A Taste of Sage

by Yaffa S. Santos

Overview

Winner of the International Latino Book Award for Best Novel–Romance

From talented new writer Yaffa S. Santos, a hilarious and heartwarming rom-com about chefs, cooking, love, and self-discovery—a cross between The Hating Game and Sweetbitter

Lumi Santana is a chef with the gift of synesthesia—she can perceive a person’s emotions by tasting their cooking. Despite being raised by a single mother who taught her that dreams and true love were silly fairy tales, she takes a chance and puts her heart and savings into opening a fusion restaurant in Manhattan. The restaurant offers a mix of the Dominican cuisine she grew up with and other world cuisines that have been a source of culinary inspiration to her.

When Lumi’s venture fails, she is forced to take a position as a sous chef at a staid French restaurant in midtown owned by Julien Dax, a celebrated chef known for his acid tongue and brilliant smile. Lumi and Julien don’t get along in the kitchen and she secretly vows never to taste his cooking. Little does she know that her resolve doesn’t stand a chance against his culinary prowess.

As Julien produces one delectable dish after another, Lumi can no longer resist his creations. She isn’t prepared for the intense feelings that follow, throwing a curveball in her plan to move on as soon as possible. Plus, there’s the matter of Esme, Julien’s receptionist, who seems to always be near and watching. As the attraction between Lumi and Julien simmers, Lumi experiences a tragedy that not only complicates her professional plans, but her love life as well...

Clever, witty, and romantic, A Taste of Sage will delight and entertain until the last page.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062974846
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/19/2020
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	1,034,876
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Yaffa S. Santos was born and raised in New Jersey. She is the author of A Taste of Sage, which won an International Latino Book Award and was named an Indie Next List Pick and an Amazon Editor’s Pick, and the forthcoming A Touch of Moonlight. Yaffa is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, where she studied writing and visual art. She enjoys books, coffee, and the beach, and lives in Central Florida with her family. 

Editorial Reviews

03/30/2020

Santo cooks up a disappointingly bland debut romance between chefs. After the failure of Lumi Santana’s experimental Dominican restaurant in Manhattan, Lumi reluctantly takes a position as sous chef in Julien Dax’s traditional French restaurant. At first, Lumi and Julien butt heads, as Lumi attempts her own spin on traditional dishes, but Julien is attracted by Lumi’s beauty, and Lumi—who possesses the ability to discern a chef’s emotions when she eats their food—is intrigued by the depth of flavor and feeling in Julien’s cooking, and the two begin a romance. After Julien’s secretary, Esme, secretly assists in cooking a dessert, Lumi claims she can taste the bitter flavors of Esme’s jealousy of Lumi. Still, the women’s conflict fails to adequately complicate the plot, which plods along toward its happy ending with few surprises for the protagonists and little to no character development for Santos’s supporting cast of largely indistinguishable colleagues and friends. Santos’s creativity and humor, however, shine through occasionally in the recipes that accompany many chapters (for Lumi’s Rice Chex Smoothie, preparation instructions simply read, “Don’t”; others, such as a bouillabaisse with rouille, sound appetizing). Unfortunately, her recipe for romance is not equally inspired. Agent: Nick Owen, Pontas Literary & Film Agency. (May)

Publishers Weekly

"This sweet and spicy tale will bring out the romantic epicurean in all who pull it off the shelves."  — Booklist

"Santos’s debut blends the rare but real condition of synesthesia into a fast-paced. . .romance. The recipes throughout make this a perfect recommendation to those checking out cookbooks with their romances." — Library Journal

“This delightful debut charms the reader with its unique conflict, savory dishes, and engaging characters that warm your heart.” — Priscilla Oliveras, USA Today Bestselling author of Island Affair

From the Publisher

"This sweet and spicy tale will bring out the romantic epicurean in all who pull it off the shelves." 

Booklist

This delightful debut charms the reader with its unique conflict, savory dishes, and engaging characters that warm your heart.

Priscilla Oliveras

"This sweet and spicy tale will bring out the romantic epicurean in all who pull it off the shelves." 

Booklist

04/01/2020

DEBUT Lumi Santana's dreams of owning her own Dominican fusion restaurant have been dashed, and she's forced to apply for a position as a sous-chef for a fancy French chef who runs his kitchen with an iron fist. Lumi has been able to taste the emotions of various cooks' food her entire life, and she knows Julien Dax's cooking will taste rigid and unyielding. Julien is determined to see his restaurant succeed where others have failed, and he's convinced there's only one way to do it. Lumi's vibrant cooking style, however, is intriguing and he seeks out her ideas more and more. When Lumi finally samples a bite of Julien's cooking, she finds the food electric and starts to wonder if she's misjudged him. After a dangerous mishap in the kitchen, Lumi is sure she should stay far away from both Julien and the restaurant. Julien realizes if he wants Lumi in his life for good, he's going to have to open his mind to new ideas and different life goals. VERDICT Santos's debut blends the rare but real condition of synesthesia into a fast-paced if uneven romance. The recipes throughout make this a perfect recommendation to those checking out cookbooks with their romances.—Kellie Tilton, Univ. of Cincinnati Blue Ash

Library Journal

2020-03-02
When Dominican chef Lumi Santana’s unconventional restaurant fails, she takes a job as sous chef at traditional French outpost DAX, owned by the acerbic Julien Dax.

Julien is presented as a Gordon Ramsay type who cuts an intimidating figure in the kitchen. But though Julien ejects a customer who deigns to ask for ketchup and fires a cook who ruins some expensive dried meat, Santos never fully captures either his bark or his bite. And although Lumi is a more fully realized character, she still suffers from lack of a strong plot to support her. Lumi repeatedly mentions how much she hates Julien, how little she enjoys her position at DAX, how every rude comment her boss makes brings her to the brink of quitting—but Santos writes the kitchen staff as friendly and Julien as sarcastic and nit-picky but affable. Most disappointing, the romance between Lumi and Julien is completely unearned. The two spend a minimal amount of time together before falling head over heels, so when both claim an intense and life-altering attraction, there is little evidence to support it. Several underdeveloped and unnecessary side plots (a disgruntled chef, an obsessive secretary) take needed time away from cultivating a real romantic connection between the main characters. It’s clear that Santos is as proud of her Dominican heritage as she is passionate about food—when she shares the beauty of her culture (a thread of magical realism runs through the text in Lumi’s ability to taste emotions in food) and lushly describes Lumi’s culinary creations, the passages shine. But these brief moments are not enough to save the uneven writing and thin plot.

This dish sounds good on the menu but ultimately fails a taste test.

Kirkus Reviews