A captivating novel of Renaissance Italy detailing the mysterious life of Bartolomeo Scappi, the legendary chef to several popes and author of one of the bestselling cookbooks of all time.
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The Chef’s Secret
by Crystal King
Category: Adult fiction, 352 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Atria/Simon & Schuster
Release date: Feb 12, 2019
Tour dates: Feb 11 to 28, 2019
Content Rating: R (for a couple of explicit, but loving, sex scenes (no abuse or rape) and minor curse words)
Synopsis
A captivating novel of Renaissance Italy detailing the mysterious life of Bartolomeo Scappi, the legendary chef to several popes and author of one of the bestselling cookbooks of all time, and the nephew who sets out to discover his late uncle’s secrets—including the identity of the noblewoman Bartolomeo loved until he died.
When Bartolomeo Scappi dies in 1577, he leaves his vast estate—properties, money, and his position—to his nephew and apprentice Giovanni. He also gives Giovanni the keys to two strongboxes and strict instructions to burn their contents. Despite Scappi’s dire warning that the information concealed in those boxes could put Giovanni’s life and others at risk, Giovanni is compelled to learn his uncle’s secrets. He undertakes the arduous task of decoding Scappi’s journals and uncovers a history of deception, betrayal, and murder—all to protect an illicit love affair.
As Giovanni pieces together the details of Scappi’s past, he must contend with two rivals who have joined forces—his brother Cesare and Scappi’s former protégé, Domenico Romoli, who will do anything to get his hands on the late chef’s recipes.
With luscious prose that captures the full scale of the sumptuous feasts for which Scappi was known, The Chef’s Secret serves up power, intrigue, and passion, bringing Renaissance Italy to life in a delectable fashion.
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Enjoy the interview with author Crystal King
What did you like most about writing The Chef’s Secret?
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I love writing about food and Bartolomeo Scappi was one of the most fascinating culinary characters I could have chosen. I loved exploring the cookbook he wrote in 1570 and learning all the regional food traditions. The Renaissance is also such a fun time in history to research–there are so many colorful, artistic characters that lived during that time whom my main character may have known. I loved that I could add famous artists like Benvenuto Cellini and Michelangelo as characters–it’s very probably that Bartolomeo had cooked them a meal at some point in his life.
Do you ever cook any of the recipes described in your book?
Yes! That’s one of the most exciting things to me about exploring the lives of Italian culinary heroes. I think to really know my characters I have to cook the foods that they would have cooked or at least make a grand attempt to. The recipes aren’t always easy to decipher, and many of the ingredients are not as familiar today to a modern palate. Or they are things we just don’t eat any more. For example, peacock, crane, calves eyeballs, hedgehog, or porcupine. But there are many things.There are many things in the 1570 cookbook that Bartolomeo Scappi wrote that we would find delicious, including apple crostata, braised beef, mushroom soup, fritters, and so much more. I include many of these recipes in The Chef’s Secret Companion cookbook, which can be found here. And if you are interested in ancient Roman food, check out my page all about the cuisine of that time, and you can also download the Feast of Sorrow companion cookbook too.
If you could put yourself as a character in your book, who would you be?
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This is hard because I don’t think of myself like my characters. Maybe Stella, Bartolomeo’s great love. Although, it’s funny, when I wrote Feast of Sorrow, my husband said, “oh you are just like Thrasius,” who was one of the main characters in that book. I was floored, because I think I’m nothing like him, but apparently my subconscious is! When I finished The Chef’s Secret, I asked him if I was like Giovanni and he said absolutely not, so I think I might have successfully taken myself out of the book which is good.
Do you have another profession besides writing?
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I do. I work as a social media professor for a technology company. I develop video lessons on how to use all the social media platforms. Eventually I hope that I am only writing books, but it’s hard for authors to make a living today. Until I’m able to do that, I am lucky to have a day job that I also really love.
Do you ever get writer’s block? What helps you overcome it?
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I don’t. If anything, I get stopped by not having enough time or I don’t feel motivated–which is different than being blocked. I don’t think I would ever be somebody who could suffer from writer’s block–knock on wood. I went to school for my M.A. in critical and creative thinking, and as part of my thesis, I developed writing exercises for authors in progress– authors who are stuck with parts of their plot. And if I ever feel stuck, I go to one of those exercises to unstick myself. I also spend a lot of time talking to myself and working through plot problems. This sounds funny but it’s super helpful for me. I’m the person that you might be next to at a stoplight in your car, and you look over and that woman is just talking away to herself. That would be me asking myself questions. What if this happened? How do I get this character to do that? And I just explore all those ideas and questions out loud. It’s amazing how often answers will come to me when I’m talking to myself.
If you could go back in time, where would you go?
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This is a hard question because I have studied several different time periods, and while I would love to go back and be a fly on the wall in them, I think it would be difficult to want to live in those time frames, particularly as a woman. If I had to say, I would like to visit ancient Rome and see it in all of its beautiful splendor, and I would, of course, love to see Rome in the Renaissance, but well after the sack of Rome.
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About Author Crystal King
Crystal King is an author, culinary enthusiast, and marketing expert. Her writing is fueled by a love of history and a passion for the food, language, and culture of Italy. She has taught classes in writing, creativity, and social media at several universities including Harvard Extension School and Boston University, as well as at GrubStreet, one of the leading creative writing centers in the US.
A Pushcart Prize–nominated poet and former co-editor of the online literary arts journal Plum Ruby Review, Crystal received her MA in critical and creative thinking from UMass Boston, where she developed a series of exercises and writing prompts to help fiction writers in medias res. She resides in Boston but considers Italy her next great love after her husband, Joe, and their two cats, Nero and Merlin. She is the author of Feast of Sorrow.
Connect with the author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Pinterest ~ Instagram
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