Dear listener, we strongly recommend that you pour yourself a tall glass of Bordeaux before you listen to the latest episode of The Hatchards Podcast, lest you want to feel like the only sober person in the room.

As 'Waiter in Paris' memoirist Edward Chisholm is a trained expert in what he describes as the holy trinity of French cuisine - bread, cheese, and wine - Matt and Ryan considered it the perfect opportunity (nay, excuse) to try and impress their guest with an elaborate display of expensive wines and pungent cheeses. Unsurprisingly, their lively conversation is often punctuated with the popping of corks, pouring of glasses, and the breaking of bread. Mercifully, Matt left his accordion at home.

'A Waiter in Paris,' our Hatchards Book of the Month, is an insightful journey into the underbelly of the City of Light, revealing what it really takes to work as a waiter in Paris, navigating everything from raging chefs and pompous management to disdainful customers and cut-throat colleagues, all in the name of putting food on your table.

Mr. Chisholm spoke to us about his experiences in Paris as a young British ex-pat, where his vain hopes of finding gainful employment in the arts or humanities rapidly emptied his bank account. As a consequence, he sought a role as a waiter in an archetypal French Bistrot where any romantic notions he may have held about this profession were quickly shattered within minutes of beginning his first shift.

If you think you've got party stories, wait until you hear from Edward Chisholm.