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Cellar rat : my life in the restaurant underbelly  Cover Image Book Book

Cellar rat : my life in the restaurant underbelly / Hannah Selinger.

Selinger, Hannah, (author.).

Summary:

"As Hannah Selinger will tell you, to be a good restaurant employee is to be invisible. At the height of her career as a server and then sommelier at some of New York's most famed dining institutions, Hannah was the hand that folded your napkin while you were in the bathroom, the employee silently slipping into the night through a side door after serving meals worth more than her rent. During her tenure, Selinger rubbed shoulders with David Chang, Bobby Flay, Johnny Iuzzini, and countless other food celebrities of the early 2000's. Her position allowed her access to a life she never expected; the lavish parties, the tasting courses, the wildly expensive wines-the rare world we see romanticized in countless movies and television shows. But the thing about being invisible is that people forget you're there, and most act differently when they think no one is looking. In CELLAR RAT, Selinger chronicles her rise and fall in the restaurant business, beginning with the gritty hometown pub where she fell in love with the industry and ending with her final post serving celebrities at the Hampton's classic Nick & Tony's. In between, readers will join Hannah on her emotional journey as she learns the joys of fine dining, the allure and danger of power, and what it takes to walk away from a career you love when it no longer serves you"-- Provided by publisher.

Record details

  • ISBN: 9780316570770 (hardcover)
  • Physical Description: 293 pages ; 22 cm
  • Edition: First edition.
  • Publisher: New York : Little, Brown and Company, 2025.
Subject: Selinger, Hannah.
Sommeliers > United States > Biography.
Waitresses > United States > Biography.
Women food service employees > United States > Biography.
Women food writers > United States > Biography.
Women in the food industry.
Genre: Biographies.
Autobiographies.
Personal narratives.

Available copies

  • 1 of 1 copy available at Tsuga Consortium.

Holds

  • 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Show Only Available Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Cookstown Branch 641.092 Selin 31681010411841 NONFIC Available -

  • Baker & Taylor
    A vivid memoir of a sommelier’s rise and fall in the restaurant industry, exploring the glamour, exploitation and emotional toll behind fine dining, celebrity encounters and the decision to leave a career that no longer fulfills. 17,500 first printing.
  • Grand Central Pub
    Town & Country's Best Books of Spring 2025 | Kirkus Reviews's Most Anticipated Nonfiction of Spring 2025 | Amazon's Best Books of the Month | American Writers Museum's Staff Picks

    What happens when a career you love doesn’t love you back?


    As Hannah Selinger will tell you, to be a good restaurant employee is to be invisible. At the height of her career as a server and then sommelier at some of New York’s most famed dining institutions, Selinger was the hand that folded your napkin while you were in the bathroom, the employee silently slipping into the night through a side door after serving meals worth more than her rent. 

    During her tenure, Selinger rubbed shoulders with David Chang, Bobby Flay, Johnny Iuzzini, and countless other food celebrities of the early 2000’s. Her position allowed her access to a life she never expected; the lavish parties, the tasting courses, the wildly expensive wines – the rare world we see romanticized in countless movies and television shows. But the thing about being invisible is that people forget you’re there, and most act differently when they think no one is looking. 

    In Cellar Rat, Selinger chronicles her rise and fall in the restaurant business, beginning with the gritty hometown pub where she fell in love with the industry and ending with her final post serving celebrities at the Hamptons classic Nick & Toni’s. In between, readers will join Selinger on her emotional journey as she learns the joys of fine fine dining, the allure and danger of power, and what it takes to walk away from a career you love when it no longer serves you.

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