Tart: Misadventures of an Anonymous Chef

Anonymous food blogger and British Vogue columnist Cheff debuts with a charming behind-the-scenes glimpse at the culinary world. After burning out at her nine-to-five, Cheff took a chance by applying to culinary school, and became hooked on restaurant work after a single shift. As in her columns, Cheff turns a wry eye toward the hazards of life in the kitchen, be they gender-based—including unwanted advances from male coworkers—or purely occupational: after being burned by hot oil and sliced by knives, Cheff quips, “My minor injuries may be ever-growing, but my arse, on the other hand, is looking excellent; twenty thousand steps a day will do that to you.” She also serves up spicy musings on her love life, recalling trysts both good and bad, including one memorable lover who got another woman pregnant while dating Cheff. Lively prose (“I don’t want my oyster to be the size of a little snot rocket; I want it to be a fleshy bulbous pearl swimming in an iridescent sea of salty juice”) and a devilish sense of humor make this a compulsively readable treat. It’s a refreshing forkful of food and sex. Agents: Abigail Koons and Kathryn Toolan, Park, Fine & Brower. (Aug.)