Henry Appleby has an appetite for life. As a recent high school graduate and the son of a wealthy family in one of Chicago’s affluent North Shore suburbs, his life is laid out for him. Unfortunately, though, he’s being forced to follow in the footsteps of his successful attorney father instead of living his dream of being a chef. When an opportunity comes his way to work in a real kitchen the summer after graduation, at a little Italian joint called Fiorello’s, Henry jumps at the chance, putting his future in jeopardy.<br><br>Years ago, life was a plentiful buffet for Vito Carelli. But a tragic turn of events now keeps the young chef at Fiorello’s quiet and secretive, preferring to let his amazing Italian peasant cuisine do his talking.<br><br>When the two cooks meet over an open flame, sparks fly. Both need a taste of something more -- something real, something true -- to separate the good from the bad and find the love -- and the hope -- that just might be their salvation.

Dinner at Fiorello's

It seemed as though he was on the train, then off it again, almost in one fluid motion. Henry shrugged before the doors opened for him. He was already on the platform at Jarvis, so where was the harm in going exactly where he needed to be?


Exactly where I need to be?Henry wondered. Is this it? In more ways than one?


He hurried down the stairs, passing an older woman in a coat and babushka in the seventy-something degree weather, clinging to the handrail for dear life and making her way so slowly you could barely tell she was moving. The stairwell, Henry noticed, smelled of urine. Charming.


Chapter 6