CHEF'S KISS

Em Grosland narrates a culinary romance. Simone is working her dream job, developing and testing recipes at The Discerning Chef. But when Ray is hired as kitchen manager, she begins questioning what she really wants. Simone is an anxious perfectionist who is apt to be prickly and standoffish, yet she has a long-suppressed desire for connection, and Grosland captures all these qualities. Ray is cheerful and outgoing, but Grosland smoothly teases out their equivocation surrounding personal issues. Grosland has an equally sure narrative touch for humorous moments and serious ones, balancing the story as it veers between rom-com and workplace drama. Some slight mispronunciations of non-culinary French words do not overly distract from an entertaining narration. K.M.P. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2022]