Liquor has become one of the hottest restaurants in New Orleans, thanks to chefs Rickey and G-man's wildly creative, booze-laced menu.
But they find that with success comes stress – one of the main problems being to find chefs who can cook to their standards. One day an old colleague, Milford Goodman, walks into their kitchen. He’s just been released from Angola prison, exonerated for a murder he didn’t commit — and he’s black. No one will give him a job. But Rickey and G-man know he’s a brilliant chef, so they hire him on the spot.
Controlling Rickey is so overworked that he injures himself while cooking, and rather than take time off he begins to self-medicate with pills. His friendly doctor has a plan to open a restaurant on one of the city’s floating casinos – and if Rickey wants to go on getting prescriptions he must agree to consult. As the project moves towards completion Rickey learns that Milford's past is inextricably linked with one of the backers, a man whose intentions begin to seem more and more sinister.
Fans of Poppy Brite’s brilliant Liquor series, set in the murky, glamorous restaurant scene of America’s iconic southern city, will love this new instalment. How do Rickey and G-man, long time lovers as well as business partners, cope with the pressure on their relationship? As well as a pacy, riveting read this is a sharp commentary on race relations in pre-Katrina New Orleans, and a fast ride through the dark side of haute cuisine.
Praise for Soul Kitchen:
‘A high-end restaurant is, for any competent novelist, a gift that keeps on giving. The heat, the bickering and intrigue, the pursuit of perfection, the dodgy money keeping it all afloat: the setting spawns plots . . . Can the Liquor franchise sustain itself? The answer is yes’ - New York Times
‘Steeped in spicy dialogue and New Orleans flavor . . . a behind-the-swinging-door peek into the world of chefs’ - Entertainment Weekly
Poppy Z. Brite is the pseudonym of US author Billy Martin, born 1967. He has written a number of novels and short stories, including Exquisite Corpse, Drawing Blood and Lost Souls. He then moved on to writing dark comedies set in the New Orleans restaurant world, Liquor, Soul Kitchen, Prime and The Value of X. He has also published a study of iconic singer Courtney Love - Courtney Love: The Real Story – not officially authorized but with her co-operation. Billy Martin lives and works in New Orleans.