Layla Mitchner is a 28-year-old Cordon Bleu graduate trying to carve out a space for herself in the fast-paced, high-pressure world of Manhattan's top restaurant kitchens. She knows she's got the talent to be a great chef, but instead she's slaving away for a misogynistic boos who's sooner promote the dishwasher than give a woman the chance to prove her sous-chef mettle. And while Layla knows the dwindling balance in her bank account won't begin to cover the money she owes her roommate, she's desperate not to seek help from her self-absorbed, serially divorced, soap-actress mother.

Her romantic prospects seem no brighter. She gets set up with a nice-enough guy, but his tassel loafers and corporate demeanor reek of the WASP aristocracy she's determined to leave behind. After continually striking out, she meets a musician who appears to be the bohemian of her dreams, only to find he may be more deadbeat than heartthrob. But Layla refuses to settle for anything short of true love and success, and she ultimately finds both where she least expects them.

Layla's fresh and animated voice leaps off the pages of this novel, a delicious modern Cinderella story of love, sex, chefs, and the city.