Book Review: "Tart: Misadventures of an Anonymous Chef" by Slutty Cheff

I’ve been wanting to read this for a few weeks, but I’m not ashamed to admit that I was today years old when I realized this is a memoir and not a novel! (That realization didn’t affect me; I clearly didn’t pay close attention to the blurbs I read!)

“There are two things in my life that are a constant reminder that pleasure exists: food and sex. And I am learning about the different forms they may come in.”

Anonymous chef and columnist Slutty Cheff quit her marketing job after a workplace relationship went sour. She decided the thing she enjoyed most was cooking, so she went to culinary school and eventually did a trial run at a London restaurant. The energy, the camaraderie, even the stress captivated her, and the trial run turned into a job.

She is quickly enamored of her job and craves more responsibility. While it’s hard to be the only woman working in the kitchen, she more than holds her own. But the 60+-hour workweek, coupled with late nights fueled by alcohol and drugs with her colleagues, exhausts her both physically and emotionally.

The book follows her love/hate relationship with being a chef and the whole restaurant culture. She gets overwhelmed by the pressure and the lifestyle, but misses cooking when she’s not doing it. At the same time, she gets involved with several men over time, and realizes that sex gives her the same high.

You know how much I like books about chefs, cooking, restaurants, etc., so this was definitely right up my alley. This is one of those books you shouldn’t read on an empty stomach, and at times, it’s quite steamy, so be prepared. It’ll make you think twice about staying until a restaurant is nearly empty, too!

Book Review: "The Forager Chefs Club" by Rita Mace Walston

My social media feeds may be full of ads for all kinds of things, but I’m grateful for a Facebook ad promoting this book! This was really a fascinating book that was definitely right up my alley.

The Forager Chefs Club is a bit of a secret society. No one knows about it unless they’re involved, and the members of the Founders Circle are a mystery. But the club is committed to the practice of foraging, of celebrating the elements and foods that are local to a particular area.

The Club is hired to run a cooking competition in which the contestants must only use ingredients from Michigan—apart from three “exceptions.” Five individuals from different backgrounds are invited to participate in the competition, and winning could change the trajectory of their lives.

Eden spends most of her time cooking for her father’s mission in Detroit, and winning the competition could expand her ability to help those in need. Blaise is a culinary school graduate with immense talent and the attitude to match. Cooking is a way of connecting with his twin brother, who is on the autism spectrum.

Christian was attending culinary school until his mother got sick, and he moved back to his hometown of Flint to care for her. Celeste lives on Mackinac Island and is the youngest competitor, but she can’t find anyone to give her a chance. Daniel is a private chef raising his young son after the tragic death of his wife and is fighting his in-laws, who want custody of the boy.

If you’re a foodie, this book is for you. I loved the comprehensive discussions about foraging as well as the meals each competitor approved. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the story, and while there is a little suspense, it’s just a satisfying and hunger-inducing read!

Book Review: "The Christmas Countdown" by Holly Cassidy

It’s almost Christmas, but Callie can’t seem to find the spirit this year. Even though it’s been seven months since Oliver, her childhood sweetheart and longtime boyfriend, broke up with her, she’s not feeling the holidays. And she’s certainly not going home to visit her family, given that Oliver’s family lives next door.

Callie’s sister Anita is never one to pass up the chance to meddle. She wants Callie to get her joy and sense of fun back, so she creates an Advent calendar challenge for her. Every other day, she’ll be challenged to do something out of her comfort zone (and she’ll get treats on the alternate dates). The plan is for Callie and Anita to accomplish the challenges as a pair.

On the first day of the challenge, Callie meets Marco, a handsome chef and baker. She’s immediately charmed by him, but her heart is too heavily guarded to think of Marco as anything but a friend. Yet the more time they spend together, the more her feelings start to get muddled. And when he steps in to replace Anita as Callie’s challenge partner, sparks really start flying.

At the same time that Callie is being challenged to recapture her holiday joie de vivre, things at work are becoming more stressful. She’s been able to tolerate still working at the same company as Oliver, but a new supervisor really causes chaos, and refuses to take any responsibility for the tension.

Can Callie and Marco complete the advent calendar challenge with their holiday spirit intact? Can two people who are trying to protect themselves from getting hurt actually let love in? Will Anita stop meddling and let things be?

This was such a fun and sweet read. I loved the whole concept of the book and the terrifically warm characters. And all of the descriptions of desserts made me hungry!! Holly Cassidy is the pen name of Hannah Mary McKinnon, and now I love books written by both.

Book Review: "Hungry Heart" by Jem Milton

Laurie is a young food writer in London. His best friend has gotten him an exceptional opportunity: the chance to interview Oryan Adjei, a handsome young chef who made a name for himself by winning a television cooking competition when he was 19.

As a young Black chef, Oryan has become a public fixture, appearing on television shows and in ad campaigns. He never seems to get the chance to cook anymore, however, and he’s beginning to wonder whether this is still the path he wants to follow.

When Laurie and Oryan meet for their first interview, Laurie is starstruck and a bit awkward. But the two strike up a genuine conversation, and Oryan feels, for the first time in a long time, like someone is seeing him for who he is rather than who they expect him to be.

As Oryan’s life becomes more complicated and he finds himself being tugged in multiple directions, what he really wants to do is talk with Laurie again. And Laurie not only wants to interview Oryan again because he’s getting paid to do so, but he definitely feels something for him beyond simple admiration. But why would a famous chef be interested in an awkward mess like him?

Jem Milton’s graphic novel is beautifully drawn and tells a sweet, poignant, and thought-provoking story. It examines how easy it is to let others dictate the path you should take, and how when you get caught up in obligations it can be easy to lose yourself. It also looks at how easy it can be to undermine your self-confidence and convince yourself you’re not worthy of what you want.

Many of you know how much I love anything about cooking, chefs, the food industry, etc., and also how much I love romance. Hungry Heart serves up a fantastic helping of both, full of characters I rooted for and a story I raced through.

Book Review: "Be Ready When the Luck Happens" by Ina Garten

The Barefoot Contessa’s memoir is finally here. How great is that?

Years ago I went to culinary school and worked as a personal chef and caterer for a while. One of the people whose recipes I loved and often adapted was Ina Garten. It’s amazing how an incredibly wealthy woman with an amazing house in the Hamptons who hobnobs with celebrities seems as down to earth as she does.

Amazingly, this culinary icon got her professional start writing nuclear energy papers for the Ford and Carter administrations. But she was bored and didn’t feel like her work had an impact, so heeding her husband’s advice to do what you love, they bought a small gourmet shop, The Barefoot Contessa, in the Hamptons. Never mind the fact that she had no experience in the food business!

It was so easy for me to get caught up in this memoir, as if Ina was telling me her life story over dinner. She touches on her unhappy childhood and her desire to do things that weren’t traditionally appropriate for young women. She found her independent streak early and it’s never abandoned her.

As much as I loved her stories about her finding her footing in the food business and her stepping into the spotlight, the most entertaining parts of the book are when she recounts meeting her husband Jeffrey while she was still in high school. Their love story is often satirized but theirs is a sweet relationship.

I enjoyed this book so much. To me, it came across exactly as she does on television—full of joy and gratitude at the good fortune she has found. Such a delight.

Book Review: "Don't Go Bakin' My Heart" by Shane K. Morton

Like I could resist a book with this title? This was as good as I hoped it would be.

Foggy Basin is a quintessential small town in California, not too far from San Francisco. Many of the businesses in town have existed for years, but recently a resort developer has been trying to convince the owners to sell, so a gigantic resort and golf course could be built. And they’re not above making offers that would allow the owners to live quite well.

Percy grew up in town, and his parents owned a bakery called Don’t Go Bakin’ My Heart. When they were ready to retire, Percy left his job as a pastry chef at a Michelin-starred hotel in Europe to buy the bakery from them. It’s hard keeping a business going, but the bakery is in his blood.

Percy and Ben grew up together, and became very close, until Ben became afraid of his feelings and proceeded to treat everyone, especially Percy, cruelly for four years of high school. Ben couldn’t wait to leave Foggy Basin and never look back. He’s on the verge of becoming partner at the development company where he works, but his promotion depends on him convincing the business owners of Foggy Basin to sell and make way for the resort.

Percy can’t believe Ben has returned after 10 years. Their feelings for one another still burn intensely, but Percy has to get over his resentment of how Ben treated him in high school. As they draw together again, there’s one little secret—the reason Ben has returned—that can tear them apart for good.

Did I guess how the book would go just from the description? Yes, but did it matter? Nope. This is a sweet, emotional, sexy love story with more than a touch of pastry, and the characters were just terrific. I’m looking forward to a return to Foggy Basin!

Book Review: "Just One Taste" by Lizzy Dent

I love rom-coms so much, but I feel there needs to be a sub-genre of culinary rom-coms, or something like that. Because when you throw any food-related elements into a rom-com, it’s quite often a win for me.

Olive is a restaurant critic in London, writing savage reviews of pretentious places. It’s ironic, because she grew up in her father’s Italian restaurant, although after her parents’ divorce her relationship with her father was strained, and she hadn’t been to the restaurant in years.

When her father dies suddenly, she is shocked to learn that she has inherited the restaurant and the building it’s in. She definitely wants to sell it, much to the chagrin of Leo, the sous chef who became her father’s surrogate son.

Her father was in the middle of writing a cookbook when he died, and Olive agrees to finish it. It will mean traveling to Italy, where her family vacationed when she was young, and working with Leo, since he’s the chef who can develop the recipes. (It doesn’t hurt that Leo is absolutely gorgeous.)

The trip to Italy fills Olive with inspiration, as well as unresolved feelings about her father. The more time she spends with Leo, the less certain she is about selling the restaurant and the more intense the chemistry between them grows. But she saw the way the restaurant destroyed her parents’ marriage—could she have the restaurant and Leo, too?

Lizzy Dent’s books are always so enjoyable for me. This one made me absolutely ravenous, and it was an emotional read as well. Italy, pasta, banter, steam, and emotion: could I ask for anything more?

Book Review: "Savor It" by Tarah DeWitt

Fisher was a chef at the top of his game in New York City, even getting a Michelin star. But after his sister dies, he loses the star, and he isn’t even sure he wants to cook anymore. He also has custody of his teenage niece, Indy. So the owner of the restaurant sends him and Indy to the small coastal town of Spunes, Oregon (“not to be confused with Forks, Washington”), where he will consult on a new restaurant and develop the menu.

Sage has lived her whole life in Spunes, which means everyone in town has seen her ups and downs. Her relationship with Ian, the town’s golden boy, has ended after 5 years, and he’s already engaged. She’s desperate to find her self-worth and follow her dreams—if she can figure out exactly what they are.

Fisher and Indy’s summer home is a guest house right near where Sage lives with a small menagerie of animals. It’s not long before a series of awkward encounters blossoms into a friendship and an intense attraction, which has the whole town talking. When the locals start protesting about the new restaurant (which has a somewhat phallic design), Fisher turns to Sage for advice and assistance—and then their flirtation turns to serious passion.

“I remind myself that it’s absurd, that life is not a meritocracy. Just because you do everything right, even if you know you deserve it, doesn’t mean that it will all be perfect in the end. Just because you accomplish a dream doesn’t mean it’ll make you happy forever.”

This is a book about second chances, of realizing you’re more than your situation. It’s a book about overcoming grief and hurt, finding what (and who) matters, and trusting your heart. I absolutely loved this, and found it romantic, steamy, funny and emotional, with an immensely endearing cast of supporting characters—and animals!

Book Review: "Effie Olsen's Summer Special" by Rochelle Bilow

I’ve been reading a lot of thrillers and heavier books lately, so I was craving something a bit lighter. Boy, did this book fit the bill!

Effie grew up on a tiny Maine island and couldn’t wait to get out of there. She went to culinary school and then spent 16 years traveling all over the U.S. and the world, working in various restaurants. She finally got a gig as a head chef in San Francisco, but it turned out to be far less successful (and less enjoyable) than she had hoped.

In desperate need of money, she returns home to Alder Isle for the summer. Brown Butter, a Michelin-starred restaurant on the island, is in need of a sous chef. Effie plans to work there only for the summer, to get enough money to head to her next location, and she vows not to get attached to being back home.

Within a few hours of returning home, she runs into her childhood best friend, Ernie, whom she’s not seen since the night they graduated from high school. Ernie’s kindness and sense of humor makes Effie feel at home again, and it doesn’t hurt that Ernie has gotten seriously hot as he’s grown older. It turns out he’s working at Brown Butter, too.

She finds herself falling for Ernie but keeps pushing him away since she knows she’ll only be in Maine for the summer. As things at the restaurant become tougher, and a scandal is on the verge of blowing up, Effie wonders whether she’s found the place—and the person—she wants to stay with, or if she needs to leave again.

I love second-chance romances, and if you combine that with a story set in New England and at a restaurant, you bet I’m sold. I loved the banter between Effie and Ernie as well as all of the supporting characters, and I loved the way Rochelle Bilow combined romance, steam, humor, emotion, and heavier issues. So good!!

Book Review: "In the Weeds: Around the World and Behind the Scenes with Anthony Bourdain" by Tom Vitale

This memoir is a funny, sometimes emotional look at what it was like to work with Anthony Bourdain by someone who knew him well.

“Is there such a thing as vacation-of-a-lifetime PTSD where your main tormentor is also your hero, mentor, and boss? After having had these intense experiences of being in the trenches together with Tony and with the crew, sharing these adrenaline-inducing, life-altering experiences, going back to my regular life felt like the real trauma.”

When famed chef, author, and television personality Anthony Bourdain committed suicide in June 2018, it shocked the world. This man, a kind of culinary badass, always seemed to be tearing into travel and food experiences around the world with such gusto and bravado.

But as much as his death shook the world, it affected his colleagues tremendously. Tom Vitale started working with Bourdain in 2002, and worked with him almost nonstop for 16 years, traveling the world with him, directing and producing nearly 100 episodes of three Bourdain programs—No Reservations, The Layover, and Parts Unknown.

In this tremendously affecting book, Vitale details what it was like to go along for the ride of his life with Bourdain. He recounts shooting in some of the most exotic—and some of the most dangerous—places, where they were threatened with violence, war, corruption, poor sanitary conditions, and sometimes, horrible food. (Being a picky eater, the latter was often a problem for Vitale.) It’s amazing just how much detail, stress, and often, strife, went into every show.

But where In the Weeds truly shined was where Vitale tried to make sense of his relationship with Bourdain, the finality of his loss, and what to do next with his own life. He shed light on the good and bad aspects of Bourdain’s personality, and what he learned about himself from doing the show and working with Tony. He also tried to figure out, as many others did, what signs they might have missed.

I thought this was excellent. It gets a little graphic sometimes in its descriptions of preparing animals for cooking, but that’s easily skimmed over. So glad I read this and that Vitale was willing to share his memories of Bourdain with us.

Book Review: "If You Love Something" by Jayce Ellis

Jayce Ellis' If You Love Something is a sweet, sexy, and thought-provoking M/M romance!!

Thanks to my friend Phil for putting this one on my radar.

DeShawn Franklin is the executive chef at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Washington, DC. Everyone wants him—he’s a media darling and VIPs stop by the restaurant to meet him all the time, but what he’d really like to do is cook. But he keeps getting pulled away from the kitchen.

One day he gets summoned home by his grandmother, who raised him. She tells him she no longer plans to continue her cancer treatment. She also tells him that while she’s leaving him her house, she’s leaving the assets of her estate to Malik, DeShawn’s ex-husband, with whom she’s still very close. Oh, and their divorce apparently never went through, so they’re still married.

Of course, this throws DeShawn for a loop. He loved Malik but as DeShawn’s star rose, Malik was less enamored of a life in the spotlight, especially when he wasn’t out yet. But both regretted the end—even though both have moved on. Kind of.

When DeShawn’s uncle starts legal action to get what he believes is his rightful inheritance away from Malik, DeShawn and Malik decide the best course of action to defend themselves is to pretend they’re reigniting their marriage. (And rom-com fans, we know what happens with pretend relationships, don’t we?)

I thought this book was terrific. A sexy rom-com with two somewhat older Black men is a rarity and I just loved the story, the relationships, the supporting characters, and the steam!! (Plus, a book about a chef? You know I'm there!)

Book Review: "Notes from a Young Black Chef" by Kwame Onwuachi with Joshua David Stein

A memoir AND recipes? I’m so here for that.

Writing a memoir before the age of 30 may seem a little premature, but the life Kwame Onwuachi has led up to this point, and his accomplishments in the culinary world, a community not known for its diversity at the top, is noteworthy. (He is currently the chef of an acclaimed restaurant in Washington, DC, Kith/Kin, and he was recently named a Best New Chef by Food & Wine magazine.)

In Notes from a Young Black Chef, Onwuachi talks about his difficult childhood, shuttled between his mother, who struggled with making ends meet as a caterer, and his physically and verbally abusive father. When his mother was unable to control his trouble-making tendencies, he was sent to Nigeria to live with his paternal grandfather, and it was there he began to appreciate his heritage and the culinary delights of African cooking.

He was smart but rebellious, which led to him being kicked out of school after school. He followed a risky path—joining a gang, dealing drugs, always staying one step ahead of the law, until his drug-dealing operations led to him being kicked out of college. While he always had an affinity for food and cooking (even at a young age he used to help his mother in the kitchen), it wasn’t until he worked as a cook on a ship serving those cleaning up after the Deepwater Horizon disaster that he realized the culinary world was where he felt the most passionate, the most at home.

Onwuachi discusses starting a catering company, his journey through culinary school and learning from some of the greatest kitchens, being on "Top Chef," and the highs and lows involved with opening his first restaurant in Washington, DC, a tremendously ambitious project that taught him a great deal about the business and himself. (It was not the same restaurant he operates now.)

It’s funny; most of the memoirs I tend to read are those written by chefs, and this one definitely didn’t disappoint. As you might imagine, someone who has accomplished so much before the age of 30 isn’t always going to be humble, but Onwuachi never stops recognizing that were it not for the path he chose, he might not be alive now. (His "Acknowledgments" page is particularly poignant.)

I read this very quickly and, thanks to the descriptions of the food he cooked and the recipes he shared, I was really hungry afterward! If you enjoy books written by chefs or about the culinary world, definitely pick up Notes from a Young Black Chef.

Book Review: "Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly" by Anthony Bourdain

"I don't know, you see, how a normal person acts. I don't know how to behave outside my kitchen. I don't know the rules. I'm aware of them, sure, but I don't care to observe them anymore because I haven't had to for so many years. Okay, I can put on a jacket, go out for dinner and a movie, and I can eat with a knife and fork without embarrassing my hosts. But can I really behave? I don't know."

I can't explain why it's taken me this long—nearly 20 years since it was published—to read Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential. Having attended culinary school, I'm fairly obsessed with all things cooking-related, and consider myself to be a bit of a foodie. I was also an enormous Bourdain fan, religiously watching his television appearances and loving his take-no-prisoners philosophy when it came to adventurous eating (not something we shared, per se). Yet only now, in the few months since his shocking suicide, did I sit down to read his nearly 20-year-old look at his journey to executive chef, the knowledge he gained and the trouble he stepped into, time after time.

While certainly it's a little eerie (and a little sad) to read a memoir by someone who subsequently dies, that didn't spoil my enjoyment of this terrific, brash, funny, and at times introspective, book. Bourdain was a natural storyteller—not only did he use food to tell the stories he (and his bosses) wanted to create, but he also loved to talk about the ways the culinary world has changed through the years, how what restaurants serve (and what people eat) has changed, and how the role of the chef has changed with it.

Unlike many memoirs, Bourdain was never afraid to admit his flaws, his transgressions, his pet peeves, all of which served to make him more human and make his story more compelling. I loved everything about this book—from his days of being a cocky young man thinking he knew more (and could do more) than those who had been cooking for years, to his struggles to find the chef's job in a restaurant where he felt he belonged for more than a few weeks. He doesn't skimp on his addictions to cocaine, heroin, and whatever else he could find, and he was candid about how those problems nearly ruined his life and his career.

While there are moments of vulnerability, there are more moments of humor, mischief, and tons of information about the life of a chef (at least in 2000), and why some restaurants and chefs succeed while others fail. The infamous chapter, "From Our Kitchen to Your Table," in which he warns of some restaurant tricks to get rid of older food (although not all of the things he discusses are still true today), is terrific, if not a little bit disturbing. How can you not love a book in which the author says, "Vegetarians, and their Hezbollah-like splinter-faction, the vegans, are a persistent irritant to any chef worth a damn. To me, life without veal stock, pork fat, sausage, organ meat, demi-glace, or even stinky cheese is a life not worth living." (I guess if you're a vegetarian or vegan, you might take umbrage...)

I love Bourdain's writing style, so I'll definitely be picking up some of the other books he wrote. Even if you're not an aspiring chef or a foodie or even a home cook, you may enjoy this simply for the pleasure of hearing his words, which are so vivid you probably can imagine him reading them to you. It's a great book for cooking pros and novices alike.

Sure, reading Kitchen Confidential made me sad as I realized once again the magnitude of Bourdain's loss. But I'm also so happy he left such a rich legacy, in print, on television, and of course, in food.

Book Review: "Give a Girl a Knife" by Amy Thielen

About 14-15 years ago (how can that be?) I went to culinary school, and worked as a personal chef for about 18 months until the economy started tanking. At that time, I always had this dream of opening a little restaurant, nothing super fancy. Of course, once I worked at a restaurant for a brief period, that dream died quickly—I thrive on pressure and chaos, but the frenetic pace of cooking in a restaurant, not to mention the pressure of having to always get everything right, would have driven me insane.

That journey in self-discovery is reinforced whenever I read a chef's memoir. Just hearing about the frenetic nature of readying plates in a high-end restaurant is enough to send me reaching for a Xanax. (Check out Michael Gibney's excellent Sous Chef: 24 Hours on the Line for a great example of this.)

"Cooking wasn't just a job; it was a life—what looked to all outsiders, including my own boyfriend, like a pretty terrible life. It was, as Aaron feared, a real affliction. And possibly, a dysfunctional relationship."

While Amy Thielen's terrific new book, Give a Girl a Knife, dips into this territory, as it chronicled her tenure cooking for some of the finest chefs—David Bouley, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Daniel Boulud, and Shea Gallante—in some of New York's most famous restaurants, it didn't dwell on this exclusively. The more time Thielen spent working on fabled, complex dishes, with ingredients and techniques not often seen in everyday kitchens, the more she realized that behind every fancy plate are the backbones of her Midwestern culinary heritage—potatoes, onion, bacon, and butter—lots of butter.

Thielen grew up in Northern Minnesota, in a town known as the home of the nation's largest French fry factory. Her mother, like generations of women before her, reveled in cooking homey, delicious, yet seemingly uncomplicated dishes reflective of Midwestern culture and the German, Austrian, and French heritage of their ancestors. Dishes like pork roast, spaetzle, fermented sour pickles, poppy seed coffee cake, and the infamous hotdishes, laden with bacon and (quite often) cheese, were part of almost every meal for Thielen and her family, yet when she decided to go to culinary school and pursue a career as a chef in New York City, she couldn't get far enough away from those elements, until she realized how truly interrelated everything was.

Give a Girl a Knife juxtaposes Thielen's culinary career with a chronicle of her growing up surrounded by food and the magnificent women who brought the food to delectable life. It also dealt with her struggles as she and her boyfriend (and eventual husband) Aaron tried to bring their dream of living in an off-the-grid, hand-built cabin deep in the Minnesota woods to life. It is during their time in the cabin that awakens Amy's love of food, of coaxing beauty, as well as both subtlety and vibrance, from homegrown fruits and vegetables, as well as meats.

But the time she spends in New York City, as much as she feels it embraces her talents, leaves her longing for the solitude of their cabin, and inspires her journey to better understand her culinary heritage from the beginning. It's a journey that shapes her and her career, as well as her path for her future.

"I'd spent years trying to erase those homely flavors from my past, but when I gave my nostalgia an inch, it ran down the road a mile. Like an archaeologist picking in the hard-packed clay, I felt a need to return home to excavate the old flavors and all the feelings I'd ever tied to them."

At one point when she is trying to decide what to do with her life, Thielen considers being a food writer. It's certainly another career path which would bring her success, because she is a tremendously talented writer, able to paint sensory pictures in your mind's eye with her words. Of course, my snap reaction to this book, with its vivid, beautiful descriptions of complex gourmet dishes, comfort foods, fresh fruits and vegetables?

Beyond wanting to gnaw the seat of the airline passenger in front of me (serves him right for trying to recline his seat back into my lap anyway), I loved the emotions and the ideas that this book conveyed. You can certainly see why Thielen has succeeded in her career, and it was enjoyable to read about her artist husband and how his dream of the cabin in the woods really inspired her life's work. They're certainly a remarkable pair!

My one criticism of the book is the jumbled timeline—one second Thielen is working in New York, then she and Aaron are moving to Minnesota, then she's a teenager, then she's back in New York—at times it just got very confusing.

But in the end, that's a small price to pay because the book is so compelling, so enjoyable, and so hunger-inducing. If you're fascinated by chef stories, if you're a foodie, or if you just to like to eat, pick up Give a Girl a Knife. And have some food nearby!!