If You Cant Take the Heat, Michael Ruhlman
If You Cant Take the Heat, Michael Ruhlman
List: $25.00 | Sale: $17.50
Club: $12.50

If You Can't Take the Heat

Author: Michael Ruhlman

Narrator: Dan Bittner

Unabridged: 8 hr 4 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/04/2024


Synopsis

From James Beard Award–winning author Michael Ruhlman, a coming-of-age story about finding a new life and love in the kitchen…and trying not to get burned along the way.

When high school football star Theo Claverback breaks his leg just weeks after a devastating break-up, he’s forced to call an audible on his summer plans and put his college ones on hold. He soon finds himself in the most unlikely of places for a jock on crutches: the kitchen of an upscale French restaurant, where he’ll work as a prep cook while his heart and leg heal.

But it’s in the kitchen where Theo finds new purpose and a new romance. As he becomes a trusted employee to Chef and is welcomed into his inner circle, Theo begins to discover the true costs of running a restaurant—and what happens when you get into hot water with the wrong people.

Set in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1980, If You Can't Take the Heat is a gritty look inside the belly of an upscale kitchen where love and danger boil behind closed doors.

About The Author

Michael Ruhlman is a trained cook and an award-winning author best known for writing about food, chefs, and the work of professional cooking. He has also written for the New York Times, the New York Times Sunday Magazine, the Wall Street Journal, Gourmet magazine, and other publications. He lives in New York City and Providence, Rhode Island.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Fizah(Books tales by me) on July 03, 2024

THANKS TO PENGUIN WORKSHOP FOR THIS PHYSICAL ARC IN EXCHANGE FOR A HONEST REVIEW. Theo is heartbroken after a breakup and needs something else to break so decides to go for his leg (sorry). Theo is an athlete and got injured playing. The entire summer is ahead of him and he is stuck to his bed for we......more

Goodreads review by FloeticFlo on October 07, 2024

Maybe 3.5 but I wouldn’t round up. An easy listen, just more vibes than plot. Aspiring chefs and foodies will enjoy all the yummy cooking talk! I enjoyed the theme of certain people coming into your life for a reason just when you need them and of how when your life plan changes you can pivot and mak......more

Goodreads review by Melissa on June 03, 2024

4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 If You Can't Take the Heat is a lightning in the bottle coming of age story from the past paced world of a restaurant kitchen. Meet Theo a sweet, sometimes naive, 16 year old boy mourning the loss of the life he loved and adjusting to a new one he never saw coming. Our story starts at t......more

Goodreads review by Matt on October 05, 2024

A wonderful piece of easy fiction from a masterful writer. Michael Ruhlman reminds us how fantastical and addicting cooking can be. He should know. Recipes are articulated completely but without being lists and steps. He turns that feeling into something more akin to a painter weaving a brush across......more

Goodreads review by Nicole on June 19, 2024

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review! Michael Ruhlman’s "If You Can't Take the Heat" is a compelling coming-of-age story set against the fast-paced, high-pressure world of a restaurant kitchen. The book introduces you to Theo, a sweet yet naive 16-year-ol......more


Quotes

"Food writer Ruhlman employs exacting verisimilitude to bring the heat of the kitchen and sensory details of the dishes to life in this vivacious debut."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"This human story is the book’s real strength, as is the care given to detailing the operations inside a restaurant kitchen, lending power and authenticity."—Booklist

"A refreshingly different take on the romance genre, written from the male perspective, and a great purchase for all libraries."—School Library Journal

"Ruhlman’s writing is at its best when Theo is in the kitchen. The hustle and passion that flow during service drop readers squarely in the middle of the action...The well-realized foodie elements are the highlight."—Kirkus Reviews