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The Perfect Meal
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The Perfect Meal (2011) (edit title/settings)

by James D. Kirk (Author) (edit contributors)

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Description edit see section history

How a magical notion, born of driven focus without tempering of deep emotions will reveal those deserving a life of career excellence and true love.

Having his soul mate ripped away from him early in adulthood, a great chef spends his career in pursuit of culinary excellence. On his... read more

Summary edit see section history

The turn of the 20th century, in Paris, France, a widely celebrated chef whose entire focus was on producing the very best food. As a young line cook, this man was not permitted to marry his true love because of his low standing in life. The woman, upon learning she had been betrothed to... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

The turn of the 20th century, in Paris, France, a widely celebrated chef whose entire focus was on producing the very best food. As a young line cook, this man was not permitted to marry his true love because of his low standing in life. The woman, upon learning she had been betrothed to another presented her lover with a newly developed meat thermometer she acquired during her time in the United States.

During the chef's dying moments, he made the solemn vow that the holder (and user) of the temperature gauge would know both true love as well as complete culinary brilliance.

50 years later, in New York City, an up and coming young chef is provided use of the thermometer and from that point forward his rise in the culinary world of trendy Manhattan surges meteorically. His love for food unfortunately gets a perverted twist when a critic delivers the chef his first review. While attempting to produce the perfect meal, the young chef loses site of his true love, family and friends.

Characters edit see section history

  • Didier Ives Devereux: Didier Ives Devereux had cooked for over 50 years. It was literally all he knew. He knew it well, very well. Chefs traveled the world round in order to work for and learn from this great culinary master just as he had done when his parents deposited him in Auguste Escoffier’s kitchen on New Years Day, 1888. This was to be his 13th birthday present. He never saw his mother and father again.
  • Alayna: Chef Didier's younger cousin, a woman who has taken care of him and his home for 25 years.
  • Gerald Anderson (aka Gerry): Father of the antagonist. Gerald was raised in a food industry family and is finally making the move to open his own place in lower Manhattan
  • Betty Anderson (aka Bet): Gerald's wife and mother of antagonist, Gregory.
  • Gregory Anderson (aka Greg): Antagonist of the story. Grows up best friends with neighbor across the street, Jeffrey Walker. Initially resists becoming a chef, but eventually gives in.
  • Raymond Walker (aka Ray): Father of the protagonist, Jeffrey. Perhaps a bit naive about owning and operating a restaurant, but is enthusiastic and has the support of his wife and two sons.
  • Ruth Walker: Mother of Jeffrey and Ray, Jr. She is completely supportive of her husbands efforts but does not like his animosity towards Gerald Anderson.
  • Raymond Walker, Jr. (aka Jr., Ray Jr.): The eldest of the Walker boys, Ray, Jr. does not want to be cooped up in a hot kitchen cooking food for others the rest of his life.
  • Jeffrey Walker (aka Jeff): Our Protagonist, best friends with Greg Anderson, and very passionate about food and cooking. He dreams of attending culinary school in France. Eventually meets and falls in love with Angela Harris.
  • Angela Harris: She eventually inherits her uncle's restaurant supply business and meets both Gregory Anderson and Jeffrey Walker. She and Jeff hit it off and become a couple.
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Setting & Locations edit see section history

After a brief prologue set in 1940s Paris, France, the remainder of this story takes place in Manhattan. Starting from early in the main characters life (c. 1977) and extending to the early 1990s.
  • Paris, France: In the apartment of a great and accomplished chef.
  • Lower Manhattan: A nondescript neighborhood street with restaurants on opposing sides of the road. Story starts in 1977 and works its way to 1992 or so.

First Sentence edit see section history

8:15 pm, June 18th, 1940.

Table of Contents edit see section history

Prologue
Chapter One: Fathers Meet
Chapter Two: Growing Up
Chapter Three: Birth and Death
Chapter Four: Culinary Dreams
Chapter Five: Admissions Letter
Chapter Six: Unknown Consequences
Chapter Seven: Destruction of a Dream
Chapter Eight: Reality Sets In
Chapter Nine: Enter Angela
Chapter Ten: Pen Pals
Chapter Eleven: Temperature Rising
Chapter Twelve: Re-Gifting
Chapter Thirteen: Pursuit of the Perfect Meal
Chapter Fourteen: Review is In
Chapter Fifteen: Work, Work, Work
Chapter Sixteen: Friends Again For the First Time
Chapter Seventeen: The Days Before the Last Supper
Chapter Eighteen: Last Supper
Chapter Nineteen: Orphaned In an Instant
Chapter Twenty: To the Bone
Chapter Twenty One: Fall and Rise
Chapter Twenty Two: Angela's Realization
Chapter Twenty Three: The Perfect Meal
Epilogue
About the Author

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. James D. Kirk (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Boldly Going Enterprises
Country: USA
Publication Date: July 24, 2011
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: Add the page count.

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