13 | September | 2017

All materials in this Spotlight post were provided by the publisher

From Jen Agg, one of Canada’s most influential restauranteurs and a trailblazer in the culinary industry for her takedown of chef “bro” culture, comes the sharp and candid memoir, I HEAR SHE’S A REAL BITCH(Penguin Books Original; September 12, 2017; $17; 9780143132646). Studded with Agg’s frank and often hilarious observations on an industry in which sexism has been normalized, her memoir is more than a story about starting a restaurant: it is a rallying cry for a feminist revolution in the culinary world.

As the title suggests, I HEAR SHE’S A REAL BITCH is a bold, uninhibited memoir of Agg’s growth as a restaurateur, battle to establish herself and her businesses, and the particular difficulties she’s faced as a woman in the industry, including vivid stories about:

Agg’s twenty-plus years in the restaurant industry from server to bartender to Toronto restauranteur.
The creation of The Black Hoof, which started Canada’s culinary revival and is beloved by star chefs Anthony Bourdain, Gordon Ramsey, and Daniel Boulud.
Agg’s commitment to creating an equitable work environment, leading to her creation of the Kitchen Bitches conference, which featured chef Hugh Acheson, Suzanne Barr of Saturday Dinette, Jessica Koslow of L.A.’s SQIRL, Amanda Cohen of New York’s Dirt Candy, and many more.

Years of hard work—and plenty of opportunities to learn from her mistakes—taught Agg how to run a great restaurant that also functions as a business. That hard work pays off here with a memoir equally as distinctive as Agg’s restaurants. Already famous in Canada, this book puts the rest of the world on notice: if you haven’t heard about Jen Agg yet, you soon will.

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“A terrific, beautifully written, frank, and funny memoir, and a compelling argument for pulling down the long outdated system of ‘bro’ culture that has dominated the industry since what feels like the beginning of time.” —Anthony Bourdain

About the author:

Jen Agg is the owner of The Black Hoof, which sparked Toronto’s culinary renaissance, Rhum Corner, and the Hoof Cocktail Bar. She is the co-owner of Agrikol (along with Arcade Fire’s Win Butler and Régine Chassagne) and the newly opened Grey Gardens (with Mitch Bates of Momofuku Ko).