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Deep Dish
After years of hard work, Gina Foxton, chef extraordinaire and former runner-up Miss Teen Vidalia Onion, is hosting her own show, Fresh Start, on Georgia public television. She's also dating the producer. But when Fresh Start goes bad—and her boyfriend is caught in flagrante delicto with the boss's wife—Gina decides it's time to pursue bigger dreams. Namely a gig on national television.
Gina knows she's destined to be the Cooking Channel's next superstar. But the execs also have their eyes on Tate Moody, Mr. "Kill It and Grill It" himself, host of the hunting, fishing, and cooking show Vittles. The ultimate man's man, Tate is a tasty side of beef with a large, swooning female fan base. Gina's loyal devotees consist of her free-spirited college-dropout sister and her mother . . . who calls every single day.
When the smoke clears there can be only one TV chef standing, and Gina and Tate are ready for the cook-off of their lives.
Gina knows she's destined to be the Cooking Channel's next superstar. But the execs also have their eyes on Tate Moody, Mr. "Kill It and Grill It" himself, host of the hunting, fishing, and cooking show Vittles. The ultimate man's man, Tate is a tasty side of beef with a large, swooning female fan base. Gina's loyal devotees consist of her free-spirited college-dropout sister and her mother . . . who calls every single day.
When the smoke clears there can be only one TV chef standing, and Gina and Tate are ready for the cook-off of their lives.
Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 2008
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About the author
Mary Kay Andrews
55 books14.6k followershttps://marykayandrews.com/
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MARY KAY ANDREWS is the New York Times bestselling author of 30 novels (including The Homewreckers, The Santa Suit, The Newcomer; Hello, Summer; Sunset Beach; The High Tide Club; The Weekenders; Beach Town; Save the Date; Ladies’ Night; Christmas Bliss; Spring Fever; Summer Rental; The Fixer Upper; Deep Dish; Blue Christmas; Savannah Breeze; Hissy Fit; Little Bitty Lies; and Savannah Blues), and one cookbook, The Beach House Cookbook.
A native of St. Petersburg, Florida, she earned a B.A. in journalism from The University of Georgia. After a 14-year career working as a reporter at newspapers including The Savannah Morning News, The Marietta Journal, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where she spent the final ten years of her career, she left journalism in 1991 to write fiction.
Her first novel, Every Crooked Nanny, was published in 1992 by HarperCollins. She went on to write ten critically acclaimed mysteries under her real name, Kathy Hogan Trocheck. In 2002, she assumed the pen name Mary Kay Andrews with the publication of Savannah Blues. In 2006, Hissy Fit became her first New York Times bestseller, followed by twelve more New York Times, USA Today and Publisher’s Weekly bestsellers. To date, her novels have been published in German, Italian, Polish, Slovenian, Hungarian, Dutch, Czech and Japanese.
She and her family divide their time between Atlanta and Tybee Island, GA, where they cook up new recipes in two restored beach homes, The Breeze Inn and Ebbtide—both named after fictional places in Mary Kay’s novels, and both available to rent through Tybee Vacation Rentals. In between cooking, spoiling her grandkids, and plotting her next novel, Mary Kay is an intrepid treasure hunter whose favorite pastime is junking and fixing up old houses.
https://www.facebook.com/marykayandre...
https://www.instagram.com/marykayandr...
MARY KAY ANDREWS is the New York Times bestselling author of 30 novels (including The Homewreckers, The Santa Suit, The Newcomer; Hello, Summer; Sunset Beach; The High Tide Club; The Weekenders; Beach Town; Save the Date; Ladies’ Night; Christmas Bliss; Spring Fever; Summer Rental; The Fixer Upper; Deep Dish; Blue Christmas; Savannah Breeze; Hissy Fit; Little Bitty Lies; and Savannah Blues), and one cookbook, The Beach House Cookbook.
A native of St. Petersburg, Florida, she earned a B.A. in journalism from The University of Georgia. After a 14-year career working as a reporter at newspapers including The Savannah Morning News, The Marietta Journal, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where she spent the final ten years of her career, she left journalism in 1991 to write fiction.
Her first novel, Every Crooked Nanny, was published in 1992 by HarperCollins. She went on to write ten critically acclaimed mysteries under her real name, Kathy Hogan Trocheck. In 2002, she assumed the pen name Mary Kay Andrews with the publication of Savannah Blues. In 2006, Hissy Fit became her first New York Times bestseller, followed by twelve more New York Times, USA Today and Publisher’s Weekly bestsellers. To date, her novels have been published in German, Italian, Polish, Slovenian, Hungarian, Dutch, Czech and Japanese.
She and her family divide their time between Atlanta and Tybee Island, GA, where they cook up new recipes in two restored beach homes, The Breeze Inn and Ebbtide—both named after fictional places in Mary Kay’s novels, and both available to rent through Tybee Vacation Rentals. In between cooking, spoiling her grandkids, and plotting her next novel, Mary Kay is an intrepid treasure hunter whose favorite pastime is junking and fixing up old houses.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,222 reviews
December 6, 2012
Regina is a 29 year old cooking show host who has worked her butt off to get where she is in life. She's having a lovely affair with her production manager and life is simply perfect. Blech. Fortunately (for me who is bored to tears at this point) it comes tumbling down when he decides to hop in bed with the wife of the show's main sponsor & they can the show. Not too bright of a guy. Now Gina, at the ripe old age of 29, has lost her guy and her show and fears she'll lose her home which she shares with her younger deadbeat, sassy (and terribly annoying & immature) sis.
Coincidentally a cooking network is interesting in picking up her show but there's a hitch (wouldn't you know it?), they are looking to fill a time slot but have another show they're also pursuing. For some odd reason, the other show "Vittles" hosted by a hunky outdoors-man named Tate who catches his food & cooks it too shows up in town and begins shooting in Gina's studio and using her makeup/hair guy. This didn't make sense but I could have dozed off and missed something. Anyway, now she's bumping shoulders with this guy, who she thinks is hot moments after a horrid breakup with the other snake and you can guess what kind of hijinks will ensue from here -- especially when the network decides to pit them against each other in a new reality show with the winner getting the time slot.
This book either annoyed or bored me. So many of the characters are vaguely irritating. The heroine is a hypocrite who cooks light, organic food but either starves herself or stuffs herself with chemically laden pork rinds (or something just as gross). This was disturbing to me. Also though she's nearly 30, she acts very immaturely for her age, especially when she calls Tate "butthead" on several occasions. None of this junk was cute or endearing. Couldn't the author have come up with an insult worthy of a 29 year old woman? My 13 year old comes up with better jabs than butt-head. And don't even get me started on her stylist who burns her hair off and instead of being lucky he's still in a job insults her about her looks. I suppose if the book were more interesting these little things wouldn't have bothered me. As it was, the only bright spot was the cute, rambunctious setter pup named Moonpie who had more personality than anyone else in the book (probably because he couldn't speak).
Coincidentally a cooking network is interesting in picking up her show but there's a hitch (wouldn't you know it?), they are looking to fill a time slot but have another show they're also pursuing. For some odd reason, the other show "Vittles" hosted by a hunky outdoors-man named Tate who catches his food & cooks it too shows up in town and begins shooting in Gina's studio and using her makeup/hair guy. This didn't make sense but I could have dozed off and missed something. Anyway, now she's bumping shoulders with this guy, who she thinks is hot moments after a horrid breakup with the other snake and you can guess what kind of hijinks will ensue from here -- especially when the network decides to pit them against each other in a new reality show with the winner getting the time slot.
This book either annoyed or bored me. So many of the characters are vaguely irritating. The heroine is a hypocrite who cooks light, organic food but either starves herself or stuffs herself with chemically laden pork rinds (or something just as gross). This was disturbing to me. Also though she's nearly 30, she acts very immaturely for her age, especially when she calls Tate "butthead" on several occasions. None of this junk was cute or endearing. Couldn't the author have come up with an insult worthy of a 29 year old woman? My 13 year old comes up with better jabs than butt-head. And don't even get me started on her stylist who burns her hair off and instead of being lucky he's still in a job insults her about her looks. I suppose if the book were more interesting these little things wouldn't have bothered me. As it was, the only bright spot was the cute, rambunctious setter pup named Moonpie who had more personality than anyone else in the book (probably because he couldn't speak).
August 22, 2017
This would be a fun read for anyone who enjoys the Food Network / cooking shows.
April 18, 2008
I'm a big fan of Mary Kay Andrews but this book completely fell flat for me. I never once cared about the two main characters and it seemed like the book went on and on and the "boom" all of the sudden boy loves girl. Um....what??? When did that happen?
It's an ok read, not terrible, but absolutely not worth the $25 hardback price tag!
It's an ok read, not terrible, but absolutely not worth the $25 hardback price tag!
June 4, 2020
Wow, I picked up this book in my apartment building’s donation pile and it was the worst book I’ve ever read. I didn’t know two romantic leads written by the same author could have such a total lack of chemistry. Also, a lot of the character traits of the main character, Gina, were totally off base and clearly written by a middle aged or older writer. No 29 year old in 2008 (when it was written) wouldn’t know what “hooking up” meant or call her bag a “pocketbook”. Her character was not believable or relatable to me at all as someone of her generation.
Most importantly, the book is incredibly sexist, ageist and racist. Other characters are constantly commenting on Gina’s looks - her weight, hair, clothes, eating habits, attractiveness, etc. The constant misogyny is extremely off putting. Also Gina clearly has an eating disorder, she’s a cook but eats nothing but pork chips and Diet Coke and starves herself for hours on end. I thought the book was building up to some sort of come to Jesus moment about her anorexia but it never does - what the hell??? She’s also constantly talking about how she’s “over the hill” and “used up” at age 29 which is just so offensive. Again, that’s the author’s own insecurities and personal failings showing.
The racism comes in the form of the stereotypical nonwhite secondary characters. There’s an Asian dragon lady and a flamboyant gay black man whose biggest moment in the book is flirting with the Chinese takeout boy.
I always finish books that I start which is how I’ve managed to read 100 books in the past several years, of all genres and at all levels of “readability”. This is by far the worst book I’ve ever read. Shame on the author and publisher for imbuing a book with such hateful implications on womanhood.
Most importantly, the book is incredibly sexist, ageist and racist. Other characters are constantly commenting on Gina’s looks - her weight, hair, clothes, eating habits, attractiveness, etc. The constant misogyny is extremely off putting. Also Gina clearly has an eating disorder, she’s a cook but eats nothing but pork chips and Diet Coke and starves herself for hours on end. I thought the book was building up to some sort of come to Jesus moment about her anorexia but it never does - what the hell??? She’s also constantly talking about how she’s “over the hill” and “used up” at age 29 which is just so offensive. Again, that’s the author’s own insecurities and personal failings showing.
The racism comes in the form of the stereotypical nonwhite secondary characters. There’s an Asian dragon lady and a flamboyant gay black man whose biggest moment in the book is flirting with the Chinese takeout boy.
I always finish books that I start which is how I’ve managed to read 100 books in the past several years, of all genres and at all levels of “readability”. This is by far the worst book I’ve ever read. Shame on the author and publisher for imbuing a book with such hateful implications on womanhood.
March 28, 2008
This book was a disappointment compared to other books that I have read by Mary Kay Andrews (Savannah Blues is my favorite). She is, by no means, an author of literature with a "big L", but her novels are generally less generic and predictable. However, it would still fulfill a desire for an easy, light-hearted read and you do get some cooking tips throughout the read and a couple of Ol' Southern Favorite recipies at the end. Maybe the Tomato Soup Cake recipe will improve my rating.
November 4, 2009
This is one of my favorite Mary Kay Andrews books. I feel like with this book she went back to her original format of the sassy, southern gal though involved in turmoil is surrounded by a vivid array of characters who will help her get out of her funk.
Plus it's all about food! Though I wish the main character who is a chef would have eaten a bit more often. I understood that since she works in the food business she probably gets tired of sampling all the time. Though I doubt I would be.
Funny and a real page turner.
September 14, 2017
Funny story.....not rocket science, but then I knew that going in
May 24, 2011
Post listen review: Not the best and not the worst of the lame romances that I have been forced to listen to. It's really hard to go through all the audiobooks in the library without getting a LOT of romance in there.
Here is the plot such as it is. Two chefs are in competition to become the next star of The Cooking Channel (because the name the Food Network was already taken). One is a woman who has just had her heart broken by her scumbag producer that cheated on her and lost her the sponsor of her local show. The other is a ruggedly handsome man who has his own very popular local cooking show where he hunts and kills stuff and then cooks it. The two cooks hate each other. Then they don't. Then there is a misunderstanding and they hate each other again. Then the misunderstanding is cleared up and romance ensues. Yawn.
But I have some questions for this book and romance books in general.
1. Is this really the only formula for romance?
2. Does every stylist have to be a gay African-American man (this book and a few others) or a plump but vivacious woman (other books with a stylist)?
3. I know this book is about the south but do you have to resort to names like Zeke and Tate? I am gonna guess there are more Rogers and Johns in the south than Zekes or Tates.
4. Have you watched hunting or fishing shows? (not the extreme kind just regular hunting and fishing ones) Cause I don't think those guys could be described as having amazing abs and killer physiques. From what I have seen they are either fat or scrawny. (also since when do people watch cooking shows for the "hotness" factor? That's not exactly what Rachel Ray or Martha Stewart bring to mind for me)
5. If you have to insist that every man that a woman sees is physically fit, for goodness sakes throw a scene in where he lifts weights! You show the women starving themselves to look good, the guys are obviously doing some work here too.
6. When you have a female character who is constantly commenting on how hot several guys are (not so much in this book but in others) it is not that believable that they would be serial monogamists.
7. We all really see it coming that these people that hate each other will get it on by the end of the book so just get it over with already.
8. Let me get this straight people who produce a show called "Fresh Start" think a show with name "Vittles" has a stupid name?
9. The supportive but reckless sister that makes the main character always realize that she is in love, is annoying. Can we please cut her and have the stylist perform a double role for that?
10. Can someone else please listen to the next romance for me so I don't have to?
Pre-Listen Guess: Oh man. Romance and reality cooking. I don't know what could be more opposite of cool than that.
Here is the plot such as it is. Two chefs are in competition to become the next star of The Cooking Channel (because the name the Food Network was already taken). One is a woman who has just had her heart broken by her scumbag producer that cheated on her and lost her the sponsor of her local show. The other is a ruggedly handsome man who has his own very popular local cooking show where he hunts and kills stuff and then cooks it. The two cooks hate each other. Then they don't. Then there is a misunderstanding and they hate each other again. Then the misunderstanding is cleared up and romance ensues. Yawn.
But I have some questions for this book and romance books in general.
1. Is this really the only formula for romance?
2. Does every stylist have to be a gay African-American man (this book and a few others) or a plump but vivacious woman (other books with a stylist)?
3. I know this book is about the south but do you have to resort to names like Zeke and Tate? I am gonna guess there are more Rogers and Johns in the south than Zekes or Tates.
4. Have you watched hunting or fishing shows? (not the extreme kind just regular hunting and fishing ones) Cause I don't think those guys could be described as having amazing abs and killer physiques. From what I have seen they are either fat or scrawny. (also since when do people watch cooking shows for the "hotness" factor? That's not exactly what Rachel Ray or Martha Stewart bring to mind for me)
5. If you have to insist that every man that a woman sees is physically fit, for goodness sakes throw a scene in where he lifts weights! You show the women starving themselves to look good, the guys are obviously doing some work here too.
6. When you have a female character who is constantly commenting on how hot several guys are (not so much in this book but in others) it is not that believable that they would be serial monogamists.
7. We all really see it coming that these people that hate each other will get it on by the end of the book so just get it over with already.
8. Let me get this straight people who produce a show called "Fresh Start" think a show with name "Vittles" has a stupid name?
9. The supportive but reckless sister that makes the main character always realize that she is in love, is annoying. Can we please cut her and have the stylist perform a double role for that?
10. Can someone else please listen to the next romance for me so I don't have to?
Pre-Listen Guess: Oh man. Romance and reality cooking. I don't know what could be more opposite of cool than that.
January 25, 2014
Eh. I probably won't be reading anymore of her books. While I appreciated the easiness of this read I disliked every single character in the book. They were all whiny, immature or just vapid. That's a lie. I liked Moonpie, the English Setter. He reminded me of one of my dogs and showed more personality than his owner, Tate Moody. I was also put off by the obnoxious "dialect" (and I use that term loosely) the author used for her characters. "Daggunnit" is not a word many southerners spout out and I have NEVER heard someone say "swimps" instead of "shrimp." I was insulted. Even though both main characters were well-educated and smart enough to each nab their own cooking shows they still used cliche phrases and their "accents" make them sound illiterate. I would only recommend this if you're completely bored and have started a reading challenge to finish 52 new books in a year.
The worst part? I'm fairly certain that Gina, the female protagonist, has an eating disorder. She always chirps about fresh, local produce and cooking healthy and then we see that she doesn't really eat. If she does, it's pork rinds and diet coke in secret. The two times we see her eat a true meal (breakfast, both times) she is mocked by two separate people...her ex and her potential nemesis/future lover. wtf kind of message is that!?
The worst part? I'm fairly certain that Gina, the female protagonist, has an eating disorder. She always chirps about fresh, local produce and cooking healthy and then we see that she doesn't really eat. If she does, it's pork rinds and diet coke in secret. The two times we see her eat a true meal (breakfast, both times) she is mocked by two separate people...her ex and her potential nemesis/future lover. wtf kind of message is that!?
January 29, 2018
Disclaimer: I did not finish this book
I’ve read one other book of Mary Kay Andrews and I liked it! So I thought I’d give this one a shot since I believe it’s her newest one. But I was disappointed.
Regina is a host of a cooking show whose producer bf was just revealed as being a cheater, her show is losing money, and life kinda sucks. But when the big time cooking channel is thinking of picking up her show, things are starting to look up. Enter Tate Moody, who has a more rugged camping and fishing type cooking show who is also trying to catch the eye of the big producers. A competition ensues.
Or at least I assume. I read 150 pages of this and literally nothing happened the entire time, except basically what I just blurbed up there. Which should’ve only taken about 20 pages.
I watch the food network all day long, I love Giada and The Pioneer Woman and Bobby Flay. I was sooo looking forward to reading that type of setting in book form but I could not force myself to drag on. I assume no big twists happen and that Gina and Tate get together and share a show and have a happy ending but I can’t be bothered to find out.
I’ve read one other book of Mary Kay Andrews and I liked it! So I thought I’d give this one a shot since I believe it’s her newest one. But I was disappointed.
Regina is a host of a cooking show whose producer bf was just revealed as being a cheater, her show is losing money, and life kinda sucks. But when the big time cooking channel is thinking of picking up her show, things are starting to look up. Enter Tate Moody, who has a more rugged camping and fishing type cooking show who is also trying to catch the eye of the big producers. A competition ensues.
Or at least I assume. I read 150 pages of this and literally nothing happened the entire time, except basically what I just blurbed up there. Which should’ve only taken about 20 pages.
I watch the food network all day long, I love Giada and The Pioneer Woman and Bobby Flay. I was sooo looking forward to reading that type of setting in book form but I could not force myself to drag on. I assume no big twists happen and that Gina and Tate get together and share a show and have a happy ending but I can’t be bothered to find out.
March 21, 2021
I didn't finish this book & I hate not finishing books - I read a little over a third of it & I couldn't put myself through reading anymore. I've enjoyed other books by MKA in the past, but this one was not for me.
December 7, 2021
Thoughts at 35% through the audiobook:
1. I thoroughly enjoy a good love-hate relationship that ends with the characters falling in love. Unfortunately, while this is what Deep Dish tries to be, it fails miserably.
2. The clichéd gay best friend (AGAIN Mary Kay Andrews? Try something new once in a while).
3. All the adults in this book act like spoilt, immature children. ALL.THE.TIME.
4. Regina is a massively unlikable protagonist. She acts like one of those spoilt little 16-year-olds who go on that MTV show "My Super Sweet 16". She's awful, rude, thoughtless, selfish, insensitive, and just all around a not nice person.
5. This book is sexist, and ridiculously slut shame-y. The main character is so uptight and awful even to her own younger sister. She slut shames her constantly. Also women say things to each other like "I'll come back when you aren't menstruating" (paraphrased) when one of the women is justifiably upset about something. I just hate shit like that.
6. Ugh. Not really happy so far. This book is sitting at a 2 out of 5 for me at this point.
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Quote from 69%: "She wanted to take a break, have a sip from the bottled water she'd stowed in her cooler. But she didn't want Tate Moody to think she was a slacker. Or worse, a girl". Gah!!! My eyes rolled back so hard into my head that I nearly fell over. So stupidly sexist. God forbid a man actually thinks of a female as a FEMALE. Oh ugh, gross right? 🙄
Just when I was starting to like the main characters a smidge more. Sigh.
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Ok I've reached the end. I cannot believe that Regina continues to act like a spoilt brat even after Tate admits his feelings. Seriously.
1. I thoroughly enjoy a good love-hate relationship that ends with the characters falling in love. Unfortunately, while this is what Deep Dish tries to be, it fails miserably.
2. The clichéd gay best friend (AGAIN Mary Kay Andrews? Try something new once in a while).
3. All the adults in this book act like spoilt, immature children. ALL.THE.TIME.
4. Regina is a massively unlikable protagonist. She acts like one of those spoilt little 16-year-olds who go on that MTV show "My Super Sweet 16". She's awful, rude, thoughtless, selfish, insensitive, and just all around a not nice person.
5. This book is sexist, and ridiculously slut shame-y. The main character is so uptight and awful even to her own younger sister. She slut shames her constantly. Also women say things to each other like "I'll come back when you aren't menstruating" (paraphrased) when one of the women is justifiably upset about something. I just hate shit like that.
6. Ugh. Not really happy so far. This book is sitting at a 2 out of 5 for me at this point.
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Quote from 69%: "She wanted to take a break, have a sip from the bottled water she'd stowed in her cooler. But she didn't want Tate Moody to think she was a slacker. Or worse, a girl". Gah!!! My eyes rolled back so hard into my head that I nearly fell over. So stupidly sexist. God forbid a man actually thinks of a female as a FEMALE. Oh ugh, gross right? 🙄
Just when I was starting to like the main characters a smidge more. Sigh.
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Ok I've reached the end. I cannot believe that Regina continues to act like a spoilt brat even after Tate admits his feelings. Seriously.
February 4, 2011
I must start off with the fact that Mary Kay Andrews, aka Kathy Hogan Trochek, is one of my favorite authors. She writes about the South, and primarily southern Georgia. Her books are delightful reads that the reader can lose themselves in. They are easy reads that combine southern living and traditions, interspersed with some laughter, and maybe a little mystery.
"Deep Dish" tells the story of Gina Foxton who is the star of a cooking show, Fresh Start, in Atlanta. She discovers her show is being canceled due to the impropriety of her boyfriend and producer.
The "Cooking Channel" is looking for a new show and feels that they can up their ratings by having a cookoff between Gina and Tate Moody. Tate Moody is also a chef with a cooking show. The "Tatester" has a show called "Vittles", and is known as "Mr. Kill It and Grill It".
Tate and Gina are put on a remote island off the Georgia coast and are pitted against each other in a best out of three cooking contests. Needless to say, they become bitter rivals, because the winner of the cookoff will get their own show on The Cooking Channel.
The reader is treated to the competitiveness of Gina and Tate. The first test is to find something on the island to prepare for a meal, the second test blows up in everyone's face and seals the fate of our competitors, and the third test gives us our winer, but was it won fair and square.
"Deep Dish" tells the story of Gina Foxton who is the star of a cooking show, Fresh Start, in Atlanta. She discovers her show is being canceled due to the impropriety of her boyfriend and producer.
The "Cooking Channel" is looking for a new show and feels that they can up their ratings by having a cookoff between Gina and Tate Moody. Tate Moody is also a chef with a cooking show. The "Tatester" has a show called "Vittles", and is known as "Mr. Kill It and Grill It".
Tate and Gina are put on a remote island off the Georgia coast and are pitted against each other in a best out of three cooking contests. Needless to say, they become bitter rivals, because the winner of the cookoff will get their own show on The Cooking Channel.
The reader is treated to the competitiveness of Gina and Tate. The first test is to find something on the island to prepare for a meal, the second test blows up in everyone's face and seals the fate of our competitors, and the third test gives us our winer, but was it won fair and square.
September 20, 2021
I couldn’t finish it. Didn’t like any of the characters and after 250 pages the main couple was still insulting each other. Somehow falling in love made me cringe. I like this author but NOT this book.
September 1, 2008
Don't bother - this is nowhere near as good as MKA's other books. The characters are annoying - they are supposed to be quirky, but just come off as egotistical - and the plot is insipid.
July 30, 2023
3.5 stars, but I am rounding up to 4 stars because this is the book that I needed right now.
July has been a crappy month for me and my family. I was not able to get a lot of reading in this month, and I often found myself distracted when I tried to read, to the point that I was going back to reread paragraphs because my mind kept wandering back to reality.
Enter Deep Dish. Deep Dish is a rivals to lovers rom-com about two cooking show hosts vying for one primetime spot on The Cooking Channel. In order to decide which host will get their very own show on TCC, Gina Foxton, host of Fresh Start, a public television cooking show, and Tate Moody, host of Vittles, a hunting and fishing show that also doubles as a cooking show, must compete on a competition cooking show called Food Fight. Drool-worthy recipes are made, and, of course, sparks begin to fly between Gina and Tate.
Deep Dish was a fun book. My one complaint is that it was a bit overly long, given that is a straightforward and simple story. I felt like MKA could have shaved off at least 30-40 pages, which would have made this book move a little faster. That said, Deep Dish was a fun time. I laughed out loud several times while reading this book, and I pretty much smiled the whole time. I liked the cast of supporting characters. They added to the fun, especially Gina's sister Lisa, who really grew as a character as the novel moved along. I also really appreciated that this novel does not have any sad subplots. This book is just pure escapism. Definitely check this one out, if you need a serotonin boost.
July has been a crappy month for me and my family. I was not able to get a lot of reading in this month, and I often found myself distracted when I tried to read, to the point that I was going back to reread paragraphs because my mind kept wandering back to reality.
Enter Deep Dish. Deep Dish is a rivals to lovers rom-com about two cooking show hosts vying for one primetime spot on The Cooking Channel. In order to decide which host will get their very own show on TCC, Gina Foxton, host of Fresh Start, a public television cooking show, and Tate Moody, host of Vittles, a hunting and fishing show that also doubles as a cooking show, must compete on a competition cooking show called Food Fight. Drool-worthy recipes are made, and, of course, sparks begin to fly between Gina and Tate.
Deep Dish was a fun book. My one complaint is that it was a bit overly long, given that is a straightforward and simple story. I felt like MKA could have shaved off at least 30-40 pages, which would have made this book move a little faster. That said, Deep Dish was a fun time. I laughed out loud several times while reading this book, and I pretty much smiled the whole time. I liked the cast of supporting characters. They added to the fun, especially Gina's sister Lisa, who really grew as a character as the novel moved along. I also really appreciated that this novel does not have any sad subplots. This book is just pure escapism. Definitely check this one out, if you need a serotonin boost.
January 12, 2019
Ich bin bis Seite 102 gekommen, dann habe ich es abgebrochen. Mich nervte der inflationäre Gebrauch des Wortes „sagen“. Zudem war die Geschichte für mich vorhersehbar und daher widme ich mich lieber einem für mich interessanterem Buch. Meins war es nicht.
December 15, 2019
Silly and predictable. Not as good as most of Ms Andrew's books.
.
.
May 8, 2008
Fluffy fun chick lit. I take issue with the man and woman falling so quickly in "love", c'mon, can't he just say he's interested in her? Noooo...after a couple weeks of a completely antagonistic relationship, he's in love. C'mon, that's not real. It's so bad, it's not even good fiction!
The "Next Food Network Star" type plot device made for a fun backdrop, but feels hackneyed as all the characters view a cooking show contest as new and innovative. Maybe if it were 1998 not 2008 it would be.
A fun beach read.
The "Next Food Network Star" type plot device made for a fun backdrop, but feels hackneyed as all the characters view a cooking show contest as new and innovative. Maybe if it were 1998 not 2008 it would be.
A fun beach read.
August 18, 2012
Couldn't go further than 110. When I have to try to hard to enjoy the book its just not worth it. This book had too much noise and chaos within the conflict of what was going on. Plot too predictable from the start. Loved loved Summer Rental and ran out for more of what this talented author has to offer. Didn't care for any of the characters.
June 7, 2019
Really disappointed. Kind of predictable, cliche, and too much southern vernacular that annoyed me- and I’m from the south. Numerous times I wanted to stop reading this. I’ve read better from this author
June 1, 2021
3.5 Stars (2.5 to 3 Stars for the first half, a Solid 4 Stars for the latter half - as explained below).
My rating guide: 1= dnf/What was that?; 2= Nope, NOT FOR ME; 3= I MOSTLY ENJOYED IT; 4= Yes, I LIKED IT A LOT; 5= I Loved it, it was great!
I really wanted to like DEEP DISH, a slow-burn Southern Cooking Contemporary Romance novel by Mary Kay Andrews. There were segments I did enjoy which is what kept me reading. I thought the MMC/Tate was everything I could ask for in a “hero.” I kept feeling that his character had sooo much potential.
I’m glad I continued reading past the first half. At first, I wasn’t excited about the book or a fan of Gina/FMC who I felt was a bit of a prima donna and reminded me of television show cooking host Sue Ann Nivens (from the 1970’s Classic Mary Tyler Moore show) with her seemingly false cheerfulness but IMO little depth. For example, it seemed Gina should have had a better understanding about which vegetables were in season as a “star” cook but in one scene she didn’t and then expected others to solve her problem. (Perhaps I was supposed to view that as delegation).
But then Gina’s character improved (for me) in the second 1/2 of the book - after she had been around Tate a bit. It seemed as if she finally grew a backbone. The setting and characters move to a remote island for a cooking competition. This is where I felt the action picked up and the book finally got interesting. I think part of my problem in the beginning was that the story is nearly entirely about Gina, her support cast, and from their perspectives. We don’t really get to know much about MMC/Tate until the characters all head to the island for the cooking competition - and IMO he was the one that carried the story. I loved Tate’s character (honorable, hard working, knowledgeable, capable), his attitude (confident yet modest and sexy), and his dog Moonpie (sweet as sweet potato pie).
So my enjoyment of DEEP DISH changed from a 2.5 or 3 Star rating through the first 1/2 of the book to a Solid 4 Stars by the end. I really enjoyed the latter 1/2 of the story. By the end I was glad I had stuck with DEEP DISH. There was humor, (finally) good character development, fun dialogue, several attention grabbing and hilarious scenes, the introduction of good secondary characters (the shrimp boat Capt. Koyl was a Hoot!) and a Sweet building romance. IMO if you don’t at first enjoy DEEP DISH, keep reading. The second half is worth it. Some readers may even enjoy the first half of the story - those who liked Sue Ann Niven’s character years ago, for example (I never did), or perhaps catch subtle humor or local references in the beginning that I missed.
Rather than reading, I listened to the audio version narrated by Julia Gibson (which at 13.5 hrs, seemed to drag at first). Perhaps I would have enjoyed the abridged version better (which is available) but only if the condensed version is accomplished by reducing the first half rather than the latter half of the book and that you can never know. The narrator was good with the various voices. Gina honestly sounded like Sue Ann Nivens which drove me nuts, and her mother - Yikes! Sugared Steel! Tate’s voice was believable and the shrimp boat Capt was great!
Readers that enjoy contemporary romance novels involving cooking themes, characters from the Deep South, characters in television, and/or slow burn Enemies to More romances may wish to check out DEEP DISH by Mary Kay Andrews. Such readers may enjoy the first half much more than I did. (It might have been my strong aversion to the MTM/Sue Ann character that set me off). Readers who read a variety of cooking magazines may also enjoy DEEP DISH. Menus are listed with ingredients. Moonpie (his pooch) was a wonderful side-kick for Tate. What an awesome pair!
I might actually listen to this book again. Increasing the speed of the audio in the beginning and slowing it down toward the end. :D
*READER CAUTIONS -
VIOLENCE - No.
PROFANITY - Yes. Strong language is used occasionally.
SEXUAL SITUATIONS - PG-13. No detailed on scene intimacy. A flirtation toward the end is halted and there is an Inferred Closed Door intimacy scene in the last chapter.
*Readers preferring entirely Clean fiction may wish to look elsewhere.
My rating guide: 1= dnf/What was that?; 2= Nope, NOT FOR ME; 3= I MOSTLY ENJOYED IT; 4= Yes, I LIKED IT A LOT; 5= I Loved it, it was great!
I really wanted to like DEEP DISH, a slow-burn Southern Cooking Contemporary Romance novel by Mary Kay Andrews. There were segments I did enjoy which is what kept me reading. I thought the MMC/Tate was everything I could ask for in a “hero.” I kept feeling that his character had sooo much potential.
I’m glad I continued reading past the first half. At first, I wasn’t excited about the book or a fan of Gina/FMC who I felt was a bit of a prima donna and reminded me of television show cooking host Sue Ann Nivens (from the 1970’s Classic Mary Tyler Moore show) with her seemingly false cheerfulness but IMO little depth. For example, it seemed Gina should have had a better understanding about which vegetables were in season as a “star” cook but in one scene she didn’t and then expected others to solve her problem. (Perhaps I was supposed to view that as delegation).
But then Gina’s character improved (for me) in the second 1/2 of the book - after she had been around Tate a bit. It seemed as if she finally grew a backbone. The setting and characters move to a remote island for a cooking competition. This is where I felt the action picked up and the book finally got interesting. I think part of my problem in the beginning was that the story is nearly entirely about Gina, her support cast, and from their perspectives. We don’t really get to know much about MMC/Tate until the characters all head to the island for the cooking competition - and IMO he was the one that carried the story. I loved Tate’s character (honorable, hard working, knowledgeable, capable), his attitude (confident yet modest and sexy), and his dog Moonpie (sweet as sweet potato pie).
So my enjoyment of DEEP DISH changed from a 2.5 or 3 Star rating through the first 1/2 of the book to a Solid 4 Stars by the end. I really enjoyed the latter 1/2 of the story. By the end I was glad I had stuck with DEEP DISH. There was humor, (finally) good character development, fun dialogue, several attention grabbing and hilarious scenes, the introduction of good secondary characters (the shrimp boat Capt. Koyl was a Hoot!) and a Sweet building romance. IMO if you don’t at first enjoy DEEP DISH, keep reading. The second half is worth it. Some readers may even enjoy the first half of the story - those who liked Sue Ann Niven’s character years ago, for example (I never did), or perhaps catch subtle humor or local references in the beginning that I missed.
Rather than reading, I listened to the audio version narrated by Julia Gibson (which at 13.5 hrs, seemed to drag at first). Perhaps I would have enjoyed the abridged version better (which is available) but only if the condensed version is accomplished by reducing the first half rather than the latter half of the book and that you can never know. The narrator was good with the various voices. Gina honestly sounded like Sue Ann Nivens which drove me nuts, and her mother - Yikes! Sugared Steel! Tate’s voice was believable and the shrimp boat Capt was great!
Readers that enjoy contemporary romance novels involving cooking themes, characters from the Deep South, characters in television, and/or slow burn Enemies to More romances may wish to check out DEEP DISH by Mary Kay Andrews. Such readers may enjoy the first half much more than I did. (It might have been my strong aversion to the MTM/Sue Ann character that set me off). Readers who read a variety of cooking magazines may also enjoy DEEP DISH. Menus are listed with ingredients. Moonpie (his pooch) was a wonderful side-kick for Tate. What an awesome pair!
I might actually listen to this book again. Increasing the speed of the audio in the beginning and slowing it down toward the end. :D
*READER CAUTIONS -
VIOLENCE - No.
PROFANITY - Yes. Strong language is used occasionally.
SEXUAL SITUATIONS - PG-13. No detailed on scene intimacy. A flirtation toward the end is halted and there is an Inferred Closed Door intimacy scene in the last chapter.
*Readers preferring entirely Clean fiction may wish to look elsewhere.
April 30, 2021
I liked this book, but not as much as others I have read by her such as Hissy Fit and Savannah Blues. I did not get into the show biz aspects of the book. I actually liked talking to my mother, but I wasn't bothered by her not wanting to speak to her mother, given the things her mother would say, but I was bothered that she never did talk to her, until accidentally answering the phone near the end of the book. I kept thinking, this is her mother, who is calling over and over and leaving a multitude of messages, she deserves an occasional call. But, other than that, I loved the cooking fiascos and successes, the shopping for pumpkins in July, Gina, Tate, Zeke, D'John, Iris and Inez. I loved Eutaw Island's resemblance to Cumberland Island. I laughed at the references to the heat and humidity in Atlanta, which are true, but living further south in Georgia, Atlanta always feels cooler and less humid to me. I didn't enjoy the beginning of the book, but once Tate made an appearance, I was hooked. I recommend this book to readers who like light hearted, fun, romances, highly if you don't mind showbiz and producers. This book, instead of saying blah, blah, blah said blasé, blasé, blasé. I have heard this before and it annoys me. I looked it up in the Urban Dictionary who said, "Used as a more stylish or educated way of saying Blah-Blah-Blah, but fails to sound stylish and educated with people who have actually been to school."
#abookyouhaveseenonsomeonesbookshelfinreallifeonazoomcallinatvshowetc
#mysistersinreallife
#abookyouhaveseenonsomeonesbookshelfinreallifeonazoomcallinatvshowetc
#mysistersinreallife
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 9, 2025
3.25*
Picked this up from the library mostly because I remember my mom reading a few of Mary Kay Andrews’s books when I was a teen and I thought it sounded like a fun time, especially because it really sounded like a summer read. It was pretty much exactly what I expected, too. Two competing TV chefs battle each other for a place on a national television channel and the chance for stardom, all the while feeling a growing attraction to each other. Now, I will say, I found this funny but it definitely reads like a book that reflects the era in which it was written (2008) because some of the humor is a little hit or miss. Also, I did feel like the romance itself wasn’t super present. We don’t get a lot of the moments that would make it obvious that they have chemistry or that a romance is really blossoming. Honestly, I felt like Tate had a lot more chemistry with his producer than with Gina. (Although I might be biased because I really liked Val as a character more than everyone else.) If you’re looking for a silly sort of read, this could hit that but don’t expect a lot of romance to balance out the comedy.
Picked this up from the library mostly because I remember my mom reading a few of Mary Kay Andrews’s books when I was a teen and I thought it sounded like a fun time, especially because it really sounded like a summer read. It was pretty much exactly what I expected, too. Two competing TV chefs battle each other for a place on a national television channel and the chance for stardom, all the while feeling a growing attraction to each other. Now, I will say, I found this funny but it definitely reads like a book that reflects the era in which it was written (2008) because some of the humor is a little hit or miss. Also, I did feel like the romance itself wasn’t super present. We don’t get a lot of the moments that would make it obvious that they have chemistry or that a romance is really blossoming. Honestly, I felt like Tate had a lot more chemistry with his producer than with Gina. (Although I might be biased because I really liked Val as a character more than everyone else.) If you’re looking for a silly sort of read, this could hit that but don’t expect a lot of romance to balance out the comedy.
March 15, 2024
It’s been a while since I read a Mary Kay Andrew’s novel because I have read them all, but I forgot how amazing she is with the magic of storytelling and this book will not disappoint. Two professional chefs, both who have tv shows, one an outdoorsman chef and the other who prepares and cooks Southern healthy foods which are delish! They are put against each other in a winner-takes-all competition on a secluded island. What could go wrong, read and find out!
May 14, 2024
My friend & I listened to the audiobook on a roadtrip. At one point while she was driving I fell asleep. When I woke back up an hour later I asked if I missed anything to the story & she said no 😂
The concept was really cute, but they kept adding too many characters. And not only adding characters, but spending multiple chapters on their backstory - but none of the new characters added any more substance to the main story or furthered the plot. It is what you thought it would be a happy ending - but it took too long to get there and too many turns into dead end directions in my opinion!
The concept was really cute, but they kept adding too many characters. And not only adding characters, but spending multiple chapters on their backstory - but none of the new characters added any more substance to the main story or furthered the plot. It is what you thought it would be a happy ending - but it took too long to get there and too many turns into dead end directions in my opinion!
March 1, 2018
Light and fluffy, this is Mary Kay Andrews at her best. Nothing serious, some slapstick humor, and a romance between two protagonists that originally can't stand each other. Plus the southern cooking hook? I had a good time. This ain't literature, and people are checking out each other's bodies, so if that bothers you I'm not recommending it. But I don't remember skipping any parts so there is that.
March 28, 2021
Cute Story - Disappointing language
This was not the first book I've read by this author, however I was surprised and disappointed in the language used that didn't contribute to the story at all.
This was not the first book I've read by this author, however I was surprised and disappointed in the language used that didn't contribute to the story at all.
December 7, 2025
I managed to get through 43% of the book (through Libby) before I stopped listening to the drivel. I couldn’t care less about the characters! Go read every other 1 star review for reference. Waste of time.
December 2, 2022
Cute but not one of her better ones.
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