I am so thankful I graduated with an accounting degree and worked as a boring accountant for thirty years, as I would have never made it in the restaurant business. I didn’t realize how hard they all work just to provide a meal to customers. I loved the raw details and vulnerability she shared. And it was so engaging and interesting that I couldn’t put it down. Great read!

Since Anthony Bordain's death, fans of Kitchen Confidential type books exploring the behind-the-scenes of the restaurant world have had a void to fill. Hannah Selinger's Cellar Rat details the underworkings of restaurants from the beverage side, working her way up from a waitress at a neighborhood bar to being the sommelier to superstars such as David Chang. Selinger explores the toxicity and misogyny of the industry with shocking yet sadly unsuprising vignettes from her life. She is not afraid to name names, either, and those interested in "how things work" in any kind of job will find much of interest.

I don’t have the words for this. I mean it is extremely important to read about what goes on inside this world but also sometimes you learn something that makes you go … ummm maybe I didn’t need to know this. I liked the book a lot as it reminded me of a Bourdain book in a way.

Cellar Rat: My Life in the Restaurant Underbelly by Hannah Selinger is an exercise of creative nonfiction, it lets you know with a disclaimer. With the relative freedom of saying something is creative nonfiction versus memoir, I was hoping for something more poetic, more justifiably cruel. Cellar Rat just turns out to be a case of hurt people hurt people. Selinger takes us from the beginning of her career in restaurants, at a place in Massachusetts called The Grog. Here, she gets punched in the face and a DUI driving home from a shift in separate instances. Further in her career, we see her establish herself as a sommelier, beverage director, and server at various New York establishments. Selinger takes to task major players of a certain era of New York fine dining from David Chang to Tim Zagat to pastry chef Christina Tosi. Tosi and Chang certainly seem cruel in their own way, but Selinger never seems to rise above or against them, even with the lens of hindsight. Quite a few other nameless people, or people with singular mentions get discarded with terse one liners or bitter remembrances. I’m all for a bit of salacious haterade but as the meme says: Yes, I’m a hater, but I hate with ethics, nuance, and critical analysis.

I’m all for a mediocre woman character who I don’t LOVE but the entire time reading Cellar Rat I wondered about everyone else at the periphery of Selinger’s life. Especially her father. He is maybe the only real thread to non-restaurant life that Selinger seems to cherish and the writing feels so different when he appears that it becomes a different kind of story. Most interestingly, a kind of story that I actually want to read. Selinger’s experience in the restaurant industry is interesting but not unheard of (unfortunately). Yes, Christina Tosi pointedly decided not to bake her a birthday cake, and yes, that is mean but I don’t think focusing on these petty negative aspects of restaurant culture is really changing anything. It’s certainly not doing the work of actually improving conditions for the mostly people of color working in restaurants. Dizzyingly, each chapter ends with a recipe. To be fair, they are thematically referencing the chapter but they also start to feel like the reward for getting through paragraphs of muck; not unlike a recipe blog. My husband and I chose two of these recipes to cook back to back. The first was delicious. The second was one of the most lackluster meals we’ve ever shared. The bland taste in my mouth after eating the second meal reflects how I feel about Cellar Rat overall.

Interesting and enlightening. Good tidbits of info about celebrities and restaurants in the 90s in NYC. Gritty and honest memoir. Definitely recommend

Anyone who has ever worked in a restaurant will tell you that it puts the "fun" in dysfunctional. I really enjoyed this book about working in different restaurants, and the ups and downs, as well as bad behavior by celebrities. I also really loved the recipes included.

Thank you Netgalley and Little, Brown and Company for the ARC!

Readable and interesting to those without experience in the service industry, especially fine dining. However the book did leave the reader wanting a bit: the book seemed to have stuttering pace and lack an overall arc of importance.

I found this book an interesting read since I was a server for many years (although not in fine dining). It seems the same types of things happen in all kinds of restaurants, so there were no new, shocking stories. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this advanced reader’s copy.

I loved this. Loved it. I haven’t read a memoir I felt as compulsively readable as this in a long while.

Hannah Selinger wrote this book to invite us behind the curtain during the 2000s, when celebrity chefs were everything and the fine dining scene was exploding across the country. A Gen Xer like myself, Selinger thought she would work at night and write by day, because wouldn’t that be the dream? But being single, living in New York, working late nights at busy restaurants, and then going out for drinks with coworkers after shifts isn’t exactly conducive to any kind of morning wake-up call so you can spend some time at the laptop writing. It’s a cycle that sucks you in.

I didn’t need to read this book to know that you can love the restaurant industry all you like but it’ll never love you back; heck, the service industry at large is like that. Heck, being a wife and mother can feel like that. Service of any kind can feel like that. But the pressure of the restaurant industry is a whole different machine. Selinger writes about her experiences with the kind of candor that only comes from someone who either has nothing left to lose or the kind of confidence that only comes from someone who has zero effs to give. I’m betting on the latter.

The writing here is witty, honest, emotional, thought-provoking, and deliciously descriptive. I don’t like wine, but I could read Hannah Selinger writing about it for an entire book, I think. 5⭐️


I was provided a copy of this title by the author and publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: 5 Star Review/Autobiography/Memoir

Cellar Rat: My Life in the Restaurant Underbelly by Hannah Selinger is a candid and insightful memoir that accurately portrays the addictive, chaotic, alluring, and demeaning world of the restaurant industry. Through her personal experiences working as a server and sommelier, she offers a raw and unflinching look at the highs and lows of the restaurant employee lifestyle. She also details her entrance into top-end fine dining establishments in New York City and how the price tag of a restaurant like Momofuku doesn't change what goes on behind the scenes.

What sets Cellar Rat apart is its honest portrayal of the unspoken realities behind the kitchen doors. Selinger sheds light on the psychological trauma the industry inflicts on its workers and the impact that it can have on the trajectory of their lives; both personal and professional. The book also serves as poignant reflection on her father's death and her reassessment of her own future.

For anyone, like me, who has worked in the service industry, this memoir is a reflection of all of the highs and lows of being part of the front of house staff at a restaurant. And for anyone who has, like myself and the author, been able to exit the restaurant world, it's a stark reminder about why we got out. I liked that she included recipes at the end of each chapter, also. Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in her take on restaurant life.

Nothing makes me more excited that a book about the service industry. As with many memoirs about the restaurant world, Selinger details the trauma and abuse of power that often accompanies the world of fine dining. Selinger speaks about her experience working with various famous chefs during her time in the industry. Having never worked in food service, I am sure there is a lot I am missing but it did seem strange that Selinger complained about every job she had, yet continued to work in the industry instead of making a change. Interesting read but nothing spectacular.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for this eARC!

Cellar Rat stopped me with the title. I had to read it. The service industry is cutthroat and demanding with hot headed chefs and catty personalities in positions of power. Hannah Selinger detailed her experience with fine dining and as a sommelier. She had associations with famous chefs, and she didn't hold back with how she was treated and called them out.

Her knowledge of wine is superior, and I was hoping for more details in that area. She stepped into an amazing opportunity to expand her career as a sommelier early in her restaurant employment. Life went off the rails with a series of bad choices, but introspection resulted with clarity for future endeavors as she will speak up for herself.

This memoir was what I was hoping for plus a little drama. Recipes at the end of each chapter was a nice touch.

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for early access.

Cellar Rat: My Life in the Restaurant Underbelly by Hannah Selinger

Keeping it short as I try to review memoirs on things other than substance given that it’s someone’s experience. I was excited for this one because Your Table is Ready is one of my all-time favorite food-related memoirs. I was hoping for some of the same vibes in this one but was left wanting more.

Here are the things I liked:
🍽️ Clearly articulated writing
🍽️ Included recipes at the ends of chapters

Fans of food-related stories, those who have been in the restaurant industry, or those looking for a memoir may enjoy this one.

I used to work in restaurants, so these types of books are very interesting to me. This was seemed like a bashing and included some not-needed political musings. It was just okay.

Cellar Rat by Hannah Selinger

Selinger capsulizes common experiences in the restaurant world, especially of a female, in often toxic work environments.

The author spent most of her career in fine dining as a sommelier in New York, working under big names in the restaurant industry, but the scenarios are universal.

She talks about how hard it is to leave, and she's right. I identify with so many situations and feelings covered in this memoir, highlighting how bittersweet restaurant work can be.

As someone who didn't realize they were building a career through the years instead of killing time until I found something "real," this book hits home.

Thank you Little, Brown and Company for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I have family that does restaurant work so I believe every word in this interesting memoir. However, it becomes redundant after awhile as very similar behavior keeps happening in different places. I wish the author well in her new life, she's lucky to get out.

Hannah is a twenty-something server working as a Cellar Rat, stocking bottles in a wine cellar, on her path to becoming a sommelier in NYC’s fine dining restaurants. Now a couple of decades later, she looks back at a career that was both a love affair and an addiction. Hannah is not afraid of naming names is this gossipy restaurant memoir.

For people fascinated by stories of food, wine and gossip, and fans of Vanderpump Rules,
Cellar Rat will be another fun ride on the shoulder of a young naive server. It may also be another nail in the coffin of bossy and sexist male celebrity chefs if the author gets her wish. However, this road has already been well traveled in better, or maybe just published earlier, books like Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. However, this book is one woman’s compelling story that I stayed up late one night to finish. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown & Company for providing me with an advanced review copy.

This book was absolutely fascinating to read. I love a memoir from someone in such a unique and niche world like the restaurant business in NYC. I loved the way she told the stories in each chapter - she was honest, even when it meant not being the best version of herself. She was raw and open about what it is like to work in such a male dominated field, especially in the mid 2000s. Not only do you get stories about the author herself, but of who she meets along the way (good AND bad), and each chapter ends with a unique recipe, which is such a sweet add-on.
Highly recommended!

Pre-Read notes

Sirens and mermaids are my favorite mythological creatures, so this was an obvious choice. I requested and received a digital copy, and then I was sent a widget for the audiobook. I'm really enjoying Hart's style and the audiobook narrator's delivery.

Final Review

Review summary and recommendations

Well, I definitely liked this book! Weyward wasn't a favorite for me, but this is one suspenseful, Gothic, beauty of a book. The twist surprised me but it was well-plotted and fitting to the story. The themes Hart visited here, such as violence against women and children, mental health stigma, and forgiveness in broken, toxic, or dysfunctional families made for a gripping story.

I was so fascinated with the characters belonging to the contemporary timeline. You could comfortably call this book character driven, and Hart provides characters with depth and complexity. I was so fascinated in learning more of the sisters' story that I hardly even noticed the plot, which didn't move much from beginning to end.

I recommend this one to readers of magical realism, contemporary mythology, suspense, or women's fiction. Also, fans of human transformation in metaphor and the flesh, captivity (this word represents a fabulous leit motif that operates throughout the book, from beginning to end, and complex female characters.

Reading Notes

Three (or more) things I loved:

1. The opening of the audiobook, with the music, which is haunting and gorgeous, sets a mood for the book. On the audiobook, the author reads her own introduction about some of the history she discovered in her research but didn't include in her story. I highly recommend.

2. Some gorgeous descriptive writing here, which I remember about Weyward also. A prickle starts at the base of Lucy’s spine. Maybe it’s the knowledge of what the water would do to her skin. She imagines the waves lapping at her like tongues, stripping her of flesh until she is nothing but bone, gleaming white. p37

3. I think it's challenging for writers to juggle both alternating perspectives and multiple timelines without affecting clarity, but Hart manages this technique well.

4. I'm so happy that this book takes on the experiences of students who accuse their classmates (or teachers) of SA. Trigger warning for SA, rp, and victim suppression. When she sought help through the proper channels, the procedures, no one gave her a gold star or thanked her for asking nicely. Instead, they wanted her to keep being nice, to put Ben’s feelings—his reputation, his future—above her own. They wanted her to go away. p131

5. Capture. It’s the perfect word, isn’t it? You paint them and it’s like you own them, like you’ve taken their soul from their body and put it right there on the canvas. p153 I love the repeated use of the word "capture" in the text. This doesn't always work, but it does here. I love all the subtext Harr builds into this word.

6. I love sister stories. I find if very moving when the depicted relationship demands a dreary tone, like it does here, with the sisters being separated. She will stand here, her hands on Jess’s artwork, as if she can soak up her sister’s thoughts. p208

7. "...So, he’d put his hands on the button of my jeans, and kiss my neck and beg for more, and I’d say no, even though sometimes I felt like it’d be easier to say yes. Just give in, I’d think. Get it over with. It can’t be that bad. But still, there was that little seed of fear.” Hart writes brilliantly about what it means to be a young girl.

8. I wasn't much for the plot here, but I also thought that didn't matter because of how well all the elements came together. The climax itself is wonderfully fantastical and fulfilling and I think it strengthens the plot, as it gathers up many ends here at the climax, which is my favorite place in a plot to receive new information that settles a question or conflict. The denouement is too late. She does a great job with this.

Three (or less) things I didn't love:

This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.

1. Hart's definitely wrong about tongue-rolling being entirely genetic, it's not. A simple Google search would have revealed this. But she pils all the eggs in the plot basket on that pseudoscientific idea. *edit Yeah she already knew this lol, but if this point bugs you, i encourage you to keep reading!

2. I nodded, but I couldn’t stop trembling. He got me a glass of water from the art room’s clanking metal sink, and while I drank he put his hand on my shoulder, just for a moment. I was wearing a long-sleeved top under my school uniform, stiff and probably stinking of sweat, but I still felt an almost electric charge, as if his bare skin was touching mine. Then he took his hand away. p153 The main character of this book, a teenage girl with few quality connections, befriends her teacher, a man in his thirties. I love how Hart handles this relationship, gracefully depicting how the very nature of their relationship suggests impropriety, even where none exists. It's as though Hart is saying, I know you're squicked out by this friendship, but that's a you problem.... until it's not. Perception is often flawed.

Rating: 🧜🏽‍♀️🧜🧜🏽‍♀️🧜🧜🏽‍♀️ /5 sirens, not mermaids!
Recommend? yes!
Finished: Mar 19 '25
Format: digital, audiobook, NetGalley
Read this book if you like:
🪢 alternating povs
⌚️ alternating timelines
🙎‍♀️ girl's coming of age
🕰 historical fiction

Thank you to the author Emilia Hart, publishers St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for advance digital copy and an advance audiobook of THE SIRENS. All views are mine.
---------------

I have a love-hate relationship with restaurant memoirs. They are so often filled with stories of abuse and large male egos when they could be inspiring. That said, I appreciated Hannah's perspective and story about "growing up" in the culinary world. I think I am over restaurant industry tell-alls. I think the abuse and toxicity should be called out, but it feels like there's a line between calling out the behavior and toting the abuse for your own gain. I'm not sure how I feel about this yet, but I do feel that parts of Hannah's story were included for shock. Still I really appreciated Hannah's writing and humor.