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Daily Special : A 'How To Make A Monster' Novella
What would you sacrifice for the life you’ve always dreamed of?
Things aren’t going according to plan for Chef Hubert Jenkins, owner of A Lovely Hue Restaurant and Bar . He runs a moderately successful establishment, has a beautiful condo, a sexy car, and no shortage of jaw dropping dates. But, for Chef Hue, moderate success has never been enough. What he has always yearned for is the life of a celebrity chef.
After yet another night of mediocre meals, marginal sales, and middling reviews, Chef Hue, desperate for a difference, sends a prayer into the universe. A prayer for fame, fortune, better food, and the fanfare that comes with it. A prayer that is answered… But not by any God he could have ever imagined.
Shortly after making the desperate wish, Chef Hue finds a pot on the stove in his restaurant’s kitchen. A pot he has never seen before. One that cooks on its own, is bottomless, and produces mind-bending, toe curling, orgasmically awesome meals.
Each day, the pot creates a Daily Special that is to die for. And, in some cases, to kill for...
Almost overnight, Chef Hue has everything he has ever dreamed fame, acclaim, people lining up for hours to taste his Daily Special. But what Chef Hue and his crazed customers do not understand is that the more they consume from the pot, the more the pot consumes them.
Things aren’t going according to plan for Chef Hubert Jenkins, owner of A Lovely Hue Restaurant and Bar . He runs a moderately successful establishment, has a beautiful condo, a sexy car, and no shortage of jaw dropping dates. But, for Chef Hue, moderate success has never been enough. What he has always yearned for is the life of a celebrity chef.
After yet another night of mediocre meals, marginal sales, and middling reviews, Chef Hue, desperate for a difference, sends a prayer into the universe. A prayer for fame, fortune, better food, and the fanfare that comes with it. A prayer that is answered… But not by any God he could have ever imagined.
Shortly after making the desperate wish, Chef Hue finds a pot on the stove in his restaurant’s kitchen. A pot he has never seen before. One that cooks on its own, is bottomless, and produces mind-bending, toe curling, orgasmically awesome meals.
Each day, the pot creates a Daily Special that is to die for. And, in some cases, to kill for...
Almost overnight, Chef Hue has everything he has ever dreamed fame, acclaim, people lining up for hours to taste his Daily Special. But what Chef Hue and his crazed customers do not understand is that the more they consume from the pot, the more the pot consumes them.
- GenresHorror
106 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 29, 2023
10 people want to read
About the author
Felix I.D. Dimaro
18 books109 followersBorn in Nigeria, raised in Toronto, Felix I.D. Dimaro is an author of allegorical, dark, psychological fiction often centering around morality, mental health, societal conditions, the environment, or the real-life issues he has experienced. He has released eleven books to date, including the eco-thriller, “Black Bloom: A Story of Survival,” the extreme horror novel, “Humane Sacrifice: The Story of the Aztec Killer," and the tale of cat cloning gone wrong, "In the Darkness, Eyes and Teeth.”
When not writing, Dimaro is usually reading, watching professional wrestling, or running even though no one is chasing him.
To find out more about Dimaro and his books, head over to https://www.thingsthatkeepmeupatnight...
When not writing, Dimaro is usually reading, watching professional wrestling, or running even though no one is chasing him.
To find out more about Dimaro and his books, head over to https://www.thingsthatkeepmeupatnight...
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 29, 2024
This book left me feeling deeply disturbed and confused, yet it also made perfect sense in a twisted way. It highlights just how human nature can be seduced by fame and how far people are willing to go for power and control. The way the story captures how something so seductive can manipulate and control people is chilling.
The narrative is intense, with a high trigger warning for its graphic content. There were moments where I was genuinely grossed out—especially with the way tomato soup is depicted. I don’t think I’ll ever look at it the same again! But despite the discomfort, I couldn’t put the book down and ended up reading it in one sitting. The horror grips you, even when you’re cringing at certain scenes.
In the end, I was completely hooked. If you can handle the grotesque and dark themes, it's an intriguing exploration of how power seduces and corrupts.
The narrative is intense, with a high trigger warning for its graphic content. There were moments where I was genuinely grossed out—especially with the way tomato soup is depicted. I don’t think I’ll ever look at it the same again! But despite the discomfort, I couldn’t put the book down and ended up reading it in one sitting. The horror grips you, even when you’re cringing at certain scenes.
In the end, I was completely hooked. If you can handle the grotesque and dark themes, it's an intriguing exploration of how power seduces and corrupts.
February 11, 2025
"... absolutely to die for. Or, perhaps, to kill for."
I thought this book would be centered around cannibalism, can't blame me with that cover and and the title, but it's not really, it's a food horror that has delicious ending, and if you, like me, are looking for a slice of human flesh, there just might be a bite or two. It's just not the main theme, more like a dessert, very very much appreciated sweet dessert.
First of all, main character is disgusting person, he treats women horribly, there's several sex scenes involving food and he wasn't gaining points acting that way towards them, even if part of his actions could have been caused by madness that was simmering because of the bottomless pot.
When I say food horror, I mean it will be horror either if you are vegan like me or not, because I've never even had most of the foods described and I was grimacing and hating them. Also, if you love tomato soup, you might not like it anymore, other meals too, maybe, but especially that one. I say that and I kind of started craving tomato soup, even though I'm not a fan of soups, it just awakened my appetite. So a pot that would never run out of food sounds amazing, even if it'll drive me mad, I'd still have food available all the time and won't have to worry what to cook and eat each damn day.
There's some mysterious magical woman, Red Lady, that apparently appears in other stories, since this story is part of the "how to make a monster", so I'd love to read more about her.
I hated food parts, I love eating, but I'd still read another food horror because this short book was fun!
My second book by this author and I will be definitely reading more!
I thought this book would be centered around cannibalism, can't blame me with that cover and and the title, but it's not really, it's a food horror that has delicious ending, and if you, like me, are looking for a slice of human flesh, there just might be a bite or two. It's just not the main theme, more like a dessert, very very much appreciated sweet dessert.
First of all, main character is disgusting person, he treats women horribly, there's several sex scenes involving food and he wasn't gaining points acting that way towards them, even if part of his actions could have been caused by madness that was simmering because of the bottomless pot.
When I say food horror, I mean it will be horror either if you are vegan like me or not, because I've never even had most of the foods described and I was grimacing and hating them. Also, if you love tomato soup, you might not like it anymore, other meals too, maybe, but especially that one. I say that and I kind of started craving tomato soup, even though I'm not a fan of soups, it just awakened my appetite. So a pot that would never run out of food sounds amazing, even if it'll drive me mad, I'd still have food available all the time and won't have to worry what to cook and eat each damn day.
There's some mysterious magical woman, Red Lady, that apparently appears in other stories, since this story is part of the "how to make a monster", so I'd love to read more about her.
I hated food parts, I love eating, but I'd still read another food horror because this short book was fun!
My second book by this author and I will be definitely reading more!
September 9, 2023
As you can see from the title, this novella is from Felix’s short story collection How To Make A Monster, which I have yet to read. But I decided to read this one alone for now.
Daily Special is about Chef Hue, a man who was once bullied in school, but had a dream about becoming a celebrity chef. And that he did.
While working as a chef in his own restaurant, one day, after meeting a very mysterious woman named Raveena, he walks into the restaurant to find only one staff worker working, Albert, and he’s feeding customers out of a pot that has seemingly no end to the food inside it.
As Chef Hues obsession with the pot increases, he uses it to his own advantage, until things start taking a very dark turn.
As always with Dimaro’s work, I enjoyed this one. Its super fast paced, pretty short, and insanely fun for the most part.
What does drop my rating down, as most of you would presume, is the sexual aspects. And what Huebert does to some of his waitresses, that part I just wanted to get through because again, sexual contents take me out of the story.
Other than that, Felix does a great job, considering this was one of the first things he wrote and it still being as good as his more recent work. It baffles me, Felix has an insane amount of talent when it comes to writing.
I do hope to read the rest of How To Make A Monster, but if I’m being 100% honest, it scares me.
Not only will I have to wait for Felix to publish more work, the book itself is around 400 pages, and the font is super tiny. So it will take awhile to read.
Daily Special is about Chef Hue, a man who was once bullied in school, but had a dream about becoming a celebrity chef. And that he did.
While working as a chef in his own restaurant, one day, after meeting a very mysterious woman named Raveena, he walks into the restaurant to find only one staff worker working, Albert, and he’s feeding customers out of a pot that has seemingly no end to the food inside it.
As Chef Hues obsession with the pot increases, he uses it to his own advantage, until things start taking a very dark turn.
As always with Dimaro’s work, I enjoyed this one. Its super fast paced, pretty short, and insanely fun for the most part.
What does drop my rating down, as most of you would presume, is the sexual aspects. And what Huebert does to some of his waitresses, that part I just wanted to get through because again, sexual contents take me out of the story.
Other than that, Felix does a great job, considering this was one of the first things he wrote and it still being as good as his more recent work. It baffles me, Felix has an insane amount of talent when it comes to writing.
I do hope to read the rest of How To Make A Monster, but if I’m being 100% honest, it scares me.
Not only will I have to wait for Felix to publish more work, the book itself is around 400 pages, and the font is super tiny. So it will take awhile to read.
September 22, 2023
This is the fourth book by the author I’ve read and enjoyed. Dimaro delivers another eerie and wholly original story of a man with a dream of being a celebrity chef, a prayer answered by a mysterious entity and the deadly repercussions of his greed…
If you’re a foodie who enjoys watching The Food Network, you’ll appreciate the references to well recognized chefs like Bobby Flay and Guy Fieri as well as popular shows from the Network like “Chopped”. Not to mention the delicious food dishes that I can practically smell and made my mouth water (ex: “Elbows of macaroni bathed in cheese and surrounded by thick cut pieces of bacon and green onions”). As a fan of some of these shows, it was fun to see how it had an influence on the main character. Hubert is a scumbag of a character you don’t root for but can’t help to see how everything plays out. The attention to detail of how he descended into his greed was well done, I noticed how little things impacted his personality and I understood why he resulted to selfish impulses. With that said, he’s an entertaining character you won’t like and the fact that he treated women like sexual objects just makes you like him even less.
What I really loved was the unique concept of a bottomless pot that produced magic meals daily and had customers ravenously drooling for more. Also, theres this jaw-dropping twist in the end that was absolutely amazing and extremely satisfying to read.
Besides it feeling repetitive at times, I really enjoyed this quick read and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys dark fiction centered around food with a little sprinkle of gore.
If you’re a foodie who enjoys watching The Food Network, you’ll appreciate the references to well recognized chefs like Bobby Flay and Guy Fieri as well as popular shows from the Network like “Chopped”. Not to mention the delicious food dishes that I can practically smell and made my mouth water (ex: “Elbows of macaroni bathed in cheese and surrounded by thick cut pieces of bacon and green onions”). As a fan of some of these shows, it was fun to see how it had an influence on the main character. Hubert is a scumbag of a character you don’t root for but can’t help to see how everything plays out. The attention to detail of how he descended into his greed was well done, I noticed how little things impacted his personality and I understood why he resulted to selfish impulses. With that said, he’s an entertaining character you won’t like and the fact that he treated women like sexual objects just makes you like him even less.
What I really loved was the unique concept of a bottomless pot that produced magic meals daily and had customers ravenously drooling for more. Also, theres this jaw-dropping twist in the end that was absolutely amazing and extremely satisfying to read.
Besides it feeling repetitive at times, I really enjoyed this quick read and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys dark fiction centered around food with a little sprinkle of gore.
October 1, 2024
You won't leave hungry in this orgasmically awesome erotic horror novella.
This book is like if you took the theme of obsession from A Picture of Dorian Grey, the 'yes chef' sexiness of The Bear TV show, and the degradation of Lauren Biel's Captive.
A fame-obsessed, morally bankrupt man, Chef Hue, makes a wish to turn around his failing restaurant. A mysteriously beautiful woman appears at the restaurant and devours a sensually obscene meal, while Chef Hue talks about his deepest wants. The next day an old pot is found on the stove, and within the pot is an unending amount of the most delicious meal Chef Hue has ever tasted.
It's everything he could have ever dreamed, or is it?
🔪 Erotic horror with food
🔪 Meals to 💀 for
🔪 Cannibalism
🔪 You'll never eat tomato soup again
🔪 The ending is perfection
The story is really cleverly told. I love that our main character, Chef Hue, is unlikeable because he's also fascinating. The gore and violence is on point, and also fits the story perfectly.
This book is best read while applying for jobs at a restaurant, bring your own knives.
This book is like if you took the theme of obsession from A Picture of Dorian Grey, the 'yes chef' sexiness of The Bear TV show, and the degradation of Lauren Biel's Captive.
A fame-obsessed, morally bankrupt man, Chef Hue, makes a wish to turn around his failing restaurant. A mysteriously beautiful woman appears at the restaurant and devours a sensually obscene meal, while Chef Hue talks about his deepest wants. The next day an old pot is found on the stove, and within the pot is an unending amount of the most delicious meal Chef Hue has ever tasted.
It's everything he could have ever dreamed, or is it?
🔪 Erotic horror with food
🔪 Meals to 💀 for
🔪 Cannibalism
🔪 You'll never eat tomato soup again
🔪 The ending is perfection
The story is really cleverly told. I love that our main character, Chef Hue, is unlikeable because he's also fascinating. The gore and violence is on point, and also fits the story perfectly.
This book is best read while applying for jobs at a restaurant, bring your own knives.
September 24, 2023
Hubert Jenkins has always dreamed of fame and fortune. By his teens, he had decided the path to his dreams lay in the culinary world. Years later he runs a relatively successful but average restaurant. He laments at his mediocrity until one day a dubiously devilish patron eats there and offers to make his dreams come true.
Dimaro's novella is inventive, darkly funny, and often pretty gross. Chef Hue is a despicable protagonist, and it is fascinating to watch as he descends obliviously into hell. A fast, engaging, stomach churning read.
Note the author's warning at the beginning, if you are a reader who takes note of such things. There are some scenes of a sexual nature that I personally found hard to read (although not enough to DNF).
Dimaro's novella is inventive, darkly funny, and often pretty gross. Chef Hue is a despicable protagonist, and it is fascinating to watch as he descends obliviously into hell. A fast, engaging, stomach churning read.
Note the author's warning at the beginning, if you are a reader who takes note of such things. There are some scenes of a sexual nature that I personally found hard to read (although not enough to DNF).
September 6, 2023
This was my favorite story in Felix Dimaro's dark horror anthology How To Make a Monster. While still horrific, it's also really funny and clever and absurd. It's bizarre comic relief amidst a very dark collection (which, BTW, you should read but be aware of the content warnings). Chef Hue will do anything to be a celbrity chef. Literally anything. I shall say no more.
October 5, 2023
This story was a unique tale that’s for sure. About a chef that longs for more only does he really want what he desires or just thinks it’s what he wants. Author Dimaro writes an interesting take on something anyone that has ever cook in professional kitchens has thought about. It’s a tale that makes me interested in reading his other works with the hope of enjoying them as well.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews