Katrina Kwan’s debut novel, Knives, Seasoning, and a Dash of Love (Penguin Random House Canada, 2024), turns up the heat on romance in a way that’s impossible to ignore. Set in the high-pressure world of French haute cuisine, this sizzling romance delivers a feast of tension, humour, and passion.
For Kwan, a Chinese-Canadian writer based in Toronto, Knives is a natural blend of her lifelong love for food and years spent crafting stories as a romance ghostwriter. “Rom Coms are definitely my comfort zone because of my time spent as a romance ghostwriter,” she explains. “I spent six years writing romance for other people, and it really taught me the rhythm and structure of the genre. It felt like a natural leap when it came time to write my own because I already knew how to hit the beats in a way that feels satisfying to readers.”
The story follows Alexander Chen, a prodigy chef ruling his kitchen with precision, intensity, and a temper sharp enough to julienne egos. He’s a trailblazer—one of the first Chinese-American chefs to conquer the world of French haute cuisine—but the pressure to prove himself has left him guarded and demanding.
Eden Monroe, his newly hired sous chef, has her own challenges. Desperate for the job, she exaggerated her qualifications and now must navigate Alexander’s high expectations while keeping her secret under wraps. What Alexander doesn’t know? Eden knew him in a different life, back when he went by his given name, Shang, and wasn’t yet the feared executive chef he is today.
“I enjoy using flashbacks as a literary device to help weave past and present,” Kwan says. “A lot of Eden and Alexander’s revelations come in the form of fragmented memories. Sometimes it’s not even a big moment—just something small, like the smell of food or the way the sunlight hits a window—that takes them back to a different time. That’s how memories work for us in real life, and I wanted their connection to feel organic, like the memories just crept up on them. You don’t always choose what you remember—it just happens.”
The friction between them is palpable—both professionally and emotionally. Their heated arguments over menus and methods eventually boil over into undeniable chemistry. In addition to its fiery romance, the novel explores themes of cultural identity, personal growth, parent-child relationships, and financial precarity. The economic challenges Eden faces reflect broader themes of socio-economic instability and the impact of personal circumstances on housing security.
Kwan’s love of food and her experience in kitchens shine through the novel. “When I was a little girl, I would sit at the kitchen island and watch my father prepare lunch and my mother prepare dinner,” she recalls. “They didn’t have any written recipes to pass on, so I learned very quickly that if I was going to recreate their dishes when I was older, I needed to pay special attention. My parents didn’t always say, ‘I love you’ out loud, but I always knew it through the food they made. Food was how my parents showed their love, so it’s always had a special place in my life.”
Her early fascination with food evolved into firsthand experience working in restaurants, where she observed chefs in their element. “There’s such a rhythm to professional kitchens—intense and beautiful at the same time. You’re watching a team come together like an orchestra, each person contributing their part to make something incredible.”
Though she did extensive research for the novel, Kwan chose to focus on the emotional truths of her characters’ kitchen experiences rather than bogging the story down with technical details. “At one point, I was looking into OSHA violations line by line,” she admits. “But most of that got cut. No reader is going to find that interesting! What I really wanted to capture was the intensity—the heat, the pressure, the chaos, and the joy. I’ve overheard a handful of people hilariously call Knives ‘the sexy Gordon Ramsay book,’ which cracks me up. But honestly, I’ll confess I’ve only ever watched one or two episodes of Hell’s Kitchen. I’m a huge fan of cooking documentaries, though! There’s a 2009 documentary called Kings of Pastry that follows a group of world-class French pastry chefs as they compete in the Meilleur Ouvrier de France award, which is given out every four years. Don’t let the title fool you. It’s super intense!”
Kwan admits that both Eden and Alexander contain pieces of herself. “I think I’m a combination of both,” she says. “I’m bubbly, sure, but I’ve also got a perfectionist streak in me (that I’m learning to curb). When I’m writing, it’s easiest to take little pieces of myself and give them to my characters. That way, the emotions and choices they make feel authentic. If Eden and Alexander feel real to readers, it’s because there’s a little bit of me in both of them.”
Alexander, with his guarded intensity, was particularly challenging to write. “He demanded a lot of my time because he’s so precise, and we have a lot of shared experiences in the workplace,” Kwan reflects. “I also wanted to make sure his struggles felt real, especially when it came to being a trailblazer in his field. The pressure to succeed while constantly proving yourself to others can be so isolating.”
Peter, the light-hearted supporting character, was the opposite. “He was pure joy to write,” Kwan says. “I love myself a goofball. He brought levity when things got too intense, and I think readers will appreciate that balance.”
The book also delves into deeper themes of identity and belonging. A pivotal argument about Alexander’s name draws from Kwan’s own experiences. “It’s actually one I’ve had to endure myself. Outsiders looking in—like Eden during the scene—often lack the foundational experiences to understand why it even matters. Names carry so much weight. It’s about who you are, where you come from, and how you want to be seen,” Kwan points out. What she is most proud of, though, is how Alexander and Eden do their best to communicate. “They argue, yes, but after they’ve cooled down, they talk, reflect, forgive, and grow.”
Although Knives, Seasoning, and a Dash of Love is her debut romance novel, Kwan is no stranger to other genres. Her earlier work, The Last Dragon of the East, showcased her skill in crafting expansive fantasy worlds. For Kwan, however, the process of writing remains consistent across genres. “I begin every book with an outline and start to write, using it as a sort of road map,” she explains.
While she enjoys the challenge of fantasy, romance feels like home. “I spent so much time writing romance for other people that when it came to writing my own, it felt like slipping into a warm, familiar kitchen,” she reflects.
With Knives, Seasoning, and a Dash of Love, Kwan establishes herself as a fresh voice in contemporary romance. Her ability to blend humour, cultural insight, and emotional depth leaves readers eager to discover what she’ll serve up next. Visit her website katrinakwan.com.
© Arpita Ghosal, Sesaya Arts Magazine, 2024
