’s nothing like the camaraderie of going into battle each evening with your entire team and seeing how it all unfolds. Like theater, the script rarely changes, but it’s a different performance each night.”

If you are looking for a gritty, behind-the-scenes look into restaurant life, "Your Table is Ready" is a fantastic audiobook. The storyline is fast-paced, with lots of interesting cameos. The author is very open about drugs, alcohol, and sex that occur behind the scenes or after hours - if those are topics that make you squeamish, this book is not for you. I also appreciated how open the author was about losing friends during the beginning of the AIDS pandemic, and his raw insights into the medical system at that time. What I think is most beneficial about this book is that the author shows that his career was not a single upwardly mobile line and that there were setbacks and times when he became frustrated with his coworkers and the limitations he had within his profession.
Thank you, NetGalley for the audiobook version of this well-crafted memoir.

If your favorite episode of Top Chef is Restaurant Wars, then you'll need to read this. The anecdotes are very informative about how the front of the house is run, but seeing behind the scenes is even better. It is an excellent companion book to Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential, though not quite as well written.

It did get a little tiring in the middle to hear about everyone's sex life and Michael Cecchi-Azzolina likes to name drop a lot (though we hardly ever get to hear about the top female chefs he's encountered).

I would highly recommend listening to it because Cecchi-Azzolina does an excellent job. His acting background shines through in his performance. Just overall enjoyable.