DEEP DISH

Who's in the kitchen with Atlanta TV chef Gina Foxton? It's rival cook Tate Moody, as each of the pair tries to serve up the winning recipe for a single national-cooking-network spot. Julia Gibson gives Gina a toned-down Georgia accent, while chef Tate sounds like the sportsman and back-yard chef he is. Gibson doesn't miss a beat in characterizing types as diverse as New York television executives and remote islanders. Her most delightful depiction is of Mrs. Birdell Foxton, Gina's mother, whose unintentionally humorous telephone messages follow Gina through humiliating cooking catastrophes and the loss of her advertiser and boyfriend. Through it all, Gina and Tate find that both studio and home kitchens have plenty of room for two cooks. J.J.B. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2008]