Nick Greenberg loves to create. He is a professional bassist and composer whose talents have taken him from Carnegie Hall to performances in Taiwan. He has also made a name for himself as a chocolatier, a winemaker, and an award-winning home brewer. In 2020, Nick self-published his first novel, Buried Treasure, which was followed by several short stories. The Culinary Caper is his latest novel. It is a wonderful romp through a kaleidoscope of adventures featuring a vibrant cast of unforgettable characters.
The story centers around Anton Cherny, an accomplished food truck chef overwhelmed by debt, poor life choices, and even worse fortune. Out of desperation, he agrees to a wild scheme concocted by his old art school mate, Ricky, to partake in high-stakes art heists disguised as upscale catering gigs. The twists and turns his careening life takes after his reluctant crime spree begins lead him deeper and deeper into a dangerous world filled with high risks and substantial rewards. If he can survive the perils, Nick might just get that restart he so sorely needs.
To gain a deeper understanding of Nick and his work, Entertaining Options asked the author a few questions about The Culinary Caper and his writing process.
What inspired this story?
My ideas tend to arrive in bits and pieces. I started with the food truck as the central concept. When the plot started taking on a life of its own, struggling chefs, art theft, and Russian mobsters, I realized this could actually make a pretty decent story.
Is Anton based on anyone you know?
Nope. Completely made up.
Who was your favorite character to write and why?
You would think it would be Anton, right? I mean, he is our flawed hero. But I loved writing Rollie [Anton’s food truck partner]. He was so damned earnest. Which was fun, because it gave me a chance to inhabit a character like that. Especially since I am so not that way.
Which character do you identify with the most?
Probably Anton. Not because he was an art thief, a professional chef, or indebted to a loan shark. More that he and I share a cynical view of the world. There’s also his love for creating, whether it be food or music. Or in my case, also writing novels.
Did any real-life situations inspire the calamities in this book?
Any similarities to actual people or events are purely coincidental. Lol! This is pure fiction. Although when I worked for a caterer, I did witness several near-disasters: A half-loaded catering van crashing into the building’s central AC unit. A wedding cake becoming badly disfigured on the way to the reception, but repaired by two very capable servers. The wrong type of brisket delivered to an open house party.
How long did it take to write this book?
All told, after multiple drafts, The Culinary Caper took me about a year to write. In 2020, I self-published my first novel, Buried Treasure. That book took me quite a bit longer to write because I was traveling regularly doing orchestral gigs and woodshedding tons of repertoire. Shortly after that, I published a couple of short stories.
Do you have any experience in creating art?
Not really. I did take some art classes in high school and started getting into photography. My parents had always been collectors, which kind of rubbed off on me. My wife and I have been collecting art for decades.
Did you find any similarities between writing fiction and composing music?
The process of writing fiction is very similar to composing music. I start with a basic concept or a simple melody, and then start exploring ways on how to make that idea work. Adding harmony is like adding characters. Building tension until the melody/plot reaches some sort of climax or resolution.
How did you handle challenges and frustrations while writing?
As far as frustrations or difficulties, usually, I take a break, go for a run, let my mind clear, and a solution inevitably presents itself.
What is your writing process like?
Typically, I scribble down dozens of short ideas and plot points, then try to organize them into an order that makes some degree of sense. This order, however, frequently gets rearranged. Aside from wanting a solid resolution at the end, I don’t exactly know what it is until I arrive there. For the next two books in the trilogy, I did create outlines. Turns out that’s not such a bad idea.
What advice do you have for aspiring authors?
Write!!! What I mean is, don’t worry too much about a single word or sentence. You’ll change these anyway on each subsequent draft. And there will be many drafts. Trust me. Just tell your story. But make sure it’s a story you’re willing to put 100% of yourself into.
The Culinary Caper is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble online, and numerous Cincinnati-area bookstores.
Nick Greenberg Links:
website • Instagram • Facebook
Entertaining Options 