NEW RELEASE
Yes, Chef! - Lisa Joy (2014)
Becca works in the reservations call centre for the restaurant empire run by chef Damien Malone. When she is tapped to take over as his personal assistant, she is filled with trepidation since he is known in the business as being a nightmare to deal with. Next thing she knows she's run off her feet dealing with his unwelcome advances and his wife's outrageous demands. Not only are her friends and work pals wondering where she's got to, Becca hardly has any time to follow up on a promising new love interest. With a heroine who is still finding her way, a caricature hot-headed chef, and a workplace that requires designated Sexual Harrassment Thursdays, this had all the ingredients for a spicy romp exposing the restaurant industry and the cooks who believe they are rock stars. The story would have been even more palatable if it had been served with more generous dollops of chef histrionics, and extra call centre dramas on the side.
Yes, Chef - the debut novel by Lisa Joy - exposes the inner workings of the restaurant scene where chefs are feted like rock stars. The summary says: "Sassy foodie Becca Stone is over her job taking reservations in one of London's most successful restaurant empires. So when she is unexpectedly catapulted into working as PA to celebrity chef, Damien Malone, it seems like the opportunity of a lifetime. Becca is quickly caught up in an exciting whirlwind of travel, reality TV and opening nights, and even her usually abysmal love life takes a turn for the better. But as Becca is slowly consumed by the chaos of life in the spotlight, she begins to lose touch with her friends, her heart and even with reality. Working with Damien has its challenges and she is soon struggling with his increasingly outrageous demands and sleazy advances, all while managing the ridiculous requests of his self-centred wife. It takes a disastrous trip to Italy for Becca to realise that she may have thrown away exactly what she's been looking for all along." Joy works as a PA to a chef. Yes, Chef is out in July 2014.