Aftertaste - Meredith Mileti [0]
AFTERTASTE
“I loved this unflinchingly honest portrayal of a woman’s fresh start—in life, in love, and in her very special kitchens.”
—Melissa Senate, author of The Love Goddess’ Cooking School
“Simply scrumptious! In Aftertaste, Meredith Mileti dishes up a smart, gripping novel rich with the right ingredients—an honest telling of love, anger, forgiveness and the binding power of food. I finished this book wonderfully satisfied and yet still wanting more, the perfect meal!”
—Susan Gregg Gilmore, author of Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen and The Improper Life of Bezellia Grove
“Meredith Mileti not only understands food in all its contexts, she also understands stories and she’s given us a ripping good one in Aftertaste. I was hooked from Antipasti right down to the last crumb of Dolce on the plate.”
—Judith Ryan Hendricks, author of Bread Alone
“Meredith Mileti’s Aftertaste is as honest, hearty, and deeply satisfying as the Italian peasant fare cooked by her heroine. A delightful debut novel about the important things in life: food, family, and love.”
—Ann Mah, author of Kitchen Chinese
“The perfect recipe for a deeply satisfying read—a wonderfully flawed narrator with an ax (and an ex) to grind, a fast-paced story set in the fascinating world of top chefs and restaurants told with an insider’s knife-edge precision, an utterly believable and sympathetic cast of characters—all served up with delectable prose and refreshing insights into work, family, and love that linger long after the last page has been turned.”
—Liza Gyllenhaal, author of So Near
“To say that Aftertaste is a story about food and love and resilience is like calling Anthony Bourdain a “cook.” Readers are going to fall in love with Mira and Meredith Mileti. It’s always a thrill to read a debut novel, but to discover a writer as great as this is pure treasure.”
—Jo-Ann Mapson, author of Solomon’s Oak and The Owl & Moon Café
“Serving up not only delectable cuisine but magnificent prose, Meredith Mileti’s Aftertaste lingered on my tongue long after devouring the last page. Surely she is a writer destined for greatness!”
—Lisa Patton, author of Whistlin’ Dixie in a Nor’easter
“A delicious debut.”
—Jamie Cat Callan, author of French Women Don’t Sleep Alone and Bonjour, Happiness!
aftertaste
{a novel in five courses}
Meredith Mileti
KENSINGTON BOOKS
www.kensingtonbooks.com
All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.
Table of Contents
Advance Praise for Meredith Mileti’s - AFTERTASTE
Title Page
Dedication
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Antipasti
chapter 1
chapter 2
Primi
chapter 3
chapter 4
chapter 5
chapter 6
chapter 7
chapter 8
chapter 9
chapter 10
chapter 11
chapter 12
Secondi
chapter 13
chapter 14
chapter 15
chapter 16
chapter 17
chapter 18
chapter 19
chapter 20
chapter 21
chapter 22
chapter 23
chapter 24
chapter 25
chapter 26
chapter 27
Contorni
chapter 28
chapter 29
chapter 30
Dolce
chapter 31
chapter 32
chapter 33
chapter 34
chapter 35
A READING GROUP GUIDE - AFTERTASTE
Discussion Questions
Copyright Page
For my father, Robert Mileti
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Julia Child once observed that great gourmands are marked by warm and generous natures and that the people who love to eat are always the best people. My thanks are due to so many individuals who helped bring this book to the table—friends, readers, and great gourmands all . . .
My agents, Alexandra Machinist and Linda Chester, for zealously championing Mira and her story; Amy Pyle, my insightful and supportive editor, whose gentle hand and expert assistance helped guide Aftertaste to fruition; Debra Roth Kane, copy editor extraordinaire, for her careful attention to detail; and last, but not least, the team at Kensington, for giving this first-time novelist such a wonderful welcome.
Thanks are due as well to my earliest readers, Grant, Sonja, Holly, and Clara Schutte, Kathy Cienciala and John Lingley, for