Chapter 382 - Taste of Blank (6)

‘How many of the judges do know the Min-joon pair are like a bomb here?’

Thinking like that, Havier, who stood behind them, looked at Min-joon and Kaya with a subtle gaze. People thought they could understand a genius. They just thought that a genius was superior to the average person. But they didn’t know what a genius was really excellent at. They didn’t know what difference such excellence could make.

Narrowing his eyebrows, Havier stared at the dish Min-joon and Kaya made.

Pea puree, roasted scallops and cumin foam.

“It really looks like Min-joon’s dish.”

Janet nodded at his remarks. While she agreed, she was puzzled at the same time. She couldn’t accurately define what it meant to be like Min-joon’s dish. Even so, she nodded at his remarks.

“What do you mean a dish is like Min-joon’s?”

“Well, I would say his cooking is liberal, changeable and he tries to bring out the taste by mixing different textures and different flavors. Sometimes he just brings out just a plain and calm taste, but the essence of his dish isn’t there.”

“I see. That’s what they like most in the gourmet circles these days.”

“As you know, they are always chasing the most refined cuisine of all the dishes that have been around until now. Chefs are the same.”

“Aren’t you angry?” Janet asked, looking at Havier.

But he looked back at Janet with a calm expression. She flinched to find him not surprised at all. She didn’t know when he began to look so mature like that.

When their parents had hard times, their children tended to get mature earlier than others.

Rose Island was one of the toughest working environments for Havier in his life. It was an environment that made him doubt his talent, skills, and even all his strenuous efforts until now.

As a result, he had to swallow up his high pride although he survived the competition among some of the most talented chefs.

Javier had to admit that his talent wasn’t that great. When he admitted it, there weren’t many options left for him. Would he give up his cooking career as a bad job or would he strive to overcome his shortcomings and continue his path?

After agonizing hard, he had no choice but to struggle for his goal. He couldn’t give up. He didn’t want to think that he couldn’t improve. He didn’t want to end up playing second fiddle to Min-joon, Anderson, or Janet.

‘I’m going to discover my talent.’

Of course, he had talent. Compared with others, he might not be more talented, but he was not sure of his future career. In fact, that was the same case with most chefs.

“Of course, I’m upset,” Havier replied briefly.

Janet asked as if she understood him, “But how come you are so calm?”

“I’m not! As you see, I’m struggling with all my might.”

“Can we get a better score than theirs?”

“I don’t want to compare them with us.”

“Then, who do you want to compare with us?”

“Well, the old me, and me just before,” he replied in a low voice.

Then he continued slowly, “I want to prove that I am improving. I want to believe that I’m growing step by step without stopping. That’s all.”

If he continued to walk, he would reach his destination someday. However, he didn’t want to keep looking at the top all the way up the mountain because the process of walking itself was worthwhile for him.

But Janet said in a subdued voice, “I want to compare.”

She then continued, “I can feel I am growing when I surpass someone. It’s the result that’s more important than the process. What customers want is not how we cook, but the dish we make.”

“Then wait. Fortunately, there are five people who can judge you today. They are also very credible professionals.”

When Havier said that, Janet turned to the judges. They put scallops, pea puree, and cumin foam on their spoons gently. When they put the spoons in their mouths, even the spectators watching them at a distance uttered exclamations wistfully.

Someone muttered at that moment, “Wow, the atmosphere is completely different from before.”

Janet had no choice but to agree with that. Of course, when the judges stood before each pair, they felt a different atmosphere. But when they stood before the Min-joon and Kaya pair, there was something of a different atmosphere.

For example, when tasting the dish that Dobby or Enzo made, the judges looked full of anticipation, wondering how it would taste. That was the typical atmosphere often found when they stood before a famous chef or before a dish with beautiful plating.

However, when the judges stood before Min-joon and Kaya, the judges were different from what they did before other participants. They looked reverent or thrilled as if they were here to appreciate art, not cooking.

Not only the judges but also the chefs next to them and the spectators watching them felt the same.

To put it simply, Min-joon and Kaya’s cooking moved their hearts and fascinated them. Maybe it wasn’t just their cuisine but their traits that induced them to feel that way.

“Do you like it?” Min-joon asked the judges in a calm voice.

The judges thought he was even mean and nasty at the moment because he asked such an obvious question when he already knew their answer. So, they were just dumbfounded at his asking.

“Did you ask us since you think we don’t like it?”

“No. Of course, I think you’ll like it, and I want to get some praise.”

Parnella made strange expressions at that. She was well aware that there were many people in America who were living like geeks. But she heard from Chloe that she had learned cooking on the internet, and now this man before her was overflowing with confidence. But what was even more ridiculous was that she couldn’t throw a stone at this man with such great confidence. After eating the dish he made, she felt like she could look at him with a smile, no matter what nonsense he would talk.

“It was a beautiful dish.”

Finally, Norris opened his mouth. The judges quietly looked at Norris when his lips trembled lightly as if he was deeply touched by his dish. They understood the tone of his voice and his feelings, and at the same time, they felt upset.

‘Why did he go to America? Wouldn’t it be nice if he settled here in France?’

They couldn’t understand why Min-joon went to the United States among all the countries, where their food was not even recognized in the gourmet world. If he had come to France, they could have made him their disciple.

But there was no use crying over spilled milk. Min-joon had already grown too big for them to embrace in their arms. They even suspected that the reason why he was still with Rachel was because he was hesitant to leave her for now, not because he still had to learn more from her. He was already a well-established excellent chef.

“The roasting of scallops was so perfect that I thought that the best I thought wasn’t the best. I even feel sad when I think I could improve the way I used to roast scallops. Did you say Chef Kaya roasted the scallops?”

“Yeah.”

As if she was embarrassed at being called a chef, Kaya rubbed her nose.

Norris nodded then said, “I guess Chef Kaya can probably run a restaurant with only heat, salt, pepper, and meat. Probably there aren’t many people in the world who can surpass her with roasting skills like this. I think even the chef who has spent roasting on the grill all his life can’t roast like her.”

Everybody was surprised at Norris’ favorable comments or even rave reviews.

In fact, Norris didn’t easily judge a chef. That meant he didn’t say something bad or good about a chef easily. Actually, what he commented about Anderson and Dobby was the best feedback he could give to chefs.

Definitely, what Norris just said was a sharp departure from what he used to do. However, the judges could understand him to some extent. Min-joon and Kaya’s dish was fundamentally different from others here. It was not a completely new recipe, but it was distinctively different.

Was it because they had a different way of understanding cooking from others? To put it more precisely, it could be their different perspective of cooking. The judges felt that the way they saw cooking was completely different from what ordinary people did.

Ordinary people regard cooking as a simple combination of taste and texture then enjoying it to satisfy their hunger. And those who sought art in cooking were so obsessed with it that they often forgot the essence of the dish.

However, Kaya and Min-joon knew how to artistically express the essence of the dish.

When others imitate art with beautiful plating, the two expressed artistic harmony with the mix and confrontation of ingredients themselves.

What was interesting was that even those who hadn’t enjoyed their dishes before felt differently when they faced the two’s dishes. Maybe that was because of the images that the two built up among the public, or because of their geek and artist-like atmosphere.

What was certain was their charisma. Thanks to their charisma, they not only led the people in the kitchen but also overwhelmed the crowd watching them.

‘If they open a restaurant and make an open kitchen, the customers visiting it will probably feel this kind of feeling every day.’

And their restaurant would be a place where the customers could enjoy meals and see the two.

Their cooking itself would become an art, bringing unforgettable memories and thrills to those visiting their restaurant. That was what they called the traits of a genius. In other words, they were not ordinary chefs.

And right now, the two were showing the best of their genius, so much so that everybody here in this venue could feel it clearly. And that feeling moved Norris.

“I can tell you more clearly now. I don’t know how you feel, but Min-joon and Kaya, you are now making a better pair than anybody that I’ve met until now. As a matter of fact, it’s really difficult for any chef to produce this kind of dish even if they are agonizing over it for several days, but you have made it so simply.”

Min-joon and Kaya smiled and looked at each other.

Watching them, Norris also made a smile, which was the biggest and clearest smile that he showed during this contest.

“I even feel it regrettable that I’ve declared that I’m not going to give marks to the participants’ dishes. When other judges rate your dish, I can’t give you anything.”

“Hey, Norris, say something. Even if we don’t count the score, it’s going to be meaningful to the two,” Sophie said with a gentle smile.

Norris looked surprised for a moment as if he hadn’t thought of it. He then opened his mouth, looking at Min-joon and Kaya.

“Well, I want to scrape all the points, so I can give it to you. Let me give you a 10.”