As the owner of Mahalia’s Sweet Tea, Halia Watkins is famous in Maryland’s Prince George’s County for her
down-home cuisine. But when she has the chance to showcase her talents on national TV, she becomes the star
of a murder mystery that’s too hot to handle!

When Halia is invited to serve as a guest judge on the popular cooking competition show Elite Chef, she’s delighted
to add some extra flavor to the mix. But as filming ramps up in Washington, D.C., there are too many fiery personalities
in the kitchen. Halia discovers that pulling off her small screen debut unscathed means contending with a longtime
competing restaurant owner, an infamously crass hospitality mogul, and a group of cutthroat contestants vying for
culinary glory …

The competition sizzles with only a few finalists left standing—and goes cold when the gorgeous young frontrunner
is found dead. As murder accusations are slathered over a recently eliminated contestant, Halia, with some bungling
assistance from her wise-cracking cousin Wavonne slides into an investigation of their own. A little snooping reveals
the victim burned lots of bridges, leaving a slew of alleged affairs and stolen recipes in her wake. With a fast-rising list
of potential suspects, Halia must sort through mindboggling clues to fry the flaky culprit before someone else gets
baked to a crisp …