MidReal Story
Culinary Crescendo
Scenario: Just winging it
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I was winging it.
I had no idea what I was doing, but I was doing it with confidence.
I’d been in the kitchen at the toprated restaurant for a week now, and I still couldn’t believe I was here.
I’d been so sure that Chef Sarah would say no when I asked her to be my mentor, but she’d said yes, and now here I was.
I’d been even more surprised when Mark had told me that he knew Chef Sarah and that he would talk to her for me.
Mark was the souschef at the restaurant, and he’d been my friend since we were kids.
He’d always supported me in my dream to become a chef, and he’d been there for me when I needed him most.
He was the reason I was here now, and I would never be able to thank him enough for everything he’d done for me.
I looked up from my cutting board as Mark walked into the kitchen.
He gave me a smile and a wink before heading over to his station.
Mark had been working at the restaurant for a few years now, and he loved his job.
I’d been so excited to do my internship at the restaurant, and I’d been looking forward to it ever since Chef Sarah had agreed to be my mentor.
I’d read all of her books and watched all of her television shows, and I’d been a huge fan of hers for years.
I’d always dreamed of working in the kitchen of a toprated restaurant, and now that dream was finally coming true.
The door to the kitchen opened, and Chef Sarah walked in.
She was tall and elegant, with silver hair that was pulled back into a tight bun.
She was wearing her usual black chef’s coat, and she looked like she meant business.
She made her way over to her station and started taking inventory of all the food.
She was in charge of the kitchen, and she ran it with an iron fist.
She was known for being tough on her cooks, but she was also known for being one of the best chefs in the city.
She had won multiple awards for her cooking, and many people considered her to be a culinary genius.
I couldn’t believe I would be working with her for the next few months.
Chef Sarah turned around and looked at me.
“You.” She pointed at me.
“Come here.” I put my knife down and went over to her.
She looked me up and down, taking in my short frame and curly brown hair.
“Did you finish making the stock?”
“Yes, Chef.” I said.
“I put it in the walk-in cooler.”
“Good.” She said.
“Now go help out Mark with his mise en place.”
“Yes, Chef.” I walked over to Mark’s station and gave him a smile.
He gave me a smirk in return.
I had no idea what I was doing, but I was sure that I would figure it out eventually.
That’s what being an intern was all about, right?
Chef Sarah walked over to Mark’s station and watched as he worked.
Mark looked at her out of the corner of his eye and started to sweat.
He knew that she could be tough on people, but he also knew that he was one of her favorites.
He had a lot of respect for her, and he did everything he could to impress her.
“Johnson.” She said.
“Make sure that your intern knows what she’s doing.She needs to be able to keep up.”
Mark nodded his head.
“Yes, Chef.I’ll make sure that she knows what she’s doing.”
Chef Sarah walked away, and Mark let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.
“Don’t worry about it.” I said.
“I’m a quick learner.I’ll do my best to keep up with you.”
“You better.” Mark said.
“The last thing you want is to get on Chef Sarah’s bad side.”
I shuddered at the thought.
Chef Sarah turned around and looked at me.
I straightened up and gave her a smile.
If she wanted me to keep up with Mark, then I would do my best not to disappoint her.
She raised an eyebrow at me before walking away.
The kitchen was loud and busy, with chefs running around everywhere.
There were pots bubbling away on the stoves and meat sizzling in pans.
“Hurry up, Carter.We’ve got a full house tonight.”
I turned around and saw Mark walking towards me.
He had a towel slung over his shoulder, and he was wiping his hands on it.
He’d been working on something in the back, and now he was here to help me out.
I’d been so lost in my thoughts that I hadn’t even realized it was time to start service already.
I couldn’t believe how fast the day had gone by.
Mark walked over to his station and started getting everything ready.
I watched him for a moment before going back to my own station.
I’d been doing this for a week now, but I still felt like I had no idea what I was doing.
I’d never worked in a kitchen before, and I didn’t know anything about cooking.
But Mark had told me not to worry.
He knew that I was a quick learner, and he knew that I could do this.
He believed in me, and that gave me the confidence I needed to keep going.
The door to the kitchen opened again, and Chef Sarah walked in.
She made her way over to her station and started taking inventory of all the food.
“Good morning.” She said.
Everyone turned around to look at her.
“We have a full house tonight, so make sure you are prepared.I expect the best from all of you, so don’t let me down.
Make sure your stations are clean and organized and that you are ready to start service on time.”
“Yes, Chef.” Everyone said.
Chef Sarah nodded her head before walking away.
She was a force to be reckoned with.
She had a no-nonsense attitude when it came to her kitchen, and she expected nothing but the best from her chefs.
She didn’t have time for people who couldn’t keep up with her standards, and she didn’t take excuses from anyone.
She worked hard every single day to be the best chef she could be, and she expected everyone else to do the same.
It was why she had come to work at the restaurant in the first place.
She knew that they pushed their chefs to the limit, and she wanted to see how far she could go.
She wanted to see if she could stand up to the pressure of working at one of the best restaurants in the city.
And so far, she had.
She had been working at the restaurant for the past few months, and she had been doing an amazing job.
She had been getting great reviews from the critics, and the restaurant was busier than ever.
That’s why we were all so nervous about tonight.
The restaurant critic was coming to try her food for the first time, and we had to make sure that everything was perfect.
We couldn’t afford to mess up with him here.
The morning briefing went by quickly, and before I knew it, it was time to start service.
We were already understaffed because a couple of people had called in sick.
But that was nothing new.
People were always getting sick in this industry, and it was something we were all used to by now.
It would be a little more difficult with one less person in the kitchen, but we would make it work.
We always did.
Mark walked over to me and gave me a smile.
“Are you ready?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I said with a smile of my own.
The pressure was on tonight and we couldn’t afford to mess up.
But I knew that we would all do our best to make it through in one piece.
And with Mark by my side, I knew that everything would be okay.
Nothing could go wrong when he was here.
And that’s when Chef Sarah walked into the kitchen again and told us that the critic was here.
Everyone started to panic and run around like crazy as they got ready for service to start.
I took a deep breath and tried to focus on what I was supposed to do tonight.
I couldn’t mess up tonight of all nights or my whole career would be over before it even got started.
It seemed like the pressure in the kitchen increased tenfold when she told us that he was here and that we really needed to impress him tonight if we wanted to get a good review from him.
And I knew that I would do whatever it took to make sure that we did.
I had worked too hard to get here, and I wasn’t about to let it all go down the drain because I got nervous.
I needed to focus on my work so that I could do the best job I could tonight.
But it was easier said than done, especially with all of the pressure that we were under.
I picked up a stack of plates that I had just washed, but I wasn’t paying attention as I carried them across the kitchen.
And I ended up tripping over one of the mats on the floor.
I stumbled forward, trying not to drop the plates, but they slipped out of my hands anyways.
My face turned bright red as they shattered on the floor, and I heard everyone stop working for a moment as they turned around to look at me.
I felt tears sting the back of my eyes as I started picking up the pieces, but Chef Sarah quickly came over and stopped me.
Don’t worry about it,” she said in her usual stern voice.
Just make sure you are more careful next time.”
“Yes, Chef.” I said, feeling even more flustered than before.
I should have known better than to let this happen in the first place.
I was nervous and not paying attention like I should be, but it wouldn’t happen again.
I would make sure of it.
I glanced over at Mark, who was watching me with a small smile on his face, as if he knew what I was thinking.
He gave me a small nod before turning back around again so that we could get ready for service.
The rest of the night went by quickly after that, and before I knew it, we were already halfway through service.
Everything had been going smoothly so far, but there were still a lot of people left to serve.
We had been getting orders nonstop all night, and it didn’t look like it would be slowing down any time soon.
But that’s how it always was in this industry.
We were always busy, and there was always something else to do.
