The Pot Thief Who Studied Escoffier — J. Michael Orenduff

Old Town Albuquerque potter and merchant, Hubie Schuze agrees to create unique chargers for the table settings in a soon-to-open restaurant. The fee is too enticing to pass up, although the restaurateur is not negotiable on the potting site...the plates must be made at the restaurant in Santa Fe. Once onsite, Hubie is immersed in the politics, procedures and polemics of the restaurant business. In an effort to negotiate the egos and agendas, Hubie invites the grillardin for cocktails. The inebriated grill cook insists on snoozing in Hubie's truck, but the next morning, Hubie finds the garde manger there instead...not breathing and as cold as his menu items. Before Hubie can recover from the shock, things spiral out of control at Schnitzel, forcing the eatery to close its doors. Unwilling to cede defeat, Hubie rallies the troupe, and they reopen with a Mexican-Austrian fusion menu. The reviews are rave and the money rolls in, but soon Hubie is faced with that old prophecy ...no good deed goes unpunished