CHEF'S KISS

This debut #OwnVoices LGBTQ+ rom-com stars a type-A pastry chef whose professional goals are interrupted by not only a career transition, but the introduction of her wildly attractive nonbinary kitchen manager, who happens to be undergoing a transition of their own.

Simone Larkspur is a perfectionist pastry expert who's already landed her dream job at The Discerning Chef, an old-school cookbook publisher in New York City. All she wants to do is create the perfect loaf of sourdough and work on her recipes, but when The Discerning Chef decides to bring their brand into the 21st century, Simone finds herself thrown headfirst into the world of digital video, where she's failing at something for the first time in her life.

To make matters worse, Simone has to deal with Ray Lyton, the new test kitchen manager, whose obnoxious cheer and outgoing personality are like oil to Simone's water. When Ray accidentally becomes a viral YouTube sensation with a series of homebrewing videos, the eccentric Editor-in-Chief forces Simone to work alongside the chipper upstart or else risk her beloved job. But the more they work together, the more Simone realizes she might be developing feelings for Ray.

Things get even more complicated when Ray comes out at work as nonbinary to mixed reactions - and Simone has to choose between the career she thought she cared about more than anything and the person who just might take the cake (and her heart).

TJ Alexander is an amateur baker and author who writes about queer joy. Originally from South Florida, they received their MA in Writing & Publishing from Emerson College in Boston. They live in New York City with their wife.