If You Can't Take the Heat

By Michael Ruhlman

From James Beard Award-winning author Michael Ruhlman, a coming-of-age story about finding a new life and love in the kitchen...and trying not to get burned along the way. Out now in paperback

When high school football star Theo Claverback breaks his leg just weeks after a devastating break-up, he's forced to call an audible on his summer plans and put his college ones on hold. He soon finds himself in the most unlikely of places for a jock on crutches: the kitchen of an upscale French restaurant, where he'll work as a prep cook while his heart and leg heal.

But it's in the kitchen where Theo finds new purpose and a new romance. As he becomes a trusted employee to Chef and is welcomed into his inner circle, Theo begins to discover the true costs of running a restaurant--and what happens when you get into hot water with the wrong people.

Set in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1980, If You Can't Take the Heat is a gritty look inside the belly of an upscale kitchen where love and danger boil behind closed doors.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0593523458
• ISBN13: 9780593523452
• Release Date: May 2025
• Publisher: Penguin Workshop
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 13 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 8 to 12