Food, not only good for your body, but also for your mind and heart

Synopsis

When it comes to love, its feta late than never

Freya Butterly has always dreamed of being a Head Chef but despite running every service at the Mediterranean restaurant, she still doesn’t get the recognition she deserves. Craving adventure and a real taste of the Mediterranean, Freya takes matters into her own hands, ditching both her job and unsympathetic boyfriend and packing her bags for sunny Cyprus in pursuit of the prestigious Golden Spoon culinary award.

As one of the seven competitors, Freya is determined to rediscover her passion for food and clinch the prize, but what she doesn’t expect to discover is Xanthos. As gorgeous as he is charming – he’s quite the dish – and Freya is instantly attracted to him, but this trip was about Cypriot cuisine, not romance and she knows she must not let Xanthos distract her from the competition.

But if she walks away, will Freya spend the rest of her life wondering What If? Surely, it’s feta late than never . . .

My review

Freya Butterly’s passion is food, and her dream is being a Head Chef one day. But when again she doesn’t get the recognition she deserves at the Mediterranean restaurant and the support from her boyfriend, she decides to finally dares to try and winning the Golden Spoon culinary award in Cyprus.
But in order to win the award, she has to beat her other competitors, with apparently much more experience and knowledge.
And while trying to keep up with each new cooking task, Freya is suddenly intrigued by a certain Cypriot who ignites in Freya a passion that is not only about food… 

There is something about stories (either books or movies) about food that always make my appetite grow! And it’s not only the food – bit I am talking about!
Yes, of course I love reading about how people can be passionate about food, and the love they put while preparing their dishes.
But it also shows us that food can not only be an aphrodisiac, but also the way to get to know ourselves better and believe more in ourselves too. 

And while it’s Freya’s passion for food that brings her to Cyprus, it’s the food that shows her that it doesn’t matter where you come from (literally and figuratively), love and passion and confidence (for food or for anything or anyone or just even yourself) doesn’t make any distinction. 

I admired Freya, after the umpteenth delusion and disappointment, she finally deicides to do something for her and her alone. She just packs on her own, and even if a bit terrified, she starts a new adventure in Cyprus.
And while I admired her, I also wanted her to quickly see what everyone sees in her. It’s not because you don’t run a fancy restaurant, that you don’t know how to cook.
Because slowly we learn that her passion for food begins with a special teacher that during her more difficult times, showed Freya how to cook with love and that it doesn’t matter what dish you prepare, the love can actually be tasted in your creation. 

Of course, if everything would run smoothly for Freya during the competition, this book would be half as good as it is now. Because just like everywhere else, Freya meets different kind of people, with each their own character and not all that lovely as you would think. Now, don’t go thinking bad about her opposition, but you can compare it with being back to high school. There is the popular girl, the geek, the smart ass etc.
And obviously there are people which Freya gets along just perfectly and others… not.
And things don’t improve where sabotage is involved! 

Yes, there is romance involved in this book, and let me tell you, I wish I knew the same kind of Cypriot myself! Because Xanthos may seem a bit harsh initially, but believe me, there is so much more to him (and okay, even to his brother) on such a deeper level that you cannot fall in love with him too! 

But the story felt to me more like a journey to find yourself and believe in yourself. Because no matter how good you are at what you do, if you don’t believe in yourself, you will never be able to make your dream come true.
And having walked away from everything, Freya now has the opportunity to ask her those important questions like ‘What Now?’ and ‘What makes me the happiest and where can I be that all the time’? But this book also shows us that mistakes we made in the past, don’t mean that they truly are mistakes, but sometimes that’s just how life goes… 

This was a wonderful read, showing us the importance of daring to follow your passions, as you never know where they will take you and what you will find.
And always, always, believe in yourself!