86 The Chef follows a celebrity chef cracking under the weight of ambition, exhaustion, and emotional disconnection, who seeks the help of his little brother to escape. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

I grew up during the heyday of Emeril Live and other seminal Food Network shows, and worked in some restaurants and catering kitchens. Ultimately, I pursued creative writing over culinary school, but cooking has always been an important part of my life. It just made sense that my first book would be rooted in that knowledge and passion. 

The inspiration for this story came out of a single question- What would happen if one of the world’s most famous celebrity chefs needed to unwind the empire he built? I wanted to explore how one would go about that, and if those lengths would be funny or tragic, and if it could even be accomplished in the end. I can tell you that the book turned out completely differently than I thought when I first asked myself that question. 

Your characters are wonderfully emotive and relatable. Were you able to use anything from your own life to inform their character development?

I am the middle of three boys, so there is certainly some experience written into the ways the Chapman brothers interact. My favorite scenes are when they are all together, like at the unnamed bar or the big family dinner at the end of the book. The characters themselves are, in a way, thought experiments on what my future could have been if I had chosen to pursue a career in food or cooking somehow. Not that I would have even sniffed the success or celebrity of Trey, but I could imagine a life where I was a food critic. And although I don’t have the constitution for crime, it’s fun to wonder what a life traveling the world and smuggling delicacies would be like.  

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

Family was a major theme because it’s one of the reasons that drives the drastic moves Trey makes. But I also wanted to put a spotlight on ambition. There aren’t any checks on his ascent. Trey doesn’t pump the brakes at all when he’s building his empire, which is why he must go to such extraordinary lengths to get out of it. Jackson and Joey also tackle ambition, or lack of it. What do you want to do? Why is that important? What happens if it doesn’t work out? What happens if it does? Those are the questions they all eventually get around to asking themselves and answering. 

What is the next book that you’re working on, and when can your fans expect it out?

I am in the process of writing a sequel to 86 The Chef. While some of the storylines are resolved, there is still a lot more to explore with the Chapman brothers. The biggest question being “What happens to Trey after he…” (I don’t want to spoil the ending of the original.) It will probably be available late summer or early fall. Fans can join the mailing list by emailing rooster@woosterstreetpublishing.com to be among the first to know. 

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