No matter where one travels in Texas, at practically any time of the year, in cities large and small, some things remain constant: livestock shows, rodeos, and football-and Chef Mia Ellis rejects them all.

With a Culinary Arts degree as proof that a cosmopolitan lifestyle awaits her, Mia sublets her Houston apartment and buys a plane ticket to New York City, only to get a call to come home to the Hill Country for a family emergency.

Upon arrival, Mia finds herself completely unprepared for the town and the people she has outgrown. Her salvation is cooking-it's the only thing that has ever separated her from her hometown roots-but now that her job in N.Y.C. is on hold, she still needs to earn. Unfortunately, a dishwashing gig at an out-of-the-way bar and grill is all that's available.

It isn't until Mia reconnects with Jace, her old high school sweetheart and heir to a Texas Century Ranch, that she realizes she may still have a taste for Texas after all.