She enjoyed the research that ended up filling the series with authentic details about food service at the presidential level, Hyzy adds, but she is careful not to get too specific about real-life first families. Hyzy wrote sample chapters and was selected to write the series. She and her husband, Curt Hyzy, are the parents of three girls, ages 24, 21 and 18.Īfter former first lady Laura Bush hired the first female executive chef in White House history, a publisher deemed it a promising premise for a mystery series. 'I was never able to make writing a priority in my life until my kids were grown.'

'When I told people what I wanted to do, they said, 'Oh, you'll starve.' So I was a business major at Loyola. But practical-minded friends and family members discouraged her. 'Writing was something I always did, from the time I was really young,' she recalls. Growing up in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood, Hyzy dearly wanted to be a writer. 'It took a long time to get here,' she says. Feeding the first family and whipping up state dinners is her dream job - except for the pesky fact that dead bodies keep popping up like whole-wheat slices from a toaster.įor Hyzy, who lives in southwest suburban Tinley Park, the series is the realization of her own dream. Like its predecessors, 'State of the Onion' (2008), 'Hail to the Chef' (2008) and 'Eggsecutive Orders' (2008), 'Buffalo West Wing' is a breezy, lighthearted whodunit featuring feisty professional chef Paras, who relishes the pressure-cooker environment of the White House kitchen. Her fourth White House Chef mystery, 'Buffalo West Wing,' will be published next week by Berkley. She feels like one of my best friends,' says Hyzy. And the phrase 'sound bite' means just that: a satisfying nibble from a new dish, not a quotable snippet from a news conference. A piece of pie matters more than a piece of legislation. Because in her mystery series featuring White House chef Olivia Paras, a scrumptious and nutritious meal trumps all else. Conservative or liberal.įor the characters in a Julie Hyzy novel, though, there's only one label that really matters: the one on the box, can or bottle.

Well, that and the fact that an elusive assassin wants to see her fry.Politics is all about labels: Democrat, Republican or independent. There's just one thing: her nemesis is vying for it, too. She's hell-bent on earning her dream job, Executive Chef. Includes recipes for a complete presidential menu! Never let them see you sweat-that's White House Assistant Chef Olivia Paras's motto, which is pretty hard to honor in the most important kitchen in the world. MediaType eBook shortDescription Introducing White House Assistant Chef Olivia Paras, who is rising-and sleuthing-to the top. IsPublicPerformanceAllowed False languages OverDrive Product Record readingOrder 1 images

State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy