Chapter 202 - 36 Head Chefs’ Courtship (5)

‘I am not sure if he chose it, driven by the situation, or he aimed for it from the beginning.’

If Min-joon aimed it, he must be a really clever fox.

It was when Dave pondered over it when a staff member of the broadcasting team approached him for an interview. It seemed that he was impressed by the way Dave kept talking with Min-joon. Of course, Dave did not refuse his request. In one corner of the hall, producer Pavo opened his mouth with a professional smile.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Dave.”

“Oh, don’t say that. I’m just one of the common cooks.”

“If three-star head chefs like you had been common, the gourmet people in this country would have already conquered the world.”

Their complementary greetings didn’t last long.

In no time, Pavo started asking questions without any reservation.

“I think you’re aware of the rumors going around these days. The rumors are that Chef Rachel has in mind Chef Min-joon as her successor. When they mention Chef Rachel’s top disciple, your name was always mentioned as her candidate. What do you think?”

“Depending on whether I answer conceitedly or like a snob, I think people’s perception of me will vary greatly.”

“So, please think deeply before replying.”

Dave smiled bitterly. Although he led all his life in the cooking world, he couldn’t be completely free from greed. Rachel had no children, and as a result, lots of Rose Island head chefs hoped that she would later hand over the restaurant entirely to them.

Not all chefs were, but some of them were overly conscious of Min-joon because of that reason. They were not sure if he would be the general manager of the Venice branch or the president of all the branches in the world when Min-joon really became Rachel’s successor.

In fact, Dave wasn’t very greedy for money. If he had wanted to make money in the first place, he would have been a hotel chef. But there was only one thing he wanted.

“I’ve dedicated my whole life to the name of Rose Island, and I’ve never regretted my life.”

“Yes, it’s a great life.”

“Probably, all the other chefs are on the same page as mine. Honestly, it looks like it’s very rude for me to discuss it when Master Rachel didn’t mention the matter directly. Since you asked, however, I can’t help but answer it. Honestly, if he becomes Rachel’s successor, I’m not going to accept her decision. Obviously, Min-joon is a talented man, and he will be a great chef, but he is not yet. He is only a demi-chef, and he has to grow, and depending on how far he grows, it will affect other chefs’ attitude.”

“What do you mean by their attitude? Do you mean their position on whether he should have the general authority?”

“Sort of. If he grows to be just a common chef, no one will acknowledge him, but if he really shows overwhelming cooking skills like Rachel or Daniel…”

Dave said, shrugging, “How would not anybody try to win over his heart?”

***

“It seems Min-joon is in a much more difficult position than he thinks.”

“I don’t know if he is aware of that. Actually, he doesn’t even need to realize it. After all, what he has to do is not live up to our expectations, but pursue the path he’s supposed to. So, we don’t have to give him an unnecessary burden.

“But in the end, he’ll find out. The moment this interview is on TV, Min-joon will know it anyway.”

“We don’t have to tell him about it on purpose, but we can’t hide it forever,” Dave replied casually. What he meant was that if Min-joon could not endure such pressure, there was nothing they could expect of him. But Dave didn’t think he was weak-hearted.

The moment Dave was about to be lost in idle thought, Philip’s voice was heard.

“Dave, sit down. They’re going to serve their dishes now.”

“Oh, okay. Let me leave now.”

“Yes, thank you for the interview.”

Pavo watched Dave leaving with a smile. Although Dave was calmer than expected, he wasn’t sure if the other head chefs would be on the same page as him. After all, they were human, too. Could they really accept that someone who became a chef later than them could rise above them?

Of course, it was too blatant for Pavo to ask that question to everyone. Besides, it was quite possible that such questions would hurt their feelings.

Pavo looked at Dave from a distance. Sitting at the table, Dave looked pretty serious, as if he was lost in deep thought. Deborah, who was next to him, had no choice but to open her mouth.

“Why are you pretending to be so serious?”

“… Uh? Oh, I just have a lot to think about. This is a place of memories as well as the place of the first start to us. When Ms. Rachel retired, I never thought that we would ever come back to this place like this. I feel sad all of a sudden… ”

“Who knows? Rachel might retire without telling us anything.”

“Our master has some hope right now. Maybe it’s because of that guy, Min-joon, though I am not sure if her hope is a real hope… But at least now she has to thank him. Deborah, our pillar has arrived, a pillar that can get hold of us when we shake. That alone makes me… or I feel like I can kiss him.”

“I don’t think he wants your kiss.”

“That’s good for me and for him.”

Dave laughed nicely. At that moment, the servers approached and handed them out menus. They didn’t practice serving, but they placed the menu almost at the same time. Probably all of them were veterans with long experience. Dave lifted the menu board.

“Hmm. This is a ten-course menu… The only choices available are pasta, main, and dessert… All of the appetizers have sea bream in them. Sea bream has a long season. They can use it for quite a long time.”

“A la carte is available?”

“No, sir. Sorry. Our restaurant doesn’t serve a la carte.”

“Well, of course, you don’t. Never mind. I didn’t ask because I wanted to eat a la carte.”

A la carte referred to food that could be ordered as separate items, rather than part of a set meal. At first glance, it might be quite fun, but in reality, it was not. To have a la carte, the chef needed to have a basic gastronomic view of cooking. Besides, it was necessary to understand the taste of the restaurant’s cuisine.

However, Rose Island changed the menu a bit every 15 days. Besides, it wasn’t easy for customers to make an easy reservation for frequent visits. The same was true for acquaintances. Of course, if the reservation was canceled on the way, it would be possible to inform the customers about the seat availability. However, reservations at Rose Island were rarely canceled, compared to other restaurants.

This was understandable. Those who booked reservations in Rose Island weren’t just making a reservation simply to enjoy food. Customers flew to Los Angeles to visit Rose Island from far away in the world. They made reservations, longing for the memories of its food that they would remember for the rest of their lives. So, it was difficult to find anybody who would cancel a reservation unless something big happened to them.

That was why it was ignorant to order a la carte at Rose Island. The course wasn’t just a rough combination of any dishes. The composition of the course reflected the chef’s agony as well as his intuition and experiences in cooking. Unless the customer wanted to have a different experience because of the same course several times, it was rare for Rose Island to serve the same menu several times. So, it was natural that they didn’t serve a la carte.

“Let me have spaghetti for pasta. Well, how to cook the basics is the most fun.”

“Then, let me have Fusilli.”

“Fushili? It must be difficult to make it.”

“Well, my teacher is the best because she makes savorless dishes delicious.”

“Well, I’m going to have spaghetti. As for the main, let me have Confit, Duck leg Confit.”

“Oh, I saw a demi chef get blamed for Confit because he didn’t simmer the sauce properly. You still want it?”

“What the heck are you talking about? Chef Rachel asked us to evaluate the demi chefs a little while ago. Right now, Chef Rachel is in the kitchen, not in the hall. You know what? Even if you bring kindergarteners here, they will make something more delicious because Chef Rachel is here.”

Their conversations showed how deeply they trust Rachel.

Dave shrugged and said, “That’s a huge gap of logic, but I have no objection. Oh, let me have beef ribs steamed. Is it okay to choose dessert after the main? No, it’s going to be late. Let me order it when I eat pasta. Is it okay?”

“Of course. As for water, we will have basic mineral water, carbonated water, and mineral water mixed with lime juice. Which one would you like?”

“Let me have carbonated water. No, I think lime juice would be better. Let me have that.”

“Yes sir.”

The server smiled then turned slowly after taking their order.

Each of the servers was tall and handsome. In fact, there were no jobs that valued one’s looks more than servers. In particular, that was the case for servers at Rose Island. Whenever possible, if the server who looked like a model took the order, customers would feel much better.

It was when the server put down carbonated water and mineral water mixed with lime juice, Deborah opened her mouth, looking at the bubbles of sparkling water.

“When I went to a restaurant in New York last time, they charged 30 dollars each for carbonated water and mineral water. Of course, it was contained in a luxurious bottle… Honestly, if someone asked if it was worth 30 dollars, I am not still persuaded.”

“Were you upset?”

“Surely. I could not accept it not as a customer, but as a cook and as a friend. It was unacceptable for him to get paid for giving the customers something that didn’t mean that much. Obviously, the chef liked cooking, and he was so happy to have his own restaurant…”

“Was your friend the owner-chef?”

“Yeah. Probably that’s why I got more mad. I guess he did it because he was financially pinched, or he was blinded by money. Or he was too greedy. I understand that he could go broke. But even if he could go broke, he should not fall.”

At that moment, the servers approached and laid down the yellow Chiabatta and the sauces with a smile. There were three types of sauce.

The server said, “From the right, this is a tapenade made with a clove flavored butter, feta cheese, and a foie gras paté. Please feel free to spread it on the bread. I recommend you enjoy the taste of the bread itself without applying anything first.”

Deborah, who stopped talking at the moment, tore the bread with her hand and put it in her mouth. She nodded before she knew it.

“The patissier here is Uncle Jack’s daughter?”

“Oh, really? I didn’t know that.”

“Check out the taste. It’s the same. It has the chewy texture and grain aroma of flour. A perfect ciabatta.”

“You bet. If someone doesn’t know it, he might think that butter is in it.”

“Oh, where was I?”

It was the moment Deborah, who was lost in thought for a moment, was about to pick up where she left. Servers approached and put spoons in front of them. There was small ball-shaped tempura on top of a green powdery sauce. One of the servers then said, “This is a fried dish on pork, shrimp, and cilantro over a powdered green mustard sauce. Please have a bite of it.”