Hungry

Starred review from March 25, 2019
Esquire food editor Gordinier enchants in this alluring account of his jet-setting between Denmark, Australia, and Mexico with Noma chef René Redzepi in search of the secrets to, among other things, a mole that tastes like “an epic poem about history and time” and perfect tortillas that are “thick, chewy, redolent of corn.” In the midst of marital collapse and initially skeptical of the New Nordic Noma-worship “spreading outward from Copenhagen like invasive scurvy grass,” Gordinier became enamored with Redzepi and his drive “to reinvent himself and his restaurant.” The author tagged along as Redzepi, a man “allergic to coasting,” shuttered his world-famous restaurant and opened hyper-local pop-ups in Sydney, Australia, and Tulum, Mexico, before breaking ground on a new restaurant in Copenhagen. Gordinier catches a “contact high” off Redzepi’s manic drive to use only the best ingredients from local sources (“avocado leaves that smell like liquorice” in Tulum; foraged “Neptune’s necklace” seaweed in Australia), building meals “that tasted simultaneously contemporary and ancient.” Along the way, Gordinier found love, learning from the charismatic chef to always “keep moving.” This succulent tale of a culinary genius in search of constant transformation will enrapture Noma acolytes and travel and food enthusiasts alike. Photos.