I’m Not Trying to Be Difficult with Drew Nieporent

Drew Nieporent is a legend in New York’s food world–known as “the restaurateur’s restaurateur” (Danny Meyer) and “one of the people who changed American restaurants” (Ruth Reichl). The James Beard Award-winning founder of Nobu, Montrachet and Tribeca Grill has long been celebrated for what Meyer calls “his insatiable appetites for food, hospitality, showmanship, and winning.” He’s also known as a spellbinding raconteur. In his new book, I’m Not Trying To Be Difficult: Stories from the Restaurant Trenches, Nieporent tells the dramatic story of his own rise to power—from waiting tables to leading a culinary empire—and his eventual partnerships with movie men like Robert DeNiro, Robin Williams and Francis Ford Coppola. This “startlingly honest” book is not just a memoir, but the portrait of an evolving industry, as Nieporent “takes you behind the kitchen door to show you how the business really works” (Reichl).