Publication Date: June 13, 2025
As a kid, Fiona McConnell helped her dad with his catering company on the streets of Los Angeles and dreamed of becoming a famous pastry chef. Fiona gets her opportunity when Julia Stone, her much admired boss at Lucien, one of the best restaurants in Los Angeles, fires both her head chef and pastry chef, allowing Fiona the chance to prove herself. Julia also hires legendary personality Liam Auclair as her new head chef and his objective is to earn what no restaurant in LA has ever accomplished: Three Michelin Stars. On Fiona’s first day as a pastry chef, she meets an upscale vintner named Rory Martin. Rory’s passion for food, wine, and surfing is perfect for her-the boyfriend she’s always dreamed of. But life, as it turns out, is not that simple.
Michelle Christensen’s La Pâte à Bombe has all the makings of a modern cooking show, though there are no Julia Child chuckles happening. The head chef, Julia Stone, is known for her intense focus on her restaurant, Lucien, and she wants to add another star to her two-star Michelin reputation. She also has five cookbooks and a reputation that inspires chefs to dream of working with her. But as the saying goes, “if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen and there is plenty of heat in this kitchen.
Fiona is about to be at the right place, at the right time. Julia has fired another round of chefs, including the head pastry chef. Fiona has dreamed of this opportunity, and she launches into prepping a menu with her vast collection of cookbooks to inspire her. However, Julia is ready to make some major changes to secure another Michelin star, so she hires Chef Brandon Auclair to take them there. There is no room for opinions in Chef Auclair’s kitchen. He is loud, brash, rude, and basically cruel to his staff. Fiona will have to bend to keep her job, but bending just might break her.
Along the way, there is a cast of small town friends, and when away from the toxic culture of Lucien, Fiona is surrounded by peace and joy. The contradiction between the two settings is vast. What will Fiona ultimately choose, or will circumstances lead the choice?
La Pâte à Bombe narrates the two opposing worlds in the kitchen and out. In the modern culinary world of high stakes, high stress, and possible notoriety, an up-and-coming chef comes to a crossroads to picture in which world she belongs.
Michelle Christensen is a Pastry Chef at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica, California. She has an Associate’s degree in Patisserie and Baking from Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena, California, and has worked at some of the best restaurants and bakeries in Los Angeles. La Pâte á Bombe is her first novel. She lives in Santa Monica with her husband and three children.
