Chef's Kiss

Written by Stephanie Shea

Narrated by AJ Ferraro

Valentina Rosas has always known what she wants. Mostly. Sort of. At least, she does now. And what she wants is the coveted staging role at Gia, San Francisco. With four years at the top of her class in culinary school and enough tenacity to fuel the entire Mission, no one doubts she is about to land the job of her dreams—including the three-person cheer squad made up of her best friend and adorably overbearing parents.

Renowned chef Jenn Coleman is not a people person. Her rise to the top of the culinary industry stems from a cultivated blend of top-tier schooling—from her nonna—and bouts of carefully managed misanthropy. Owning and operating two Michelin starred restaurants doesn’t leave time for much else anyway. Just ask her ex.

When the new stage at her restaurant trips into her with all the grace of a baby giraffe, it’s a sure recipe for disaster. But for all of Jenn’s reserve, Valentina has twice the allure, and the chemistry between them is just… chef’s kiss.

If only Jenn wasn’t Valentina’s boss with nearly ten years between them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Stephanie Shea
• Release date: Jan 18, 2023
• ISBN: 9781669667964

Reviews for Chef's Kiss

[Zoe · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is SO good and underrated! The chemistry between the characters is off the charts and it’s addicting from start to end.

[Jude · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I’ll blame the fact that we now have so many sapphic books to choose from as the reason I hadn’t read one by Stephanie Shea until now. Chef’s Kiss was such an easy, heartwarming listen that I really look forward to more of hers.

It was also my first narration by A.J. Ferraro and it fits the tone and characters well, adding to the overall enjoyment of it all.

So, what’s Chef’s Kiss about? Valentina Rosas’s dream is very close to coming true when she’s offered a staging role at star restaurant Gia, San Francisco. Tripping in front of her idol, renowned chef Jenn Coleman, wasn’t how she imagined their first encounter, however.

Both women have wildly different personalities and they complement each other perfectly. There’s a lot of sweet tension between them as they encounter a few bumps on their journey to each other. Valentina is an extrovert, full of energy and joy, whereas Jenn is reserved, focused on her two Michelin restaurants and her teenage son. Valentina can count on the unwavering support of lovely—albeit slightly overbearing—parents in Mexico and her best friend/roommate Zoe, who’ll follow her anywhere she needs to be. Jenn, the daughter of a Black woman and an Italian man, who named her restaurants after her nonna, maintains a friendly and respectful relationship with her ex, Rachel. Her best friend (and employee) Avery also keeps an eye on her. There are no on-page villains in this story (there is in one of the MCs’ background), all the characters are endearing, flaws and all.

From what I can tell, Shea’s depiction of the restaurant kitchen energy is accurate. I could have done with a bit more detail about the food itself, first because food is life and also because I know so little about Mexican food that I had a hard time picturing what Italian-Mexican fusion would taste like. It sounds really delicious, though.

Read all my reviews on my blog (and please buy from the affiliation links!): judeinthestars.com