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. Out now in paperback!
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.
| ISBN: | 9780593523452 |
| Publication date: | 13th May 2025 |
| Author: | Michael Ruhlman |
| Publisher: | Penguin Workshop an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Pagination: | 320 pages |
| Genres: |
Children’s / Teenage fiction: General, modern and contemporary fiction Children’s / Teenage general interest: Ball games and sports: American Football Cooking / Food Children’s / Teenage personal and social topics: First / new experiences and growing up / coming of age Sporting Stories |