This book is written with a different approach as how the book is laid out. Each chapter is a representation of a memory from his days at working at Christopher’s Table. It was a bakery, food shop, wine bar, and restaurant from 2008 to 2014. He begins the book by explaining how he didn’t fit into the chef definitions and he felt different from the rest. He explained how he also came out as gay and he struggled with his culinary identity. He shared how he viewed food as a conversation catalyst that would bring people together. He believes that meals can be special moments with people who you love. It doesn’t have to be perfect.


One of the most impact stories in the book was about Peter and how the customers just loved him. He had a great personality and strong work ethic. He connected with his two sons who they adopted and he would ask him questions. Peter had a dream of becoming a father but he wasn’t quite really to settle down with his girlfriend just yet. He shared how they celebrated his 21 birthday the way Peter wanted to. He eventually quit his job because he got engaged and needed more money. He didn’t have another job lined up and he warned him about the risk of that. He also had a battle with depression and struggled with substances. A few months later Peter was found in his bathtub overdosed. He shared how Peter would make his chicken cordon and this recipe is included in the book.




Some of the other recipes included coconut cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, oven fried chicken, jam thumbprint cookies, whoopies pies, blackberry and thyme margarita, spicy tuna tartare on wonton crisps, and much more.


I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cooking and wants to try new recipes. I liked how he mixed in personal story from his restaurant days. He even described the reason on why he quit the business and closed it down. The stories in this book are impactful and inspiring. The pictures of the food look really tasty and I can’t wait to try some of them.






“I received this book free from Tabletop Publications for my honest review.”

This is a really good cookbook that was fun to read. I enjoyed learning about the authors family and background and I think it added a unique touch. The recipes I'm most excited to try are 'Chrisropher's Chocolate Cake', 'French Strawberry Tart', 'Chocolate Pots De Creme' and 'Individual Chicken Pot Pies'. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys cookbooks. Special Thank You to Christopher J. DeStefano, Tabletop Publications and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

It's not that bad. Or maybe it is, especially when it's compared to Anthony Bourdain's "food-as-adventure writing". This cookbook is part memoir and part cookbook, with the recipes structured based on the life memory DeStefano is sharing with us. Unfortunately the writing was too bland for my taste and I couldn't connect with the writer - I was intrigued by his grandparents, sure, but the way he narrates it bored me a lot.

I am usually a big fan of memoir-cookbooks because I love food writing and I love seeing how passionate the writers usually are about food and cooking and eating. I did not get this from our misfit chef, I did not get the passion - he, himself, states in the introduction that this book is not about food or something like that, that he is about people and I get that, and you can kinda see that in how he talks about his grandparents and some of the people who joined his cooking classes regularly, but it does not ooze enough passion for people either.

To be fair, it did feel like DeStefano was not actually sure what he wanted to do and he tried a bunch of things and went with what was sticking. Which fair enough, you do you, but it kinda also feels like this part-memoir-part-cookbook is just another thing he is trying to make stick. Because it's not a great memoir and it's not a great cookbook either.

The recipes are separated on his memories, which makes it a hard to navigate cookbook to start with. I appreciate that there are plenty of pictures, but none to make me stop and go "oooh, I want to try this recipe" or "I wish I could taste this". The recipes seem simple enough, but there also wasn't anything exciting out there.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tabletop Publications for this ARC. I love to cook and I love to read about chef's personal stories, so this book definitely piqued my interest. This book meets the need for foodies, who love to read about the back stories of chefs and love new recipes! I really enjoyed reading about his family's history, the progress of his move to chef and his journey from there. DeStefano is very funny and a skilled writer, so this book is enjoyable both from a cooking perspective, and as also in just pleasurable reading. There are several recipes that I've listed on my need to make list! I recommend this book if you are interested in cooking or if you just want to read about an interesting journey of someone's life.

Misfit chef is a charming memoir of a chef, who is, as he puts it, nicer than the TV chef. The recipes interspersed throughout and the tributes to everyone Chris has worked with make for a heartwarming read. It makes me want to visit his restaurant if I ever travel in the US.

I like a good memoir just as much as the next person, but something in this one just didn't connect with me. Some of the stories felt as if the author was trying to impart some great wisdom to his readers, and I was just not emotionally open enough to understand it the way I was meant to. Some of that is probably on me, but not all, unfortunately for this book.

Part memoir, part cookbook, Christopher DeStefano tells the story of growing up in an Italian neighborhood in Boston. His grandparents owned a grocery store and it ignited his passion for cooking and people.

The book contains savory recipes that are easy to follow. Each chapter contains a story from his restaurant, Christopher's Table.

This book is great for anyone who likes memoirs or cooking!

Christopher Destefano is not your usual restaurant chef. He wants to play in the kitchen and encourage others to do the same. This was such a fun uplifting read. Opening Christopher's table was a labor of love and hope. I really like the way Christopher thinks about food and the enjoyment of each meal. Whether you like to cook or not you will enjoy this book.

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy!

Great read! Love that it told Christopher's chef journey and experiences of opening up his own place, all tied with recipes and amazing photos in between. Not your typical cookbook, so much more content! You can tell through his writing how much heart he has, he takes chances on others, and himself.

Foodies love reading about chefs who have made it, and also cooking from their books. Misfit Chef: Stories & Recipes from Memory is one such book that is fun and interesting to read. Most importantly, it is fun to cook from.

Christopher J. DeStefano’s stories bring out his fun personality, and is a great read – well-written with plenty of stories and vignettes to keep foodies reading. He also includes mouthwatering recipes that will definitely appeal to everyone. They are written in the traditional manner with the ingredients listed first, followed by step-by-step instructions, so everyone can follow them easily, even beginning cooks. Each recipe also has comments on the top of each recipe.
Many of the recipes are unique and innovative, and, rather than being organized in traditional chapters (breads, meats etc.), are presented as they relate to the stories in the author’s life. Each recipe is accompanied by a beautiful, professional photograph of the finished dish, which makes the recipes even more appealing.

All told, this is a great cookbook for foodies. It’s one foodies will want to curl up in a corner, read, and then create the delicious recipes. This one is really fun.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

If you adored Anthony Bourdain, you will love award-winning chef Christopher J. DeStefano’s intriguing cookbook/memoir, with 36 amazing recipes and photos. A winner!

What a lovely book full of memories ,stories recipes I’m looking forward to trying.A really delightful cookbook /memoir.#netgalley #girlfriday

What an interesting life Christopher DeStefano has led! I was really excited to read this memoir, as I live on the North Shore and work in Ipswich. It was so much fun for me to recognize places and people from the book. And so many amazing recipes! I can't wait to try some of them, especially the coconut cupcake recipe.

Thank you Netgalley and Tabletop Publications for the ARC!

A nice addition to any collection. I always enjoy a cookbook in which the chef/author shares their journey with us. Food is such an important part of our lives and at times can even help to shape it. We learn exactly this in this book. The recipes are well written, easy to follow, delicious and the accompanying photographs are lovely. I very much enjoyed this book.

Nice book! I enjoyed the family pics and the fact that the author is able to create an atmosphere that brings back memories. The recipes are fresh and original.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the advance reader's copy of Misfit Chef. This was ok. It seemed very surface. I wanted more about the history of why he became a chef and the challenges he faced. Instead it was just about a store that he had for a few years in Ipswich, MA.. I also did not like the way the recipes were laid out. It didn't seem there was a flow to them.

What a joy this book is, full of history, stories, memories and some great family photographs. An absolute delight to read, I might even be tempted by the recipes, yum !

I love to cook, peruse farmer's markets, grow my own herbs and vegetables, eat at great restaurants and visit culinary capitals, such as Paris. I also am a fan of chef memoirs. "Misfit Chef" is a worthy addition to the genre. I really enjoyed Christopher J. DeStefano's story, from his grandparents' beloved neighborhood food butcher shop/grocery store in East Boston to his own restaurant/food shop in Ipswich to his cooking classes and culinary tours in Paris. DeStefano ends every chapter with recipes from his (now closed) Christopher's Table business, but he had good reasons to give up the difficult, time-consuming life of a restaurant/chef/grocery store owner for a more stable family life. The memoir is an easy read (I read it in one sitting) and very enjoyable.

A very candid and heartfelt chef memoir with a lot of French inspired recipes.
Christopher has a lovely straightforward writing style that transmits a lot of his big heartedness. His stories are bitter sweet, life is what it is with highs and lows and he talks about it very openly. there is also some humour and mostly yummy recipes to make.
The imagery is very appetising and the recipes are not overly complicated and made from easy to find ingredients. A lovely cookbook.

I do like a good food related memoir and I did enjoy reading about chef Christopher J. DeStefano and his journey running his own restaurant. This is a very interesting read and best of all it includes some great recipes that I plan to try.

The stories, the photography, the recipes all add interest and fun to a great read. This is a book about food, life and the affect food has on people. I really enjoyed it, it wasn't just the right length and was very easy to read. So now to the kitchen to try out some new recipes.

Thank you NetGalley and Tabletop Publications for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.