Sugar

"My compliments to the chef."
~~~

Twenty-six year-old Kahlia Obisani is the youngest chef to have won the title of Food Doyen in the nation's toughest televised cooking competition. Overseen and judged by the biggest names in the culinary industry around the world, Kahlia became a national sensation when she won the title at the tender age of twenty. With her instant success and prize money, she set up her restaurant, a Michelin star establishment with her leading the helm as head chef. Her winning dish, now her signature dish, is the best selling item on the menu; a sweet dessert with root vegetables as the base ingredients.

Thirty year-old Dorian Bankfurth is what most restauranteurs would consider the toughest food critic in the cooking scene. He's built and destroyed restaurants with a single review, putting multitudes of establishments on the map and driving even more into bankruptcy and closed doors. He's cold, judgemental, and cynical, but above all things he's fair. He gives reviews as honestly as he can, and has no problem giving credit where it's due.

When his friends take him to award winning Obisani restaurant for his birthday, he's faced with a dish he never thought he'd encounter in his life; a dessert made from root vegetables. The kicker? Dorian hates sweet things.

The moment he finally meets the chef behind the meal, both their worlds are rocked in a shocking contrast of sweet and sour. Kahlia's sweet disposition and Dorian's cold glare clash, sparking tension and whispers in those around them. Still, despite his abrasive attitude, Kahlia keeps smiling, infecting the man with a sweetness he hadn't known he was missing, and opening his palate to a whole new world he quickly became addicted to.

When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. Could he accept the one ingredient his recipe was missing?