Chef's Kiss

"A perfect mix of romance and self-discovery." -- Publishers Weekly

2023 Alex Award Winner
2023 Eisner Award Nominee
2023 GLAAD Award Nominee
2023 YALSA Great Graphic Novel for Teens
2022 New York Public Library Best Book

Watch things start to really heat up in the kitchen in this sweet, queer, new adult graphic novel!

Now that college is over, English graduate Ben Cook is on the job hunt looking for something...anything...related to his passion for reading and writing. But interview after interview, hiring committee after hiring committee, Ben soon learns getting the dream job won't be as easy as he thought. Proofreading? Journalism? Copywriting? Not enough experience. It turns out he doesn't even have enough experience to be a garbage collector! But when Ben stumbles upon a "Now Hiring--No Experience Necessary" sign outside a restaurant, he jumps at the chance to land his first job. Plus, he can keep looking for a writing job in the meantime. He's actually not so bad in the kitchen, but he will have to pass a series of cooking tests to prove he's got the culinary skills to stay on full-time. But it's only temporary...right?

When Ben begins developing a crush on Liam, one of the other super dreamy chefs at the restaurant, and when he starts ditching his old college friends and his old writing job plans, his career path starts to become much less clear.

Author: Jarrett Melendez
Publisher: Oni Press
Published: 04/12/2022
Pages: 160
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.75lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.40d
ISBN: 9781620109045


Award: Alex Awards - Winner


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 12/13/2021
Booklist 02/01/2022 pg. 29
Foreword 02/22/2022

About the Author
Jarrett Melendez is a GLAAD Media Award- and Eisner Award-nominated comic and graphic novel writer, cookbook author, and food journalist. He's best known for the award-winning graphic novel Chef's Kiss, a queer romance set in a restaurant, which he cocreated with Danica Brine. Jarrett has also contributed to award-winning and nominated anthologies, including Young Men in Love, All We Ever Wanted, and Young Men in Love 2: New Romances. Jarrett is currently working on Tales of the Fungo: The Legend of Cep, to be published by Andrews McMeel; Fujoshi Warriors, an action comedy comic miniseries and love letter to both fujoshis and magical girl anime and manga; and a yet-to-be-announced licensed Webtoon. As a cookbook author and food journalist, Jarrett has written countless articles and developed hundreds of original recipes that have appeared in Bon Appetit, Epicurious, Saveur, and Food52. He's written a total of 10 cookbooks to date, including My Pokémon Baking Book, RuneScape: The Official Cookbook, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Official Cookbook, The Official Wednesday Cookbook, The Official Borderlands Cookbook, Persona: The Official Cookbook, and The Official White Lotus Cookbook. Jarrett grew up on the mean, deer-infested streets of Bucksport, Maine, but currently resides in Watertown, Massachusetts, with his partner, Theo, and a collection of Monokuro Boo plush pigs.

Hank Jones is a colorist based in Atlanta, Georgia. He loves comics, movies, and really loves video games. He also enjoys a nice cup of coffee during a rainy day.

Hassan is a British-Algerian letterer who has worked on comics like Quantum & Woody, Red Sonja, First Knife, and more. He's also the editor of the Eisner-winning PanelxPanel magazine, and the voice behind Strip Panel Naked.