Queer Books About Food, Restaurants And Baking

This month is one for the foodies - we're taking a look at LGBT books about food, restaurants and baking. From gay rivals-to-lovers to cooking competitions and slice-of-life queer manga, here are 12 sweet and tasty LGBTQ+ books based around food and cooking that everyone should read:

1. Bloom

Reading age: 14+

Bloom is a sweet monochromatic graphic novel about Ari, a teenager working in his family's struggling bakery. It's a story about baking, music and being true to yourself with a very sweet slow-burn MLM romance and a diverse cast of characters. Perfect for fans of Heartstopper.

- Baking and music

- Slow-burn romance

- Lighthearted

Buy it here: https://www.proud-geek.co.uk/product-page/bloom

2. Café Con Lycee

Reading age: 14+

Café Con Lychee is a queer contemporary romance for young adult readers featuring an M/M interracial romance where both characters are POC. A heartfelt and engaging read with a diverse cast of characters about two rival cafés, family, friends and finding yourself.

- Rivals to lovers

- Mutual pining

- Food puns

Buy it here: https://www.proud-geek.co.uk/product-page/café-con-lychee

3. Chef's Kiss: A Novel

Reading age: 18+

Chefs kiss is a hilarious and emotional slow-burn, enemies to friends to lovers queer romantic comedy with a non-binary love interest. Chef's Kiss follows Simone (a highly-strung pastry chef) and her wildly attractive nonbinary kitchen manager, Ray. A queer grumpy/sunshine romantic comedy book.

- Nonbinary love interest

- Queer grumpy/sunshine torpe

- Sapphic rom-com

Buy it here: https://www.proud-geek.co.uk/product-page/chef-s-kiss-a-novel

4. Manly Appetites: Minegishi Loves Otsu

Reading age: 14+

Manly Appetites is a lighthearted, sweet and funny BL manga about two businessmen co-workers who bond over food. Minegishi loves to feed his grumpy co-worker, Otsu. Otsu might be taking the food, but he's not taking the bait and refuses to be charmed like everyone else in the office!

- BL office romance

- Food positivity

- The best way to a man's heart is through his stomach

Buy it here: https://www.proud-geek.co.uk/product-page/manly-appetites-minegishi-loves-otsu-vol-1

5. Chef's Kiss

Reading age: 17+

Chef’s Kiss is a cute, gay slice-of-life graphic novel following loveable cinnamon roll Ben Cook. After falling into a job at a local restaurant (and developing a crush on Liam, one of the chefs that work there), Ben has to impress the head chef and his pet pig Watson with his cooking. Chef's Kiss is a funny, fast-paced LGBTQ+ romance with a lovable, diverse cast of characters..

- Hot coworkers

- Beautiful artwork

- Feed the piggy!

Buy it here: https://www.proud-geek.co.uk/product-page/chef-s-kiss

6. Love and Other Disasters

Reading age: 18+

Love & Other Disasters is a queer contemporary rom-com about a cooking competition with a pansexual non-binary protagonist and a sapphic love interest. A lighthearted, funny and at times emotional sapphic comedy with the occasional spicy scene thrown in for good measure.

- Dual POV F/NB romance

- Grumpy/sunshine trope

- Mutual pining

Buy it here: https://www.proud-geek.co.uk/product-page/love-other-disasters

7. Space Battle Lunchtime

Reading age: 10+

Space Battle Lunchtime is a fast-paced science fiction adventure series of graphic novels with an adorable lesbian alien romance that builds throughout. Earth baker Peony joins a culinary competition to become the best cook in the Galaxy but her alien competitors don't play nice.

- Sapphic aliens

- Cute graphic novel series

- The Great British Bake Off in space

Buy it here: https://www.proud-geek.co.uk/product-page/space-battle-lunchtime-volume-1-lights-camera-snacktion