French Twist — Shawn Bailey

Gage Perry was in a very grumpy mood, mainly because his dessert chef quit and went back to Paris to marry, leaving Gage and his restaurant without a pastry chef. With the biggest love holiday approaching, Gage was at his wit’s end, until the culinary teacher from the nearby university recommends a student who has recently graduated.Gage didn’t have time to teach a beginner, but gets the surprise of his life when in walks a young man who looked like he fell from the pages of a Japanese boy-love manga. Even though Gage is sure with a name like Valentin Dubois, Valentin was at least French. And to prove that he isn’t a slouch in the kitchen, Valentin creates a tiramisu that nearly brings Gage and the other chefs to tears.One chef who isn’t impressed is the butcher Alexandre Boucher, who thinks Gage has bitten off more than he can chew by allowing Valentin and new baker Raphael Lambert to be in charge of the Valentine’s Day promotion at the café attached to the restaurant. And even Gage, who only agreed to let Valentin do it because Valentin is cute, underestimates the abilities of the pastry protégée and his baker sidekick. Watch them teach a couple of old dogs some knew new tricks as they transform the café into the hot new snack location for all generations.