All the President's Menus

December 15, 2014
Hyzy takes readers from the White House kitchen to Blair House in another intelligent, delicious adventure in this smart series. White House Executive Chef Olivia Paras and her assistant, Bucky, are working with fewer staff, thanks to a government sequester, when they are saddled with four Saardiscan chefs for two weeks. The men are not accustomed to women in authority and other aspects of American culture. Ollie finds working with them challenging, especially when White House Pastry Chef Marcel has two incidents in the kitchen, resulting in a damaged arm. When yet another mysterious accident results in the leader of the Saardiscan team dying in the kitchen, Ollie tries to investigate the other men in the group. Translating their language and trying to work with them to plan an upcoming event for a controversial Saardiscan presidential candidate at Blair House takes all of Ollie's considerable skills. The series remains realistic and action-packed while the details of daily life at the White House and now at Blair House provide fascinating background. This unique series will appeal to food-mystery fans as well as those interested in American history.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)