Stocker's Kitchen

Chef-owner Stocker is short, loud and profane, a passionate sensualist and a bully--yet despite his manifest flaws, brilliantly clean and delectable flavors emerge from his greasy restaurant kitchen. His unassailable self-confidence falters when he falls in love with Angela, a half-Vietnamese woman as strong-willed as himself. The stories of others intertwine in the narrative: motherly waitress Crystal; Megan, an insecure young actor trying to find her footing in New York; pastry chef, Jon, whose finicky, meticulous work habits drive Stocker wild, and Keith, Jon's patient, kindly lover. The novel tells a story about food, love, and a small, hot restaurant kitchen at the heart of one of the world's great cities.