Let's Eat! Ch. 01

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Food, Romance and how to combine them together.
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musecues
musecues
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Chapter One

"Our last order for today: Table number 4- One Salmon Carpaccio, two Vongole, one Fillet Mignon. Table number 28- One Acquacotta, one Pollo Alla Cacciatora, two of today's specials,"

"Yes Chef!" was the resounding answer. Chef Lodi lifted his gaze from the last two order slips to take a look at his kitchen. Right at the back of the kitchen, busily running around with ingredients was the kitchen assistant. Alex was a good natured boy and worked very hard. Chef Lodi's only regret was that he would not be there when the boy becomes a fry cook one day.

Smiling to himself, Chef Lodi turned to look at the main line on his right where Andy, Zeke, Miria and Shirley were stationed. Everyone seemed to be doing things right. The fillet mignon, cacciatore and carpaccio were being made carefully and with precision. On his left, the pasta line- his pride and joy. The one thing that Restaurant Mangiamo was famous for was its pasta. At the head of the pasta line was his Sous Chef, followed by Damien, Ruby and Leo. As for Sage, the Sous Chef, some would describe her as being cold and boring but she was the best student that he had ever taught. She had studied under him back in Italy many years ago and had been exceptional that he had invited her to New York to work as his Sous Chef.

"I am very proud of all of you," said Chef Lodi a while later when the last orders were sent out. He beamed at every one of his line cooks inside the kitchen. "As you all know, today is my last day. Let's have a farewell drink before we leave tonight."

***

Winter was her favourite season. Sage loved the cold that pinched her cheeks and nose each time she was outside. It was not snowing yet but the weather was cold enough to warrant turning up the heater in her car. She had only taken a sip of the wine poured out earlier on; she didn't feel that celebratory. A part of her knew it was time for her teacher to retire but another part of her didn't want change. She had only been a Sous chef for a year. Chef Lodi had always said that the step from being a Sous Chef to Head Chef was the biggest. Was she good enough to take the step forward?

Hitting the gas pedal, she revved the car and headed home.

When she reached her apartment floor, she saw the apartment door next to hers wide open. The lights were on, music was playing but no one seemed to be there. That apartment had been empty for the past few months. However, Sage wasn't planning on playing the friendly neighbor welcoming someone new to the block. She simply keyed in her code on her locks and headed to bed.

***

The next morning, after making sure all the ingredients for the day's menu were available and prepped, she headed to the briefing room for their restaurants routine daily briefing. The room was always filled with chatter which died down almost immediately when the restaurant President walked in.

"Good morning everyone. Today we have 15 reservations. As the Christmas season is approaching, we should expect more families and also corporate dinners. It will be a busy period so I hope everyone will do their best," he paused, then continued, "Also, I have something to announce- as you all know, Chef Lodi has retired. So I would like to introduce all of you to our new Head Chef..."

Mr Caleb Howard, the President, smiled at Sage then turned his head to his right as another man walked in.

"This is Chef Phillip James everyone. He has come especially from Italy to take over the kitchen staff. So I hope everyone will give him their best cooperation and be nice to him. Okay?"

"Yes Mr Howard," said everyone.

Sage stared at the man standing in front of her. It was ridiculous! Shouldn't she be the one taking the Head Chef's position? Just look at him! An arrogant prick! She knew that he was sizing them all up the way his eyes flicked from one person to another.

When everyone had dispersed, Sage went up to the President and pulled him aside.

"Sir, I don't think it's right for you to do this. With Chef Lodi gone, I am in charge! Why didn't you discuss with me first about hiring someone to take his place?" said Sage. Although she was burning up on the inside, she tried her best not to show it.

"Ah... Sous Chef... I suppose you were expecting a promotion? I was expecting one too... but Chef Lodi personally recommended Chef James to be his replacement. I am sure Chef Lodi knows what's best for this restaurant."

"But Sir..."

"Sage... don't make things hard for me... I know how you feel... but why don't you take this opportunity to learn something from Chef James? He might be better than you think," he replied kindly.

Sage didn't say a word to his reply but simply stormed off towards the kitchen. How could Chef Lodi do this to her? Hadn't she been an excellent student of his? Hadn't he personally invited her to New York to work with him? And now he decided to ask someone else to replace him after he has carefully groomed her the past one year?

When she entered the kitchen, everyone was already at their place, waiting for the briefing by the Head Chef. In the kitchen, the Head Chef was like a god. Everyone either revered him or feared him.

"Ah... Sous Chef... would you care to join us?" said Chef James. He had caught the fire in her eyes and simply wanted to fuel it. "Isn't it a bad example to be later than your other junior chefs to report at the stove?"

"I was having a talk with the President, Chef."

"A talk you could not do after working hours, Sous Chef?"

Sage simply glared at him and kept quiet.

"Answer me!" he shouted.

"Yes Chef!" she said.

"Good. Okay now, here's our first order of the day... Table number 7- One Fettuccine Alfredo, one Seafood Marinara, one grilled scallops and one chef's recommendation" he shouted.

Almost immediately the kitchen burst with action. Pans began to sizzle, ingredients were being tossed and food was being presented beautifully on plates.

Chef James walked around to inspect the cooking. He was quiet and didn't say much but simply smiled and nodded to himself.

Later that night after closing hours, the locker room was buzzing with chatter and speculations. The three female junior chefs were huddled together, crooning about how handsome the new Head Chef was. Sage listened and rolled her eyes. Sure, he was good looking but she hated him to the core for taking the position she was meant for.

"Sous Chef, Sous Chef! Oh... isn't he such a gem?" said Ruby. "Oh... here he comes!" they whispered and giggled to each other. Sage simply slammed her locker door shut when he came beside her to put away his things. She used to always stay and wait for Chef Lodi to come so they could discuss today's mistakes and the next day's menu. But today she didn't feel like speaking to the new Head Chef.

Turning her back, she headed off to the carpark and went home.

The next day, Sage made sure that she was early when reporting at the stove after briefing. When she came earlier to do her routine stock check, she found Chef James already inside the freezer room doing his own checks.

In contrast to her sour mood, the others seemed rather excited about having Chef James around. The girls were putting extra effort to dress up and doll up. Sage smiled at the thought of how silly they looked. She really wished she was like them- simple minded and perhaps not as ambitious.

"Okay... are you all ready for today's first orders?" asked Chef James.

"Yes Chef!" they all replied. The three other girls were giggling sheepishly as they took their frying pans from the top rack. Chef James simply smiled. A while later when they were filled with more orders, he started walking around inspecting their cooking again, like yesterday.

When the first orders were placed on his table for inspection, he took a look and sighed.

"Who's in charge of this salad?"

"Me, Chef!" replied Miria happily as she walked beside him.

"Who are you trying to impress?" he asked.

"Eh? I'm sorry?"

"Why the hell is your salad piled so high? By the time it gets to the table, half of it would have fallen off!" he yelled at her and then threw the plate on the floor. At that moment everyone stopped working, shocked.

Miria retreated sulkily to her work station. Sage looked at Chef James but kept quiet.

He simply took the next order, read it and waited for a response but everyone was too shocked to say anything.

"No answer?" he asked.

"Yes Chef!"

The atmosphere from then on was like walking on eggshells. When Ruby stepped towards the Chef table to place her pasta for inspection, she was sweating from fear. Chef James gave her a sharp look, snatched the plate from her and took a strand of spaghetti and tasted it only to spit it out as soon as it got into his mouth.

"What is this thing that makes me so sick?" he yelled.

"Uh... it's aglio olio, Chef."

"I know what it is. What did you put in it?"

"Pasta and olive oil, Chef"

"How much oil did you put huh?" he yelled and pressed the plate with the pasta onto Ruby's shirt. Another gasp echoed through the room. "Sous Chef? Is this the type of cooking you teach your juniors? Where the hell did you learn your culinary skills from?" he continued.

Sage flashed him an insulted look but continued with her work. He came beside her and placed his hand forcefully on her wrists to stop her from cooking.

"Answer me!" he shouted.

"Palma, Chef," she replied.

"Oh?" he said, sounding surprised. An Italian trained chef? "Then why have you not been teaching your juniors well?" he asked.

"No Chef... Sous Chef is a wonderful teacher but it is I who keeps making mistakes..." stammered Ruby.

"Then she's not that wonderful a teacher if she can't correct your mistakes isn't she?" he demanded. When Ruby kept quiet, he yelled for an answer.

"No, Chef..."

"That's right... she's not a wonderful teacher. And she doesn't deserve to be a Sous Chef for that," he said simply.

With fire burning in her eyes, Sage glared back and him. Slamming her frying pan on the stove she backed away and stormed out of the kitchen.

Later that evening during kitchen debriefing, Chef James made everyone gather to assess their suitability in the kitchen.

"Every Chef desires to make the kitchen personally his and I must do what is necessary to weed all the unwanted growth inside mine." Walking towards Miria first, he criticized her lack of presentation and purpose in the kitchen.

"I don't want you in my kitchen. Get out. You're fired." He did the same thing with Ruby and Shirley too. Finally he walked in front of Sage and pressed a finger to her uniform.

"You. A Chef never leaves the kitchen, leaving all his staff stranded. You don't deserve to be in my kitchen. You, you're fired!" he yelled.

"Chef!" gasped everyone. But Chef James wouldn't hear any of their words for he had already walked out; an arrogant smile plastered on his face.

Later when she saw him at the carpark, she confronted him. He was about to enter his car but she slapped his car door shut so he couldn't enter.

"What can I do for you, Sage?"

"Who the hell do you think you are? You're barely here a week and you start firing people who've been working here for so long?"

"What, you mean you don't deserve it?"

"Why you son of a... you planned to fire all the women right from the start didn't you? Huh?" she yelled at him.

He gave her an arrogant laugh then gave her a considering look.

"When was the last time you dated a man?" he asked.

His question put her off completely. She wasn't expecting him to say that.

"What the hell do you care?!" she said.

"Let's date," he said carelessly, smiling as he said so.

"What? You just fired me and now you want to date me? Are you mad? Are you feeling sorry for me huh?" she yelled, pushing at him and stomped away towards her car.

***

The next morning...

"Phillip... I know that you are trying to mould the kitchen to be your own. But now we're short of four kitchen staff... and without the Sous Chef it might take you twice as long to adjust yourself in our kitchen... She knows a lot of things and can be useful to you," said the President.

"I don't need her."

"But I do," he replied with a sigh. "She's very good with our VIP guests and has been a wonderful assistant to Chef Lodi. Her menu recommendations are always spot on with the season and it's because of her that our vendors are more... gracious with their supplies."

"Because she's a pretty face you mean? Play with some stocks, Caleb. I will not have women in my kitchen. End of discussion," he replied, getting up and out of the President's office.

Alone in his office, Caleb sighed. Chef Phillip James was going to be a big headache. The next few weeks were going to be hell for the kitchen and restaurant...

Picking up his phone, he dialled Sage's number. However her machine answered instead.

"Sage... Please come to work today for the dinner shift. I have talked to Chef James and I want you back here. Call me okay?"

Putting the phone down, he sighed. It was time to open the restaurant to welcome their lunch guests.

In the kitchen, hell was breaking loose with more orders than chefs available to make everything. But Chef James was adamant not to recall the women he had fired earlier on. Instead he took on all of their jobs to make up for the lack on manpower.

"Chef... we... we... we should at least call Sous Chef to come back..." stammered Alex who was at the head of the main line. Phillip simply ignored him.

Somehow they managed to finish serving all their orders for lunch but it had taken too much energy and effort to manage additional jobs that all the men laid on the floor in the locker room, exhausted. While they were resting, Phillip went outside.

"Where the hell are the three of you?" he said after dialling on his phone.

"We're coming Chef..."

A few minutes later, three men came panting to the front steps of Mangiamo.

"You morons are late," was all he said as he slapped their heads with a rolled up newspaper.

"Sorry Chef, we got caught up in the lunch hour traffic..."

"Get your ass into the kitchen locker room now."

When the four of them entered the locker room, Caleb Howard was already there.

"Here's my solution to your problems. Okay?" said Phillip to Caleb.

"And you are?" asked Caleb kindly.

"Oh! Chef James called us from Italy to come here specially to work with him. I'm Aaron, this is Nicholas and this is Ty. We're very happy to work here, Sir. We'll work very hard!" said Aaron, the youngest of the three.

"Oi, you punks. Stop sucking up to the boss already and get your ass to your lockers," said Philip brusquely.

At that moment, the door opened and Sage walked in.

"Ah... you're here. Please, please get ready for work, Sous Chef. It's good to have you back," said Caleb when she came in.

Philip looked at Caleb with a raised eyebrow.

"What the hell is she doing here?" he demanded.

"I told you I need her."

"I told you I don't."

"Chef, you're not the only one with the authority to decide," replied Caleb, smiling sweetly before he exited the locker room.

When he was gone, Philip turned to Sage who was standing at the locker next to his. Slamming her locker shut, he made her turn to face him, her back pressed on the lockers. Placing both his palms on the locker doors, he faced her straight on. He was so close that she could feel his breath on her face.

"I will not have women in my kitchen. Do you understand?"

"No I do not, Chef," she answered defiantly.

"I'm not your Chef anymore so don't call me that."

"Yes Chef..."

"Aii... this stubborn woman... fine... do what you want. Now get out!" he shouted.

"Why, Chef?"

"Because I want to change. You're welcome to watch if you want," he added. Sage rolled her eyes and walked out of the locker room.

"Chef... aren't you being a bit too hard on her?" asked Ty. He was the most senior among the three and also closest to Philip.

"Oi... did I ask your opinion huh..."

"Uh.. no, Chef..."

"Then? Get to work you punk."

***

The atmosphere during the dinner shift was awkward. Although Sage had resumed her position at the head of the pasta line, she was very much ignored by Phillip. He, on the other hand had been barking orders and yelling at the men. Every order of pasta that she used to do was either delegated to another line cook or personally made by Phillip.

After an hour, Sage stepped back and sat on the cabinet dashboard behind her. Phillip turned his head and gave her a blank look.

"What? You're gonna sit around?"

"You don't seem to need me, Chef."

"I thought I've made myself clear that I don't need you," he said with a huff and turned his head back to monitor his other line cooks.

Sage rolled her eyes at him. If she were to leave the kitchen now, even if it was as justified as not being needed, he would use it as an excuse to fire her again.

"Fine... if he doesn't need my help, then perhaps the others might," she thought to herself. Walking over to the freezer, she saw Alex, the kitchen help struggling to carry a carton of milk, a few slices of fillet mignon and two lobsters.

"Here, let me help you," she said kindly. Alex stared at Sage with his mouth open even as she was scooping up the things in his arms.

"Sous... Sous Chef! Please! No... you cannot do the help's work!"

"Who says I can't? I'm helping you now aren't I?" she smiled.

Alex swallowed his saliva down hard and watched through the freezer room glass door to see Sage going around to pass the items to the various line cooks. They all looked surprised and stopped cooking for awhile to stare at her.

"Sous Chef! You can't... you can't possibly stoop so low to be a kitchen help again!" gasps Andy, who was the head of the main line.

"I'm not stooping anywhere Andy... I'll be fine."

"Hey! What the hell are you all stopping work for? Huh... Get back to work!" shouted Chef James at the head of the kitchen.

"You! Yes you! Come here..." he motioned towards Alex.

"Yes... Yes... Chef..." stammered the poor boy.

"What, you don't have a dick? What the hell do you think you're doing giving your job away to someone else? Have you no pride in your work?" he yelled.

"No, Chef... I...I... I was..." he stammered.

"I was helping him out Chef... please don't take it out on him. He was doing his job."

Once again, the kitchen stood at a standstill. Oil sizzled in pans but nothing was frying.

"Oi! What are you all looking at? Get back to work you punks!" he yelled. Grabbing Sage's arm, he yanked her towards the freezer room.

"Woman... I really don't know why you're still in my kitchen. You don't have anything to do in here..."

"That's only 'cause you don't let me do anything. But I'm staying. And I will help Alex no matter what you say."

"And you are willing to risk his job for this little rebellion you have against me?"

"Oh... no... this is not a rebellion Chef," she replied, pointing to her blue Sous Chef scarf. "But this is," she said, kissing his lips. She felt his temper quell down a little but something else was flaring. When she started to pull back, he simply held on to her and kissed her fiercely back. Her lips parted in shock, giving him the excuse to explore her mouth with his tongue.

Now she was really annoyed. She wanted to teach him a lesson but now he was doing the teaching. Struggling to get out of him embrace, she stepped back and gave him a tight slap.

Keeping her composure, she opened the freezer door and walked out. The others had not seen what had transpired inside the freezer room but they were all silent, staring at her as she exited with a furious look on her face.

A while later, Chef James came out of the freezer and resumed his position as if nothing had happened. The others kept as quiet as possible, not daring to make any mistakes lest he break out in a yelling frenzy.

musecues
musecues
102 Followers
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