I belong, as a contributing member, to a talented group of writers who are responsible for A Muse Bouche Review, a literary newsletter. It gives me a chance to write something new each month around a given theme, which I’m enjoying. The theme for January, 2024 is Cooking and my contribution this month is a culinary science fiction story titled A Dish Most Rare. Here’s how it starts:

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My Chef de Cuisine called me into his office at the end of the night, which wasn’t unusual in and of itself. I’ve been his Sous Chef for nearly two years, and he often wants to discuss how that evening’s dinner service went—if one of the minor celebrities who called our small but bougie mountain town home had been in attendance and if their meal had pleased them; what worked and, God forbid, what didn’t; which kitchen staff were slacking and which were grinding; whether the saucier was still banging the garde manger. Shit like that. Chef wasn’t above a little kitchen gossip.

This was something different. For one thing he asked me to close the door behind me, which he rarely does. He also had an open bottle of Michter’s Single Barrel on his desk, along with a half-full tumbler, also rare for him. Chef’s not much of a drinker.

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To read the entire story, and all the other pieces from this talented crew, check out the January A Muse Bouche Review, available here:

https://mailchi.mp/d34ed518eaf4/a-muse-bouche-review-plots-parties-17615268?e=4827792cb0