This fascinating life story of a private chef gives the reader an insight into the culinary world in Hollywood. Raphael's journey starts as a supermodel in Europe while working as a personal chef to Armani, Versace, Jack Lange, Lila Cazes, Van Furstenberg, Kings, and the Heads of States worldwide. He appeared in TV commercials, cooking shows and worked as a fashion model. When his main agency dropped him for being the poster face for the earliest AIDS campaign in Switzerland, he traveled back to Los Angeles and nearly died of HIV complications.
Although an amazing attest of surviving in a glamorous celebrity-driven world, this talented chef had to hide his HIV+ status while hired by Cher, Kobe Bryant, Sandy Gallin, and many more Hollywood moguls. Experience a look behind the socially challenging episodes of a broken US healthcare system and the neglect still unsolved towards people affected with HIV. Follow this gay activist, fighting for fair insurance and medical aid while maintaining his compassionate view on life. Raphael writes about the gay world, drugs, porn, and prostitution, colorful outlines a reality unknown to most. His creative writing is funny, touchy poetic, and sometimes serious and delicate: Brilliant storytelling.
From southeast Asia and traditional Chinese medicine-fused cuisine, to Los Angeles high society, this memoir is an artist's rollercoaster of surviving, complicated with secrets, and a quest for family love. Go behind the scenes of the mega-rich, read about the untold fashion secrets, and fall in love with food. There has never been a more turbulent, colorful, and fascinating life story on the bookshelves before.