Baker's Dozen

SCREENPLAY / BAKER’S DOZEN / FEATURE-LENGTH ROMANTIC COMEDY

Julie Keck & Jessica King, Co-Writers

© All Rights Reserved; WGA Registered: 1333276

STATUS: Available

HONORS:

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LOGLINE:  Recently jilted for a celebrity chef, bakery owner Kate has empty shelves and a broken heart.  When small town transplant Callie offers to help with the business, a romance blossoms. But when the ex returns with a scandal-hungry reality TV show producer, will Kate choose fame and familiarity or a fresh start?

SYNOPSIS:  Riding the current popularity of food shows (Top Chef, Iron Chef) and movies (Julie & Julia), Baker’s Dozen is a fresh concoction of romance, comedy, flour, and fun that can be appreciated by anyone, gay or straight.

Kate, owner of the Sweet Alice Café, has empty shelves and a broken heart.

Her baker (and girlfriend) Alice abandoned ship for tattooed celebrity chef Gina Mackey, and Kate can’t turn on the TV or open a magazine without seeing pictures of them painting the town red.  To make matters worse, Kate’s business is flailing.  Customers don’t like that she’s replaced biscotti with Twinkies, and there’s a cranky city inspector hell-bent on shutting her down.  Kate can barely keep her head above water.  And, lately, she’s not even trying.

Small town transplant Callie seems to be just the life raft Kate needs.  After helping Kate with a midnight disaster, the flirty grad student offers to work nights to get the café back on track.  Kate accepts her help but makes it clear that she’s not going to make the mistake of mixing business and pleasure again.

Impressed with Callie’s skills, a loyal group of café customers, including a shy gamer and a sassy blogger, encourages Kate to make Callie a permanent fixture.  A misunderstanding binds Callie and Kate in an unexpected way, and Kate brings Callie on full-time.  Business booms, Callie charms Kate, and, despite their age difference, the two are unable to deny their chemistry in (and out of) the kitchen.

When news of Sweet Alice Café’s newfound success reaches L.A., Alice and Gina Mackey’s Food Channel producer see an opportunity for scandal, ratings, and dollar signs.  Alice and Gina Mackey descend on the cafe armed with a pack of paparazzi, and Kate’s thrown off by the sudden appearance of her ex.  After Alice discovers that Callie has been adding butter to her famous vegan recipes, Alice decides that she’s not ready to be replaced.  She preys on Kate’s vulnerability and threatens Callie.  Kate’s inability to stand her ground leads Callie to question whether Kate is really ready to move on.

Determined to save their hangout, Kate’s customers brainstorm ways to get rid of Alice. They use their individual strengths to unearth an unexpected ally with a shocking secret who might be the key to getting Alice out of Kate’s life for good.  The question is: Is Kate ready for new dreams or stuck on old ones?  And will Callie still be there when Kate figures it out?