WHERE THERE'S A WHISK

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.