GutsGuts

Melissa Leong may have been the first female judge of MasterChef Australia, but hers was no overnight triumph. In fact, the twists and turns from overachieving daughter of Singaporean Chinese parents to make-up artist, marketeer and jobbing (and hungry) food writer have led her down more culs-de-sac than highways to success. In this sharp, darkly funny account of what it's like to try, fail and scrape together the confidence to try again, Leong invites us to consider our own limiting self-beliefs and give them the finger. These stories take place inside kitchens and television studios, on farms and even in an abattoir. Leong shares how her dream of being a concert pianist crumbled due to chronic pain, her struggles with racism and identity, how blowing up her life to reset her path was maybe (definitely!) worth it, and why going your own way absolutely is. Garnished with Leong's favourite recipes, Guts is above all a glorious love letter to food, to choosing the unpredictable path and to believing in yourself even and especially when the odds are stacked against you. No guts, no glory. Hope you're hungry.