Chef's Kiss

The graphic novel follows Ben Cook (a little too on the nose if you ask me) who just graduated with an English degree and is trying to step into the corporate world. However, he is met with disappointment after disappointment as no one is willing to hire him due to his lack of experience. He stumbles upon a restaurant seeking to hire a new cook, no experience required, an decides to give it a try.

The story is a cute little new adult story that is very relatable for 20-something year olds who are trying to figure out what they want to do with their lives. The story is easy to follow, but I wish that the characters were a bit more fleshed out. There isn't much interaction or development between Ben and his love interest Liam, but what interaction they do have is so lovely and wholesome. I definitely would have enjoyed seeing more of that sprinkled throughout the story.

Over all, the story was cute and cozy and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It would have been a 5-star read if there was more character development and a less anti-climactic ending. If you're looking for something cute and quirky to read, then I would definitely consider giving this one a try

CHEF'S KISS was a total joy when I read it last night.

MC Ben has just graduated from college with a degree in English / Creative Writing and he along with his three delightful room-mates (including his best friend Liz) have just begun navigating the world of "Young Adults." Ben has not yet nailed down a job so he begins searching in earnest for a position wherein his English degree would be useful.

After something like 17 interviews - he's sent away from each one because of his lack of experience - Ben is kinda desperate to find SOMETHING. Given his fondness of cooking for his roomies, he finally applies for a job at really neat, high-end restaurant - Cochon Doré - where the kitchen is overseen by really cute Sous Chef Liam and by Chef Davis (who initially comes across as very "hard-boiled" but who's really a sweetheart in disguise).

To prove his worth as a cook, Ben is tasked with making the restaurant's famed Squash Soup. Liam, of course, loves the result but Ben's soup must pass the ultimate taste test - Cochon Doré's "official taster," an adorable pig named Watson!

Turns out that Watson loves the soup too, so Ben gets a job on a trial basis. From there various "complications" ensue - mostly because Ben "white lies" to his parents by texting them that he got a position as a writer.

But as Ben gets more deeply and lovingly involved at the restaurant {and with Liam ;-} he's finally forced to make a decision regarding a writing career.

Guess what occupation he finally chooses ;-}

I really enjoyed this book. It, with its great story line and its colorful artwork, is an amazing American "take-off" on Yaoi - but with much more realistic art . . . and one starts this volume at the front rather than at the back! Yay!

Too, there's just the right amount of "diversity" among the characters to make it reflect "real life" but not quite so much that one would think the author and the artist sat down with a checklist of "who all" HAD to be included.

As an added bonus, the "authors" have included a select few vegetarian (NOT VEGAN) recipes toward the end.

Another book featuring Ben, Liam, Chef Davis, Liz & "Watson, the pig" would be a welcomed addition to my collection!

Ben just graduated from college and majored in writing and tried to find a Something in his field but comes up as a no-go. On a whim (he loves to cook, his last name is Cook, cute) he applies to a restaurant with many eccentric personalities and a pig, yes a pig. I loved this read. I got a ton of bang for my buck. Every page was wonderful, the artwork and it is art is magnificent. The story is so lovely with all of the eccentric folks and of course, it is a love story that is not overt but a slow simmer. Clean as a whistle and good for everyone, in my opinion. Please check this out. More please!!!!!!

Ben Cook is newly graduated from college and looking for his first job in the writing world. After many interviews with no luck he stumbles upon a help wanted sign at a restaurant. He gets the job temporarily with his actual hiring defendant on passing some cooking tests and pleasing the palate of Watson, the food tasting pig. One of the reasons for Ben wanting to work there is handsome sous chef Liam.

The graphics in this novel are great with lots of detail. Ben's friends/roommates (2 girls, 1 guy) are supportive of each other and distinct. The story itself is a little simple. The book is only 125 pages on my device and a couple of those pages are spent in a yoga class and getting a fake history of Watson. It really comes down to Ben deciding what he wants to do work wise and exploring a potential romance with Liam. The book contains a few mild curse words and one kiss. I think it is appropriate for high school and up.

I Think this is a very fun read. Too short for my liking, but incredibly cute. It does fall under the category of what I'd call "teeny bopper gay character tropes," which is fine, but I'm kind of sick of them. When I say teeny bopper gay character tropes, I mean that the characters that are gay or LGBTQIA are effeminate, young, listen to pop music, are pretty and always find prince charming. While they can be enjoyable, if all stories containing queer characters contain these tropes... It gets old fast. Just a bit of a warning.

Gorgeous illustration and an engaging story. The end was a little bit abrupt ... insta-love. The events on the page up to the end did not support the sudden move to boyfriend status. Perhaps a few more panels might have done the job, but for the MC to say, "but what about us?" was really abrupt as there hadn't been any clearly romantic "us" to that point. Let alone the inherent questions involved in dating your supervisor. Seemed like that should have been acknowledged so the reader can move past that question. And resolution with regard to the parents was missing. But overall it was beautiful to look at and I loved the food descriptions. It was by and large really well done, just a little unsatisfying at the end. Felt like it needed a few more pages to properly finish it.

Relatability for some? Kind of. Excellent art? Yes. What you'd expect from a short comic in the modern day era? Yes. A good read if looking for something new to read.

One of my favorite bookish surprises is to find out that whatever I’m reading has recipes included in it. Not a cookbook, mind (though those are great too!), but a novel or a graphic novel with recipes after each chapter or at the end of the story. Going into it, I didn’t know that graphic novel Chef’s Kiss by Jarrett Melendez, Danica Brine, Hank Jones, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou would be one of these books. What I did know? Cooking plot, romance, gay protagonist, and I saw the cute, piggy cupid on the front cover – and that was more than enough to sell me on this title. I’m so glad it did! And I’ll be checking out the recipes too.

Ben and his friends have just finished up college, and they are living together while figuring out what happens next: more schooling, job hunting, first job woes, etc. Ben, an English major, is not having any luck applying to jobs that might use his degree – and he’s feeling a little desperate one day when he sees a “Help Wanted” sign at a restaurant. Then it turns out that staff member Liam is hot, Ben gets to use his cooking skills, and (most) of the staff is nice… could this be the thing he’s meant to do? A gourmet food-loving pig will decide his fate, and Ben will have to wrestle with disappointed parents, friend conflict… and maybe dating too, if he’s lucky.

One of the lovely bits of Chef’s Kiss is that the side characters, Ben’s friends and coworkers, all have real moments in the story, from nonsensically talking about a bong decorated like Vlad the Impaler amid a friend negotiation, to a quick moment of asking someone to celebrate you transforming from surprise, to misunderstanding, to hurt when folks aren’t on the same page. I appreciated the healthy resolution of those moments. It may not have resulted in the most drama-filled plot, but it is excellent modeling for readers, and that’s okay to have sometimes! I also appreciated the conversation throughout the book about “what’s next” after college, and the affirmation that it’s okay not to know. So not only was this a cute and satisfying book, I felt that it was rewarding, too. I’m looking forward to putting it in my classroom library.

As with any graphic novel, the art plays a huge role. Danica Brine’s line art and Hank Jones’ color feel like a cross between manga and traditional superhero comics styling, and it is of course beautiful! The focus on each page is definitely on the clean lines and dialogue. I think this is the most text-heavy graphic novel I’ve read in a while. As a result, I got a sense of each character’s voice, which was a good thing. I also loved the art in the back matter, including the illustrated recipes (of course!) for Mushroom Ricotta Tart and Butternut Squash Soup.

The only thing I take issue with about this book is that the back cover (e.g. the publisher) calls it a romance. I think it is more of a coming-of-age story, with a little bit of incidental romance along the way. I say that because it doesn’t feel as though the romance is the POINT of the book – instead, the point is settling into adulthood, figuring out what you want to do, doing your best, and showing up for the people around you. Also, the romantic bits are quite innocent, so it definitely feels sweet in a YA kind of way. And none of this is a real criticism! I think the story and art are lovely and they don’t need a heavier romantic element. I just tried to think of a quibble and found one, don’t mind me, lol.

In all, Chef’s Kiss is an adorable, light read with: a satisfying conclusion, notes on healthy friend and family relationships, a hilarious pig character (and I do mean character), recipes at the end (!), and a sprinkling of romance.

Recommended for: fans of Bloom, Our Dining Table, Check, Please!, and other food-themed graphic novels and manga, and those looking for sweet LGBTQ+ reads with a similar wholesome- and friendly-feel to Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper.

Good art, cute story….would definitely read a sequel

I loved this! This book was absolutely adorable with the art style and the story. I loved the characters (Watson is my new favorite pig!) and the story was great. The art was really good as well. I want to sit here and gush about this for hours.
If you are into graphic novel romances in the vain of Check Please then this is for you! Its a very different story but the atmosphere is similar and it's just as sweet and adorable.