Tonight I’m doing two things: making braised beef short ribs, and the lingering aroma permeating our house is utterly divine; and bringing you an exclusive giveaway of the gorgeous, weighty paperback version of Appetite, the compilation volume of A Cut Above the Rest, The Competitive Edge, and Surfeit for the Senses.
Summary from the first novel:
Alex always had it easy growing up, indulged by loving, but busy parents as he flitted from one interest to another without settling. Then he discovered the world of fine dining and became determined to be a chef capable of producing such magnificent meals. Despite the doubts of a father who limited his funds, and the difficulties of leaving Germany to live in the United States, Alex stuck to his new goal and graduated the Culinary Institute of America.
Fresh out of school, he is eager to begin work at the restaurant owned by a good friend of his father’s, a restaurant well known for the beautiful, innovative meals its chefs create. He is primed to join the ranks of those masterful chefs—until the day he starts, and learns that he is nothing more than kitchen lackey, lower in rank than even the dishwashers.
Worse, his boss is none other than Nik, the beautiful, infuriating, highly talented classmate that Alex could never best—or resist.
You can find summaries and excerpts from all three books from the series page here. It’s also got a nice spread of Goodreads reviews here.
The Appetite series is near and dear to my heart, not only for all the amazing food but because presiding over the journey that Chef Alex and Chef Nik take over the course of the story is tremendously frustrating, certainly difficult, but ultimately satisfying.
The trade paperback is quite thick! And worth its weight.
The Giveaway:
I am offering this trade paperback to ONE lucky winner, chosen by a random number selected by random.org from the comments of this entry. I’ll autograph it however you like, and I will ship Appetite anywhere that accepts U.S. mail from me to you.
To enter, drop a comment (you MUST include an email or means of contact or I CANNOT count your entry). Comment between now and next Sunday, October 6th. Winners will be chosen Monday morning.
Tell me in your comment about your favorite dish, savory or sweet! I love to hear about what foods everyone regards as their favorite. That’s it–comment (and include your email or a way to contact you) and you are entered!
If you would like additional chances to enter, you may also do the following:
– Promote/share my Facebook post promoting Appetite’s print release.
– Post a comment on my/your Facebook about the novel.
– Reblog my Tumblr post promoting Appetite.
– Retweet my author tweet on Twitter regarding Appetite’s paperback.
– Become a fan on Goodreads.
– Make a comment or make a post promoting the novel on your own social venue (any and all – WordPress, LJ, DW, blogspot, just link me so I can verify)
Basically, spread the word in any possible fashion and you can get an additional chance (for each extra action) to win your own signed trade paperback copy of Appetite!
Thanks for your support! Good luck, bon Appetite, and have a great week!
Talya Andor 
“The trade paperback is quite thick!”
The trade paperback is a brick. Let’s not pretend. ^_^
It’s TOTALLY a brick. This could be used as the proverbial blunt object!
First…OH MY GOD!! I love the paperback!! It’s so big! *snickers*
Second…I’m kind of easy…I like big complex dishes as well as simple ones. I love a good ribeye with a butter sauce or a mushroom sauce…yum…loaded baked potato and an arugula salad. Now I’m hungry…I can go for a burger and homemade fries too. I also love real mexican food…not tex mex (it’s just okay) like real shredded beef burrito…seriously it’s nine at night and I’m starving right now…*sighs* Ummm…I love grilled asparagus. I love mushroom risotto. And I’d die for one of Layla’s gyros and homemade tzatziki sauce…NOM…I’m gonna quit talking food now…
morris.crissy@gmail.com
Do I need to list the ways I shared you with my social world here? 🙂
Oh! Okay…I am already your faithful GR fan…
Of course I shared on FB (I would have done it without a contest)
I definitely retweeted your contes
And re-tumblr-ed (is that a word?)
And of course I posted on your wall about the books…because I love them all 🙂
Awesome, Crissy! Oh it’s tough to narrow down a favorite, isn’t it? I take enjoyment from such a wide variety of foods, too. All of that sounds great to me! I love making mushroom risotto. And it’s getting cool enough now that sounds very tasty indeed…maybe I’ll make it this weekend!
I’ve got you down for five entries in the giveaway, and thanks for sharing!
Ohh! It’s available in paperback =D I’m so excited for this book, can’t wait to read about their story again…
Favorite dish change so often for me since I love trying out new recipes… Mousse au chocolat is my favorite dessert tho!
Email is jumbie_22@yahoo.ca, I reblogged on Tumblr (http://libertefreiheitfreedom.tumblr.com/), Twitter (jumbie_22) and I’m a fan on Goodreads (jumbie22).
Thanks for this giveaway!
It is, and it’s such a beautiful paperback! I think you’d love it.
Mousse au chocolat, ah, you have such good taste! My favorite right now is flourless chocolate cake, and the recipe I use is so rich it’s practically mousse au chocolat, I swear.
I have you down for four entries, thanks for sharing!
Fave dish: General Tso’s chicken, yo. From a good Chinese restaurant.
1) ginandironic@gmail.com
2) retweeted
3) reblogged on ahmandahjean
4) fan on GR
Too bad there aren’t any we’ve found in Oregon…
Thanks for spreading the good word! I’ve got you down for four entries. 🙂
Favourite (current) dish: marsala chicken! Simple but so amazing.
My email is justhereforthecake@gmail.com. Retweeted it as well!
That sounds really good! “Current” favorite is how I roll, too–I’m always getting obsessed with something different. Thanks for the retweet!
Ooh, what a tasty dish you have served up for us, mademoiselle. I would definitely like to partake.
I have such an uneducated palate, so I’m in awe of people who talk about and cook food so well. But even saying that, I know what I like. There’s a wonderful ginger chicken plate at a local restaurant that I could devour every day. I’m a sucker for pasta dishes that don’t have a white sauce on them, and I love when my plate is filled up with delectable veg in all sorts of colors.
caroaz [at] ymail [dot] com
Thank you! Appetite is one of my pride and joys. 🙂
Ginger chicken sounds great, and I personally love a wide variety of vegetables, as well. Thanks for signing up, and good luck!
oooh I would love the chance to read this!
My absolute favorite dish is an herbed beef tenderloin that has a nice crunchy panko crust. My mom makes this every Christmas and I wait all year in drooling anticipation. It’s usually the only holiday I’m able to visit my family and I can never even think about trying to cook it by myself, it just wouldn’t be the same!
reblogged by paper-letters on Tumblr, retweeted by plaid-hats, and I’m a fan on Goodreads (Emily Smith). (emily.smith525 (at) gmail)
That sounds absolutely divine. I love to see what different people make for their Christmas traditions…for the past few years I’ve made a roast and Yorkshire puddings. I haven’t seen my family for a few years for Christmas though, and that makes me sad!
I’ve got you down for four entries. Thank you for sharing, and good luck!
A signed copy WAAAAAANT! :). Gosh that thing is HUGE!
Hmmmm, favorite dish. Like, only one? I’m really into hummus lately – we make several great flavors, & cook our own chick peas too. No cans. Roasted garlic, shallots, sun-dried tomatoes, cumin, oregano, all sorts of tasty flavors. I love it with traditional naan, but olive oil brushed on a flour tortilla with some spices rubbed on & toasted for 8-10 minutes works too. 🙂
Great. Now I’m hungry.
It’s big and beautiful, I love it!
Right there with you, it’s so hard to pick JUST ONE, basically I have a ton of favorites. But hummus, mmm. That’s a good one. And there’s so much variety in it. Hummus with homemade naan, I’d die.
…damn it, now me too.
I haven’t had the chance to read the Appetite series yet, but I’m so looking forward to it! ^_^ As for favourite dish … My grandma’s chocolate cake for dessert and taco Norwegian style. At least for the moment, it tends to change. ^_~
ttkove@gmail.com
It’s my pride and joy! 🙂 Oh, those dishes sound great. And that’s like me too, my favorites change a lot.
Thanks for signing up, and good luck!
I love the whole series and to have it as a paperback, especially one so lovely, would be great! Well, my favorite dish is without any doubt Linguine with Clams. Totally yummy:) Whenever it’s on a menu at an Italian restaurant, I don’t have to look any further. And I have a wonderful recipe to cook it at home as well.
anke_gabriel at yahoo dot com
Maybe I’m biased but it sure is a beautiful paperback! It looks great on the shelf. 😉
Linguini with clams is so, so good! I must agree, that’s a great choice.
Thanks for signing up! Good luck.
I haven’t had the chance to read this, but the summary intrigued me *______*
Maybe I’m biased, but I think it’s really good. 😉 And the paperback is fantastic!
Thanks for signing up, Kay. Good luck!
I’m a fan of baking. The other day I made this gorgeous apple pie. I used fresh apples from my garden, but because they were so tart I had to tweak the amount of sugar. I also added some garden blackberries for extra color and flavor. It came out great!
I’ve been meaning to get a copy of your series for a while, but I haven’t had the chance. Congratulations on such a nice paperback!
I’m already a fan on goodreads and I retweeted. Mell88@nycap.rr.com
The first baker! That is such an art, I really admire people who can bake. And that sounds just divine.
Thank you! 🙂 It’s beautiful, I’m happy to be sharing a copy.
I’ve got you down for three entries – thanks for the retweet! Good luck with the giveaway.
I love baking, but it’s is science. All the ingredients have to be exactly right, so I can follow a recipe and look good. It’s cooks who play with spices and ingredients and come up with something amazing that I really admire.
Thank you for sharing a copy of your book. That’s really very nice of you and I know whoever wins will be ecstatic!
While not a chef myself, I do appreciate good cuisine. I think pasta puttanesca might be my favorite.
Same here. Pasta puttanesca sounds good! Thanks for signing up, and good luck with the giveaway.
Ooh, I’d love to have the series as one complete paperback.
jordan.kistler@gmail.com
I don’t cook, really, but I’ll eat anything as long as it has cheese on it (seriously). Your food posts always put my lack of culinary expertise to shame.
Mmm, cheese. I’m such a sucker for cheese! And yes, the paperback is awfully convenient. (And so big and beautiful…I’m definitely holding onto one copy for myself.) I’m just a casual devotee of food, my dad and step-mom really put ME to shame, I swear!
Thanks for signing up! Good luck with the giveaway.
Ooh, yes please! Let’s see my favourite meal is … probably greek food, souvlaki and pita with greek salad. Yum!
email @ lycoris3@gmail.com
Retweeting as well!
Oh I love greek food! All of that sounds lovely. I love the dolmas too, and spanikopita. Ooh, and moussaka. So delicious.
Thanks for signing up and retweeting! Good luck. 🙂
KSena! 😀 And my email is ksena77@yahoo.com. 🙂
My favorite food is my moms meatballs and mashed potatoes made from the first potatoes that come up in the spring time! 😀 Lots of butter (real!) and milk in it. I alos love it when Peting makes his epic three course dinners at New Years Eve. Becaue he always pours down his heart and soul into that food. 🙂
My favorite sweets is two. Swedish Princess Cake has been my favorite since I was a little girl. And also, the caloric punch sponge cake that Peting does. Because it is down right orgasmic! 😀
Personally I like to experiment with baking, mostly a ton of variations off sponge cakes. 🙂
Oh man, I love Swedish Princess Cake. It’s the absolute best. The marzipan…I could eat that by itself!
Baking is quite a skill, so I admire you for that! Thanks for signing up, and good luck with the giveaway. 🙂
Swedish Princess Cake rocks! 😀 It’s been my favorite since I was a little girl, I swear! And it’s not THAT hard to make! Once as an adult I’ve made it quite a few times. 🙂
Baking is a ton of fun, yeah! And my stuff might not look all fancy like cupcakes and such, but I sure make up for it making sure there’s a TON of various flavors in it! 😀 My latest favorite is a spongecake with Madeira wine and plums in it. SO FREAKING GOOD! 😀
Oh, so pretty…. I could never pick a favorite dish (that’s like picking a favorite book, there’s too many options!), but just recently I had a dessert called a millionaire’s bar, and oh. my. gosh. Amazing. I just about collapsed in pure bliss there at the table.
It is too hard to pick a favorite, isn’t it? Millionaire’s bar, hmm…I’ll have to look that up! I’ve never heard of it.
Thanks for signing up, and good luck with the giveaway!
Thanks for the giveaway! I love to eat the crust of apple pies. haha…
schan26.wisc(at)gmail(dot)com
Mm, apple pie crust. I seriously think that’s the best part. Thanks for signing up, good luck!
Haha.. Thanks! I also promo posted your giveaway on my blog. Here’s a link: http://onsilverwingz.blogspot.com/2013/10/giveaway-appetite-bundle-by-talya-andor.html
I did everything you listed above for extra points. 😉
FB: Sin Chan and Books on Silver Wings
Goodreads: Cynthia Chen
the rest: Books on Silver Wings
Awesome! I have you signed up for six entries for the giveaway, then. Thanks so much for spreading the word!
I am the worst person to talk about food because I am the world’s worst cook. However, I find something I’m constantly craving is zucchini; ether fried or otherwise. For some reason, I had it once and ever since it has stuck with me. Not something particularly exciting, buuut….
Btw that book IS a brick. My goodness!
❤ Raelynnmarie at live dots&coms
Fried zucchini sounds absolutely delicious! I love zucchini in all sorts of things, and I like to make baked zucchini “fries.” Thanks for signing up, good luck!
Wow, what a paperback!! 🙂
Hm, my favorite food? Baked potatoes, a nice salad and a steak (yes, I’m a carnivore LOL) – that’s the reason I like summer, because we are outside grilling and having fun. 😉
Retweeted and fan on GR
bleistiftbox at gmail dot com
It is big and beautiful! 😉 Mm, all of that sounds good–and I’m very much a carnivore myself. I love a good juicy steak. Thanks for spreading the word! I’ve got you down for three entries, good luck. 🙂
There’s this Filipino desert called leche flan! I love how it just slides easily when I swallow it and it’s just so sweet! But one thing I can’t live without is potatoes. I love anything potatoes! ahah
I love anything flan! *_* It’s a definite favorite. But I could see why it would be impossible to live without potatoes. They’re too good! Thanks for entering the giveaway. 🙂
Sounds like a great read.
Favorite food – well, I’m a meat and potatoes kind of girl. I adore a good prime rib roast with only a little salt and garlic to flavor it so you can taste the meat. Sides would be mashed potatoes with corn or green beans. For desert I love what’s known as a Texas Sheet Cake – rich, made with buttermilk and a touch of cinnamon.
I’m not big on social media (much more of a lurker), but I am a fan on GR!
dreamseeker331(at)gmail(dot)com.
I like to think so!
That’s the best kind of prime rib. And I’ve never had a Texas Sheet Cake, but you sure make me want to try. 🙂 Thanks for adding me as a fan on Goodreads, and good luck with the giveaway!
Favorite food is smoothie. Smoothie for life.
email: sailorshini@yahoo.com
retweeted on macierx
shared via facebook
If it helps at all, I’ll use it as a pillow and stroke it tenderly each and every night.
Haha, smoothie for life, huh? Right on!
It pleases me to know it would be so cherished. Thanks for spreading the word, and good luck!
Macie Rae, you are the winner! I’ll be asking for your mailing address. 🙂
You can thank M’s postings for sending me (Kimber) this way- how did I not know you had a blog for your books?!
Favorite food. . . maybe Mexican food. Since I grew up in the Southwest it’s sort of a comfort food. I’ve been craving some good homemade tamales lately too.
Well I’m glad you found me here! I have posted on my LJ about the author blog a few times, but if you’ve been off LJ as well, it’s easy to miss.
Mexican food is good and oh, I love me some good corn and shredded beef tamales! Mm, now I want some. Thanks for signing up!
Yeah, I haven’t been on LJ much lately. Even when I am, I just sort of skim and tend to miss things.
Have you ever had sweet tamales with raisins? Wonderful. I had Christmas dinner a few years ago at some friends’ house and since they’re Mexican/Mexican-American, there were tamales involved, and one kind was the sweet. I had never thought of a dessert tamale, but omg, I love them now.
My favorite food is: chicken with rice. :). And I love desserts. I love american cookies, I always buy them when I visit McDonalds 😀
The book looks amazing. I have it in my ereader but… PAPER IS PAPER. I like smelling books and I am sure Appetite would smell delicious.
I retweeted and am fan on goodreads.
You can find me on twitter under @zuzana889
What kind of American cookies, like chocolate chip? Snickerdoodle are just about my favorite. 😀
Thank you–it IS amazing! This paperback is lovely, I have to say. Thanks for spreading the word, and good luck with the giveaway!
This book sounds really interesting. My husband and I love to cook. My favorite dish is Pernil (pork shoulder Cuban style). Thanks for the giveaway.
jen.f@mac.com
Thank you! Pork shoulder, I bet that’s delicious. Good luck with the giveaway!
I just learned about this series from this post but it sounds fantastic! I retweeted, became a fan on GR, and tumblr’d it. :D. email to contact is blueriv221@gmail.com
For dishes, I really don’t know that much but I know my dad makes a really awesome beef stroganoff. And pretty much any pie is my favorite thing in the world.
Beef stroganoff followed by pie sounds pretty divine. And I’m glad the series sounds fantastic to you! Thanks for spreading the word, and I’m about to draw for the giveaway!
It’s still Sunday the 6th for another 40 minutes! Woot! Okay, I used to do massive pig outs for the sheer joy of it, and one of my favorite pig out meals was a tater tot burrito. First, bake the taters all nice and crispy. Then, get a huge tortilla – one of the thin, floury kind, not the thick weird kind that are really for people who don’t like Mexican food. Then, put a crapload of crispy taters on the (warmed) tortilla. Pile with cheddar cheese. And I mean, pile. Like, half a block of shredded, at least. Preferably Tillamook. You can also use pepperjack. Add a bunch of chopped onions. Pour a good cup of heated up red enchilada sauce over it, fold the tortilla as best you can. Pour another cup of sauce over it. Sprinkle with cheese to make it pretty. Add practially a carton of sour cream, and you’re done! Don’t plan on moving for two days. Oh, and dessert – always a 2 pound box of See’s Chocolates fresh from the store.
Yes, you got in under the wire!
I have never heard of a tater tot burrito, but that sounds AMAZING. I certainly believe you wouldn’t be able to move for two days afterward.
I have your name down for the giveaway, thanks for signing up! 🙂