Last Shot: A coming-of-age memoir of addiction, ambition and redemption

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Oh, and if you only take one thing away from my story, please, I beg you, don't put cream in your fucking pasta carbonara. Not to take away from anything he accomplished but at times he wrote about every success in his life (and somehow even the failures) with arrogance and a superiority complex. Zonfrillo turned up at the Restaurant Marco Pierre White at the Hyde Park Hotel in 1994 and found a mentor who would shape his life. I have always loved and admired Jock as a Chef, and after finishing his book I feel I have a whole new love and appreciation for him. There would be more struggles ahead, including two failed marriages, the closure of his prized restaurant during COVID-19, his time on-country, and some very public battles.

For years he balanced a career as a rising star amongst legendary chefs with a crippling drug addiction that took him down many dark paths.He spent much time in outback communities, learning about these ingredients – how to find them, how to use them – and then he created his own fine cuisine dishes at Orana to introduce them to the public at large. He credits White for saving his life, but Jock continued to struggle with addiction in a world of excess, celebrity, and cut-throat ambition. From his no holds barred retelling of his younger hedonistic lifestyle, managing long work hours and rockstar life style of partying and a serious drug addiction. It's weird, but when I was a little kid, my dream was that one day I'd be this Italian nonno, just like my own, with this huge family serving cacio e pepe to a million grandchildren. One thing for sure is that Jock wasn't afraid to try new things and take risks - even if only half of what is in this book is true - he led a truly crazy, unconventional life and this is his legacy that shows his battle with addiction was only a small percentage of a life lived large.

Marco gave me a job and arranged for me to get accommodation when he found out I was sleeping in the changing room because I had no money,” Zonfrillo is quoted by Steen in the updated edition, published in 2015. Chaos for commuters as drivers' strike cripples rail routes and sparks huge queues on the roads during. I was captivated by every part of Jock’s story, but also found myself feeling disconnected from it because of the claims from Marco Pierre White that discredit the truth behind it. Strickland said Zonfrillo’s comments to Steen did not contradict what White said on the record in the Good Weekend piece.Now I have never heard of this guy before my cousin mentioned reading this bio, so I thought with me being a fellow Scot living in the Antipodes etc, that I would have a look. Attracted to the dynamic and competitive kitchens of London, he worked alongside top chefs like Marco Pierre White, Gordon Ramsay and David Cavalier. The controversy stems from an article in Good Weekend on Saturday which accused Zonfrillo of 'self-mythologising' and suggested some of his tales of making his way through the restaurant industry had changed over time.

Last Shot has been described as a mix of New York chef Anthony Bourdain's memoir Kitchen Confidential and Irvine Welsh's novel Trainspotting, which follows a group of heroin-addled friends in Edinburgh.That coupled with his absolute passion for food, his commitment to highlighting the culture and food of Australia’s First Nations People and his pure love for his family makes this a truly stunning book.