There is no good explanation as to why there are Easter-hued cupcakes on the cover of When in Doubt, Add Butter. You see, Gemma is a personal chef, not a baker. But sugar sells, in the cereal aisle and on bookshelves, so, I suppose, to place blame for this red herring would be to blame myself, the sugar-hungry consumer.
Gemma Craig is single in her late thirties (meaning, still quite young, but too old to conform to societal norms) and she leads a quiet life. She truly loves cooking for a living, though it may not be as financially lucrative as some other options. Gemma maintains a close relationship with a fellow chef/server and her cousin who lives nearby, but her circle of trust is pretty small and coupledom is not part of her MO. Gemma lives vicariously through her clients and focuses her time providing sustenance to others rather than nurturing herself.
We meet Gemma's clients and learn their food proclivities and peculiarities. There’s the uberwealthy family whose matriarch is seemingly allergic to anything with flavor, the potential Russian mobsters, homebound Willa and a mysterious man, "Mr. Tuesday," with whom she communicates solely through short notes left on the kitchen counter. They seem to share a similar sense of humor and would likely get along, but they never cross paths. Not knowingly, anyway. The plot relies on several very coincidental circumstances, but it is such a fun, breezy read that the contrivance is easily accepted.
When in Doubt, Add Butter is kitch lit lite. The focus is not really on the food or the profession of cooking, but that is not a surprise. Harbison does not pretend to set out to make a book focused solely on the craft of cooking. Gemma’s takes a risk one evening that leads her down a path that is equal parts familiar and uncharted territory. By the end of the book, Gemma’s circle of trust has grown like a soufflé baking in the oven and her journey is just as deliciously light and fun.
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