Culinary Books in Order
Complete reading order for the Culinary series.
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Title
Date
How to Read the Culinary series
Best Read in Order
· Start with Book 1
Standalone stories, but characters and relationships develop across the series.
Publication order gives the best experience because ongoing personal developments unfold gradually. Each book features a self-contained mystery centered on a new catering job or event, but character arcs and relationships build steadily from one title to the next. Readers who skip around miss important context about Goldy’s family life, evolving friendships, and her growing connection with law enforcement.
About the Culinary series
Series Premise
In each book, Goldy runs her catering business, Goldilocks' Catering, while navigating the demands of single parenthood and later marriage. Murders often occur at the events she caters, drawing her into amateur sleuthing as she pieces together clues amid her professional kitchen work.
Main Characters
Goldy Schulz serves as the central figure—a resourceful caterer and amateur detective. Her son Arch provides emotional grounding as she balances work and family, while her second husband, Tom Schulz, a homicide detective, offers both romantic partnership and professional insight into the crimes she encounters.
Setting
The series takes place primarily in Aspen Meadow, a fictional small town in the Colorado Rockies near Denver. Catering jobs often lead Goldy into the homes of wealthy locals, churches, schools, and scenic mountain venues, blending everyday domestic details with the dramatic backdrop of the Rocky Mountains.
Tone & Themes
The books maintain a light, engaging cozy mystery tone with humor drawn from kitchen mishaps and small-town dynamics. Recurring themes include resilience after personal hardship, the challenges of running a small business, community ties, and the satisfaction of solving puzzles through observation and careful preparation.
Is This Series Worth Reading?
This series appeals to readers who enjoy cozy mysteries that combine food and cooking details with solvable crimes. It suits those who like character-focused stories set in small towns, where the protagonist’s professional skills as a caterer play a direct role in both her livelihood and her investigations.
Content Warnings and Heat Level
The series contains mild violence typical of cozy mysteries, with murders described without graphic detail. Romance elements stay light and wholesome, with no explicit content.
The Culinary series offers a satisfying blend of mystery and culinary insight through Goldy’s experiences. Following the books in order lets readers fully appreciate how her life and sleuthing abilities evolve over time. It remains a solid choice for fans of traditional mysteries with a practical, food-loving heroine.
FAQ
How many books are in the Culinary series?
17 books
When will the next book in the series be released?
No new book is currently scheduled. The latest book, The Whole Enchilada, was published in September 2013.
When was the most recent book released?
The Whole Enchilada was published in September 2013.
What was the first book in the series?
The first book in the series is Catering to Nobody, published in July 1990.
What genre is the Culinary series?
The series primarily falls into the Mystery genre.
Do you need to read the Culinary series in order?
It’s best to read the series in order. Each book has its own story, but ongoing character arcs and relationships develop across the series.
What is the Culinary series about?
In each book, Goldy runs her catering business, Goldilocks' Catering, while navigating the demands of single parenthood and later marriage. Murders often occur at the events she caters, drawing her into amateur sleuthing as she pieces together clues amid her professional kitchen work.
Is the Culinary series finished?
The series does not currently have a new book scheduled.
Cover Art From the Culinary series
Browse covers from the Culinary series.
