Melinda Tran

In Aethelgard, a city ruled by the spice rack and fueled by culinary magic, chefs wield whisks and wands in equal measure. The Grand Culinara Tournament is about to begin, a dazzling display of edible enchantments where the fate of the world hangs in the balance. But this year, the competition has an unexpected ingredient: Kavi Sharma.

Kavi, a street vendor with a natural talent for infusing her dishes with vibrant magic, accidentally stumbles upon a forgotten flavor – a taste whispered to hold the power of the gods. Her discovery attracts the attention of the Flavor Council, a secretive organization that governs Aethelgard’s culinary magic, who see Kavi's gift as a dangerous disruption to their carefully controlled world.

Suddenly thrust into the high-stakes tournament, Kavi must face off against Aethelgard’s culinary elite: Theodore Carter, whose icy demeanor hides a burning ambition, and Ernest Young, a flamboyant chef whose dazzling illusions mask a desperate need for validation. They view Kavi, the unpolished outsider, with a mixture of disdain and fear.

Navigating a battlefield of simmering rivalries and treacherous courtly intrigue, Kavi must master arcane culinary techniques and decipher cryptic recipes, all while grappling with the forbidden flavor’s volatile power. She finds an unlikely ally in Melissa Joseph, a seasoned competitor whose warm smile hides a sharp mind and a wealth of culinary secrets. Together, they uncover a conspiracy that reaches far beyond the tournament's walls, a plot to suppress culinary magic and plunge Aethelgard into a flavorless dark age.

The forbidden flavor becomes Kavi's greatest weapon and her most dangerous liability. As she unlocks its secrets, she discovers a hidden history, a time when food and magic were interwoven with the very fabric of reality. But wielding this power comes at a cost. The closer Kavi gets to victory, the more she realizes the true potential of the forbidden flavor – a force capable of both creation and destruction.

With the fate of Aethelgard resting on a knife’s edge, Kavi must choose her path. Will she succumb to the forbidden flavor’s seductive power, or can she harness its magic to ignite a culinary revolution and rewrite the recipe for Aethelgard's future? Let the Five-Flame Duelists’ Cookbook be your guide into a world where taste has the power to change everything.

Create an account