Didn’t You Use to Be Queenie B?

DeFino’s charming latest (after Varina Palladino’s Jersey Italian Love Story) delves into the broken lives of two talented chefs who meet in a soup kitchen. Gale Carmichael, 30, blames himself for the fatal heroin overdose of his friend Sean two years earlier. He’s been sober for 19 months, and is broke, having held only low-paying kitchen gigs since graduating from culinary school. While eating at a soup kitchen in New Haven, Conn., he meets gruff cook Regina Benuzzi, who, unbeknownst to him, once led a glamorous life as celebrity chef Queenie B. After ruining her marriage and burning her own bridges, Regina retreated to her hometown seven years earlier to live in anonymity, atoning for her past transgressions by serving those in need. She takes a motherly shine to Gale, who works in the kitchen on occasion, and helps him prep for a spot on a cooking competition show. As a former addict herself, Regina knows how to soothe his insecurities. But as Gale advances in the competition and his mother recognizes Regina, the former star debates whether she should return to the spotlight. DeFino skillfully weaves Gale’s and Regina’s stories, revealing how both have sabotaged themselves out of a fear of losing control. It’s an immersive tour through the highs and lows of a chef’s life. (Apr.)