The cheffe : a cook's novel
(Book)

"A Borzoi book"--Title page verso.

"Originally published in France as La Cheffe, roman d'une cuisinière by Éditions Gallimard, Paris, in 2016"--Title page verso.

"A novel about a legendary French female chef--the facts of her life, the nearly ineffable qualities of her cooking, and the obsessive, sometimes destructive desire for purity of taste and experience that shaped her life. Continuing her tradition of writing provocative fiction about fascinating women, here Marie NDiaye gives us the story of a Great Female Chef--a chef who was celebrated as one of the best in a world where men dominate, and the way that her pursuit of love, pleasure, and gustatory delights helped shape her life and career. Told from the perspective of her former assistant (and unrequited lover), now an aged chef himself, here is the story of a woman's quest to the front of the kitchen--and the extraordinary journey she takes along the way."--Provided by publisher.

Born into poverty in southwestern France, the teenage girl develops a remarkable talent for cooking: she even dreams in recipes. Soon she's put in charge of a kitchen, and eventually opens her own restaurant. In a world where men dominate, her pursuit of love, pleasure, and gustatory delights shape her life and career, but the relationship with her own daughter may threaten everything she spent her life perfecting. Her quest is told from the perspective of her former assistant (and unrequited lover), now an aged chef himself. -- adapted from jacket