Summary (from the publisher):Sadie is a rising star in the trendy Seattle restaurant scene. Her dream is to create unique, modern, and mouthwatering takes on traditional Jewish recipes. But after a public breakup with her boss, a famous chef, she is sure her career is over–until she lands a coveted spot on the next season of her favorite TV show, Chef Supreme.
On the plane to New York, Sadie has sizzling chemistry with her seatmate, Luke, but tells him that she won’t be able to contact him for the next six weeks. They prolong their night with a spontaneous, magical dinner before parting ways. Or so she thinks. When she turns up to set the next day, she makes a shocking discovery about who Luke is….
If Sadie wants to save her career by winning Chef Supreme, she’s going to have to ignore the simmering heat between her and Luke. But how long can she do that before the pot boils over?
My Rating: 5/5 Stars
My Thoughts:
I’m here today to declare that Sadie on a Plate is the best food-inspired book that I’ve read. After going through a semi reading slump, I needed something to get me really wanting to read. I’ve seen so much love & praise for Amanda Elliot’s Sadie on a Plate (it’s the Matzah Book Soup Book Club pick for April), I picked this one up and read 160 pages upon the first sitting & devoured the rest of it the following evening. If there’s one contemporary romance you pick up this season, it’s Sadie on a Plate. Although I do admit it’s lighter on the romance side, it’s Top Chef meets Hell’s Kitchen synopsis makes it a must read!
Sadie on a Plate follows Sadie, a Seattle-based chef who feels like her culinary dreams are over after a very public break-up with her boss, until she gets the opportunity to complete on the reality TV cooking competition show, Chef Supreme. On the plane ride to NYC to film the show, Sadie falls head-over-heels for a fellow chef, Luke, on the plane ride…until she realizes during the filming of the first episode that Luke is one of the show’s judges. While Luke was so sweet & warm during the first ‘not date,” his cold demeanor towards Sadie as a judge only fuels her fire and she focuses on whatever she must to do to win Chef Supreme and save her career.
Sadie on a Plate was so, SO enjoyable for its focus on the cooking competition. If you are a fan of any Food Network-esque completion show, then this is the book for you. I LOVED each completion and seeing Sadie execute her concepts into final. dishes Sadie on a Plate has so much Jewish representation, as Sadie’s culinary inspiration is based on Jewish foods and putting a spin on classic Jewish dishes. There’s also a ton of diversity involving culture and sexuality, for example, Sadie’s love interest is half Korean, and there are multiple characters who identify as LGBTQ on the show. The female competitors also point fact to that most chefs & culinary TV competitors are male, even humorously nicknaming a typical white male competitor, Vanilla Joe. The book had a really nice balance between lightness & humor and seriousness, especially surrounding the reason why Sadie lost her job in Seattle in the first place (tw for sexual harassment).
Overall, Sadie on a Plate is for sure a 2022 favorite of mine! Yes, the book is light on the romance – there are maybe a handful of kissing scenes and some angst throughout – but this book sold me on its culinary premise. I cannot wait to see what Amanda Elliot has in store next!
Have you read Sadie on a Plate? What did you think? Are there any other food-inspired books that you’ve loved? Share in the comments!
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