Where there's a whisk

Peyton Sinclaire doesn't want to get stuck baking pies in a Florida panhandle diner. With her father in prison for embezzling and her mother having lost her business, winning Top Teen Chef would be Peyton's ticket to culinary school in New York City and a better life. After landing a spot on the show, Peyton is determined to win by staying focused and earning the judges' votes with her gustatory delights, rather than pity for being the "poor contestant." Then there are the two cute cooking competitors, who are also vying for Peyton's starry-eyed attention. No interest in cooking shows is necessary to enjoy this entertaining tale of a head-to-head blue-plate competition between teens from across the country. With Peyton's rich personality and misguided assumptions flavoring the mix, Schmitt's story will have readers cheering for her protagonist through singed feelings and challenge sabotages. Peyton is full of honest goodwill and determination, and this novel is sure to satisfy readers who love to root for the underdog.

A teen reality television cooking competition has as much drama off camera as on. Peyton Sinclaire leaves small-town Florida for New York City to compete on Top Teen Chef. At stake is the chance to win a full-ride scholarship to the American Culinary Institute, and Peyton plans on using her baking skills to win the top spot. As with any reality show, the castmates eventually realize that what people see on screen is largely manufactured and that they have roles to play. The cast is diverse, including competitors who are Black, Hawaiian, and of Cuban, Italian, and Indian descent--along with Peyton, a White girl who lives in a trailer park. The contestants openly acknowledge that they are being prompted by the producers to fulfill stereotypical roles, but unfortunately the characterization is thin, not going much beyond their surface characteristics. Fans of cooking shows will enjoy the challenges that come with a good dose of accessible foodie lingo. However, rather like the reality TV genre it's describing, much of the plot lacks substance; there's not a lot of meat to sink your teeth into in any of the characters' storylines. Perhaps that's the point: These shows always have an angle, with little room for originality or spontaneity, and the novel unfortunately does not go much further. Familiar ingredients that make for bland fare. (Fiction. 13-17) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.