Grudges & Gratitude

Grudges & Gratitude 

is a sharp-edged, deeply human culinary memoir about a life built—and sometimes broken—through earned personal lenses. Written by a Canadian chef, expat, columnist, and unapologetic truth-teller, it blends personal essays, life advice, kitchen war stories, wisdom, philosophy, dark humour, redemption arcs, and unforgettable recipes forged across decades in Canada, the USA, Southeast Asia, and Europe.

Each chapter is its own mise en place of memory: betrayal and burnout in culinary schools, reinvention in Hanoi, impossible kitchen politics, family redemption, and signature dishes like Toaster Chicken Phở, Lotus Blossom Tea-Smoked Salmon, and Donald Duck Phở à l’Orange. The book doesn’t just share recipes—it bares the soul, scars, and secrets behind them—characters you can smell, love, and hate, too.

If you’ve ever cried on your cutting board, cursed a prep list, loved and lost someone, spit up laughing into your soup, or held a grudge long enough to make it taste good—this book’s for you.