{"product_id":"didnt-you-use-to-be-queenie-b-a-novel-isbn-9780063393110","title":"Didn't You Use to Be Queenie B?: A Novel","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFor everyone who loved \u003cem\u003eThe Bear\u003c\/em\u003e! An utterly winning, crowd-pleaser of a novel about a disgraced celebrity chef, her striving protégé, and their path through the kitchen to redemption.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRegina Benuzzi is Queenie B—a culinary goddess with Michelin Star restaurants, a bestselling cookbook empire, and multimillion-dollar TV deals. It doesn’t hurt that she’s gorgeous and curvaceous, with cascading black hair and signature red lips.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShe had it all. Until she didn’t.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAfter an epic fall from grace, Queenie B vanishes from the public eye, giving up everything: her husband, her son, and the fame that she’d fought to achieve. Her shows are in rerun, her restaurants still popular, but her disappearance remains a mystery to her legions of fans.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLocal line cook Gale Carmichael also knows a thing or two about disaster. Newly sober and struggling, Gale’s future dreams don’t hold space for culinary stardom; only earning enough to get by. Broke at the end of the week, he finds himself at a local soup kitchen in one of the roughest parts of New Haven, Connecticut. But Gale quickly realizes that the food coming out of the kitchen is not your standard free meal—it is delicious and prepared with gourmet flair.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGale doesn’t recognize Regina, the soup kitchen’s cranky proprietor, whose famous black mane is now streaked with gray. It’s been more than ten years since Queenie B vanished into her careful new existence. But she sees Gale’s talent and recognizes a brokenness in him that she knows all too well. The culinary genius in hiding takes him under her wing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTeaching Gale, Regina’s passion to create is reignited, and they both glimpse a shot at the redemption that had always seemed out of reach. When Gale is chosen to compete on the hit cooking show, \u003cem\u003eCut!, i\u003c\/em\u003et’s a turning point for them both.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt’s Gale’s time to shine. And that means Queenie B might just have to come out of hiding…\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e“Varina Palladino’s Jersey Italian Love Story \u003c\/em\u003eis fun and funny, wonderfully exuberant, and incredibly wise.\u003cem\u003e \u003c\/em\u003eThese endearing characters—their voices and stories— will be with me for a long time to come. I didn’t want to say good-bye.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eJill McCorkle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“DeFino’s zesty homage to the northern New Jersey microcosm delights with its universality and specificity.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist (starred review) on Varina Palladino’s Jersey Italian Love Story\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A bighearted story of a suburban Jersey Italian family...Readers will be glad to immerse themselves in the Palladinos’ exuberant world.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly on Varina Palladino’s Jersey Italian Love Story\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“There are a lot of laughs despite the mayhem and drama, and of course, many family dinners (with recipes!), but it is love that permeates and elevates this terrific Italian family saga.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal on Varina Palladino’s Jersey Italian Love Story\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Delightful and witty, Terri-Lynne DeFino weaves a poignant tale about tradition, love and family.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eStephanie Evanovich, New York Times bestselling author, on Varina Palladino’s Jersey Italian Love Story\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Charming...DeFino skillfully weaves Gale’s and Regina’s stories, revealing how both have sabotaged themselves out of a fear of losing control. It’s an immersive tour through the highs and lows of a chef’s life.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"William Morrow","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44890893320421,"sku":"NP9780063393110","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780063393110.jpg?v=1730234286","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/didnt-you-use-to-be-queenie-b-a-novel-isbn-9780063393110","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}