Truffle Boy: My Unexpected Journey Through the Exotic Food Underground

In this delightful chronicle, Purkayastha charmingly recounts his own rags-to-riches tale. With few friends and little interest in school in Arkansas, Purkayastha hung out with his family in their cabin in the woods; one day his brother, Jared, introduced him to the amazing taste and texture of wild morels, and Purkayastha was hooked on mushrooms and foraging. After a meal of truffle-stuffed ravioli in New York City, Purkayastha’s destiny is set, and he spends the last two years of high school setting up a modest trade in truffles out of his home. Rather than entering college, he heads off to New York in 2010 , planning to make his fortune in truffles. Along the way, he partners with unscrupulous businessmen and almost loses all of his money, but eventually he buys back shares in his company. Now 22, Purkayastha, writing with West (Saving the Season), successfully supplies truffles and other wild-foraged foods to Michelin-starred New York restaurants such as Per Se and Momofuku Ko. Purkayastha’s memoir grows monotonous and repetitive, but his passion for truffles animates his story. [em]Agent: David Kuhn, Kuhn Projects. (Aug.) [/em]