God of Cooking Chapter 204:
The fall in California isn’t that cool . It’s similar to the edge of fall and summer in Korea . This warmth changed into heat in the kitchen . It wasn’t a surprise, as fire was coming out from multiple stoves at the same time .
But Kaya can’t feel the heat now . The AC in the kitchen was cool enough, but that wasn’t the only reason . Her mind was filled with the thought of the event coming up soon that it was hard to feel the heat .
“Kaya . You okay? You look nervous . ”
George who was practically the head chef of this restaurant asked . Kaya shook her head .
“I’m not that okay . I’m nervous to death . ”
“Sorry . It would have been great if you had more time to cook on your own . ”
“I’m not going to complain about how incompetent I am . So shut up . And stop getting on my nerves . ”
“……That was very harsh for a person who just said they’re not going to complain . ”
Kaya didn’t reply, she just stared at the hall . After a while or more . Kaya opened her mouth nervously as she saw three people heading towards the table .
“I’ll be back . ”
“Don’t worry about the kitchen and have a nice meal . I’ll take good care of this place . ”
There wasn’t really anything to worry about . Since what Kaya usually did was to just meet people . But today was different . Out of all the menus from the restaurant there were four dishes that Kaya had planned and made all by herself .
Kaya went out and sat down . She smiled at the three people .
“Thank you all for coming . To my special day . ”
“It’s on you so there’s no reason to say no . ”
“Anderson . Thanks for coming, but don’t be an **** . I’m starting to regret inviting you . ”
Kaya frowned a bit . Jo Minjoon pressed her forehead with his finger and opened his mouth .
“Don’t frown . You’ll get wrinkles . ”
“Are you worried?”
“How can I not be worried . You’re my girlfriend . ”
With that Kaya smiled and kissed Jo Minjoon on the cheek . Anderson who was looking at them, and Chloe who was next to them sighed deeply at that scene . Both sighed with a different reason but they were both exhausted by Kaya and Jo Minjoon . Chole carefully started a new topic .
“Look I get that you two are love birds, now Kaya . Could you start with the menu introduction?”
“Ah, Yeah . Basically it’s a three-course menu but our customers don’t really care about that and just order what they want . ”
“……they don’t care about the course?”
Anderson made a weird face as he heard something freaky . Kaya nodded .
“I guess our restaurant doesn’t really seem as a fine dining restaurant . So the customers don’t really expect a fine dining . We do have a three-course menu, but usually they order individual dishes . Since also the price different isn’t that big . ”
“So what did you make? . ”
“The Appetizer, Main dish, and Dessert . One each . The name of this course is the ‘Original Kaya Course’ . ”
“……lame . ”
As Anderson said that Kaya glared at him, and sighed . Kaya didn’t like that name either . Kaya opened her mouth as she looked at the other two .
“Anyways, for the first time I can proudly say that my dish is on the menu . I’m glad that I can share this day with you guys . ”
“The pleasures mine . I can get all the treats from the head chef today . ”
Chloe replied with a warm smile . As the squid ink bread was being served, Chole asked Anderson and Jo Minjoon .
“But can you guys be here like this? It’s two days before the grand opening . ”
“We’re off today . We’re going to be really busy after two days, so she told us to think of today as our last day off . . ”
“Huh? You guys don’t have holidays at your restaurant?”
“We do rest on Sundays, but it seems like you need to practice cooking or think about new menus instead of taking a day off . ”
“Busy huh . ”
“Well who isn’t busy here? . ”
Jo Minjoon shrugged and ate some squid ink bread . It wasn’t particularly delicious . It was just a regular bread that you would say ‘Yeah . This is how a bread should be at a restaurant . ’ . Chole opened her mouth as she seemed to recall something .
“Thinking about it Minjoon, I saw that picture . The one with the Rose Island head chefs and Ella . But only Ella came into my eyes . ”
“I know . Even the people on Starbook was all talking about Ella . ”
“Maybe she’ll be the mascot of the main branch”
“Yeah maybe . ”
“That stupid bitch…… . ”
Kaya grumbled and frowned as though she hated it just by the thought of her . Jo Minjoon laughed softly and slightly pinched Kaya’s cheek .
“Don’t hate a child . ”
“You guys are saying that because she treats you and Chloe well . She’s such a **** to me . ”
“Isn’t that because Ella likes Minjoon?”
“I don’t like that either . That child should go and like another child . How dare she thinks of my man . ”
Kaya pouted and answered at Chloe’s question . It was just then . The first dish was served . It was soup . Jo Minjoon slightly took a sniff and asked Kaya .
“It’s made of pumpkin and…… some fruits . Peach? No . Pear, isn’t it?”
“Wow . Your nose is getting better and better . ”
“I always practice . ”
He tires not to show, but the expectations of people towards the absolute taster was a burden to Jo Minjoon . What he had wasn’t absolute taste, it was just some good system . So he had to analyze and decompose flavors obsessively . Where ever he goes people will still expect a lot from him, so it was better to train himself to be as close as an absolute taster .
The funny thing was that all the effort was worth it . The more he tried to feel the more he was able to taste, and especially his nose got sensitive . To be exact, the most distinctive sense he felt was smelling . It made sense if you think of how taste and scent are connected, but it was an unexpected development .
“Delicious . ”
With one bite Jo Minjoon nodded with satisfaction . The soup was showing what kind of person the chef, what kind of person Kaya was . Rough on the outside, but soft and warm on the inside . Not showing off and only filled with thoughts of the customers . It was that kind of dish . Jo Minjoon slowly opened his mouth .
“I remember what we talked about before . Kaya, you said you wanted to make a restaurant where even the poorest gangsters can come without hesitation . I can see that you still have that dream through this dish . ”
Kaya herself was the poorest gangster, so she knows how it feels like better than anyone else . Jo Minjoon put his hand on Kaya’s shoulder for a moment . Kaya touched where Jo Minjoon just put his hand and said in a clam voice .
“I didn’t want to make a dish to show off . Minjoon, you said you like a restaurant where you can use good ingredients as much as you want?”
“Well, yeah I guess so . The fact that you can’t use good ingredients because of the price…… is so sad . I want to use every ingredient that exists in the world . ”
“One thing that’s certain is that you have to be very good . Since people don’t like chefs who uses expensive ingredients and make expensive ‘normal’ dishes . ”
“I just need to make a 1000 dollar dish with 100 dollar ingrediets . ”
“Go for it . I support you . ”
Kaya smiled . The chefs who were glancing at Kaya’s table were very unfamiliar with how she was smiling . She was always harsh and cold like a porcupine in the kitchen but look at how she can smile like that in front of her boyfriend .
Of course Kaya couldn’t feel the people gazing at her . She was filled with excitement just by talking with her friends . Friends . It was natural to say this now, but even when Kaya was starting as a grand chef she had not one person to rely on .
“Excellent . Kaya . We’re the first customers to taste your dish . ”
So their words and praises were precious as gold . A good day with good people at a good place talking about good things . Kaya never expected to have a day like this, so this moment had to be happy for her . Kaya slowly opened her mouth .
“It was possible because of everyone’s support . There were times I wanted to give up . Making a new recipe was harder than I though, and sometimes I felt like a child playing a chef not a real chef…… Especially Minjoon, thanks for always being there for me . ”
“You don’t have to thank me for something you deserve . ”
“This is all I can give to you guys . So shut up and listen . When I say thank you . ”
“……wasn’t that too harsh for a person who’s thankful?”
As Jo Minjoon said that Kaya made a **** smile and held on to his neck . Her voice tickled Jo Minjoon’s neck .
“You want something more harsh?”
“……hey . There are people in front of you . And also a lot”
Anderson said in an annoying voice . Chole was awkwardly fanning herself with her hands, and everyone around the table was looking at Jo Minjoon and Kaya . Even the chefs in the kitchen was looking at them . Kaya took her arms from Jo Minjoon and held both her hands up as though she was surrendering .
“Can’t you guys not look? You people seem to have voyeurism . ”
“You two are way not conscious of others . I wondered why all these kissing and things popped up on the internet… . . no wonder . ”
Just then the following dish came out . Steamed beef that was steamed with wine . It was beef fillet and on the side there were fried scallion and some grape juice that was made as jelly . Chole beamed with curiosity and said .
“I guess your trying molecular cooking also Kaya . You made jelly . ”
“Well jelly is more like a classic dish than a modern molecular dish . The concept of making the sauce into jelly is just quite creative . And…… molecular cooking, I get to do it every now and then . Since I sometimes cook molecular dishes at Minjoon’s house . ”
“Are you still in charge of breakfast?”
“But sometimes Minjoon helps . He’s kind . Different from that disney villain **** over there . ”
“……If it’s a villain it’s just a villain . Why am I a disney villain?”
“Cause you’re too typical . ”
Kaya answered sharply as though he was asking something so obvious . Anderson cut the beef with a grumpy face . ‘I’m so going to make a mess in the living room . ’ He planned an evil scheme for the cleaner Kaya .
The steamed beef was delicious as well . Frankly it was hard to compare with the cuisine of Rose Island . Not the Kaya’s dish was bad or anything . But what Rose Island and Kaya was pointing to was completely different .
Rose Island emphasize the taste and harmony of each bite the dish gives . Focusing on the aesthetic aspects of enjoying the taste rather than getting full…… but Kaya’s dish was very basic . A pleasant dish that makes you full . The steamed beef itself was really big .
And Kaya put in all the elements a basic dish would have inside this steamed beef . If we were to find a similar expression, a dish like a grandmother would give to her grandchilderen? You can feel how the chef wants the customers to be full .
And the taste wasn’t just basic . Every bite the flavor of the wine wasn’t tangy but soft and tender, and when the grape jelly the sweetness dramatically got better . It was a strong dish just like Kaya . Just then . Chole murmured in a small voice .
“……I envy you . ”
“Huh?”
“Yeah . The fact that you can cook this kind of dish, makes me envy you . I guess this is the path of a chef . But me, I come on TV as a star chef but I’ve never worked at a restaurant before . So these days…… I just think a lot . Maybe I should stop this life and work at a restaurant . ”
“Are you out of your mind?”
Kaya immediately answered without hesitation . Chloe looked surprise as she didn’t expect her to react so soon . Kaya spoke with a stern voice .
“When someone’s in the kitchen, someone has to be in front of the camera . Chloe . Your doing great . People love you, and you do your job well . Just because you don’t have experience in the kitchen doesn’t mean you’re incompetent . ”
“That’s…… right . ”
“Than be proud . Chloe . You’re a star . A star . And also you’re the most beautiful woman I know . Don’t listen to what others say you are . There’s no end in fulfilling people’s expectations . Just do what you need to do . You’re good enough just doing that . ”
“……Thanks . ”
Chloe responded as she was moved by Kaya . Jo Minjoon nodded with agreement and asked Kaya .
“If you know so well why do you care about the bad comments?”
Kaya smiled .
“Shut up . ”