The journey of getting to the inevitable “happily ever after” ending in TJ Alexander’s Chef’s Kiss is as delectable as a fall squash galette, fresh from the oven. We meet Simone, a perfectionist pastry chef working her dream job at a cookbook publishing house, just as the powers-that-be at her company decide they need to branch out into making videos. This is stressful enough for Simone, who prefers to stay out of the spotlight and near her sourdough starter, and the tension only ramps up with the introduction of Ray, the company’s new test kitchen manager whose outgoing, bubbly nature is just not what work-oriented Simone needs—until, it turns out, they make a great team on camera. A friendship, and maybe a little crush, develops. But when Ray comes out as nonbinary at work, eliciting negative reactions from the bosses, Simone must choose between risking her career or standing up for a person she cares about. —Mahita Gajanan
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