nwasianweekly.com
May 5, 2007

The Last Chinese Chef, by Nicole Mones. Published by Houghton Mifflin, 2007.

Romance, suspense and Chinese haute cuisine intersect in this heartwarming page-turner.

As she is coming to grips with her husband Matt’s senseless death, Maggie McElroy is hit with another blow: Matt’s estate is served with a paternity suit from Beijing, where he sometimes traveled on business. She reluctantly takes time off from her job as a food columnist for Table magazine to investigate the claim. She packs her bags and heads to China, but not before she garners an assignment to interview Sam Liang, an American-born Chinese-Jewish chef now working in Beijing.

Sam is the grandson of Liang Wei, one of the last chefs who served in the Forbidden City’s kitchens before the Cultural Revolution and author of a comprehensive tome espousing centuries-old traditions. Sam has returned to China to discover his culinary roots under the tutelage of his three uncles, Jiang, Tan and Xie, and is about to enter a prestigious national cooking competition. As the last in line in the Liang clan, he is determined to carry on the tradition of Chinese cuisine as his grandfather cooked it.

In China, Maggie begins to unravel the truth about her husband. In the process, she regains her soul and falls in love — most unexpectedly — both with the cuisine and with a man. With Sam by her side, she lets go of the grief that consumed her in the past year and learns to love again. At the same time, she discovers a cuisine that is deeply rooted in the country’s history and philosophy. She is transformed by the cuisine, by Sam’s family — a querulous yet loving posse of cooks and gourmets — and by Sam himself.

Author Mones has crafted an entertaining and erudite novel cleverly interspersed with mouthwatering details on one of the world’s greatest cuisines. You may have had Chinese food; you may think you know it well. However, this novel will transport you to the world of a hidden Chinese culinary culture rarely experienced outside of China.

As the book sheds light on its philosophy, concepts and artistic ambitions, we learn that Chinese cuisine is not only about quality ingredients and highly-honed skills; it is about “guanxi,” or relationships. With meticulously researched gastronomic details, Mones’ novel will entice foodies interested in the theory and craft behind Chinese cuisine and the Chinese takeout aficionado alike.

Above all, Mones’ characters are genuine; you will care for them so much that you won’t want to put the book down until you’ve learned their fate.

Mones has worked and traveled in China for three decades, including eight years of writing feature stories on Chinese food for Gourmet magazine. The Last Chinese Chef is her third novel.

For recipes and more information, visit www.thelastchinesechef.com. Nicole Mones will appear at Third Place Books, 17171 Bothell Way N.E., Lake Forest Park, on May 11 at 6:30 p.m. and at Elliott Bay Book Company, 101 S. Main St., Seattle, on May 12 at 4 p.m.

Pat Tanumihardja can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

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