Celestial Banquet
Celestial Banquet by Roselle Lim is a young adult fantasy novel published by Zando on June 3, 2025. This 320-page book follows the journey of Cai, a young noodle chef who enters a high-stakes cooking competition held by the Major Gods. As she navigates a culinary landscape infused with East Asian tradition, Cai aims to win the coveted Peaches of Immortality while facing the dangers that come with competing against the continent’s finest chefs.
Readers will find a blend of action and heartfelt moments as Cai, alongside her companions—a drunken Minor God and her childhood friends—takes on challenges that include hunting mystical sea serpents and preparing magical dishes. The narrative explores themes of family, home, and the significance of food, all set against a backdrop inspired by Chinese and Southeast Asian folklore. Celestial Banquet presents a vibrant adventure that intertwines culinary artistry with the complexities of personal relationships and ambition.
Official synopsis Publisher
Iron Chef meets The Hunger Games in Roselle Lim’s dazzling YA fantasy debut, following a young noodle chef who competes in a cutthroat cooking competition for the gods.
“Celestial Banquet is a magical and delectable adventure through a culinary landscape rich in East Asian tradition. It is also a very real look at family, home, and how food ties into both, with an empowered and resilient teen girl at the center. Equal parts action-packed and heartfelt, I cannot wait for readers to devour it.” –Ayesha Curry, Sweet July Books
Once every generation, the Major Gods hold a Celestial Banquet, inviting chefs from all over the Continent to prepare mouthwatering fantastical feasts. The winner is awarded the fabled Peaches of Immortality, along with a lifetime of fame and fortune. The losers perish per the whims of the fickle gods.
Hot-headed noodle chef Cai enters the competition with dreams of owning her own restaurant and supporting her impoverished Peninsula town. Along with the drunken Minor God Kama, her childhood crush-turned-friend Bo, and dreamy noble Seon, Cai must now compete against the Continent’s finest culinary masters in trials that range from hunting and serving up mystical sea serpents to preparing a magical omurice from the eggs of the legendary Jian bird.
Battling impossible odds and inconvenient feelings for both Bo and Seon, Cai is determined to prepare a feast fit for the gods–even if she loses her life. Set in a spectacular world inspired by Chinese and Southeast Asian folklore, Celestial Banquet is an ode to food, home, and family, wrapped in an epic and thrilling adventure.
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