Chapter 12: Grand Chef Preliminaries, and… (3)
Chapter 12: Grand Chef Preliminaries, and… (3)
Seven points.
That was the highest score Jo Minjoon could achieve right now. Compared with ten points, it might seem rather low, but instinctively, Jo Minjoon knew that each additional point represented far more than a simple numerical difference.
Over the past fifteen days, Jo Minjoon had visited many restaurants in New York. Among them were two Michelin-starred establishments: one with two stars and another with one. Both were so famous that anyone living in the city would have heard of them.
Even so, he had never encountered a ten-point dish. Most scored eight points, while seven-point dishes appeared from time to time. Nine-point dishes were even rarer than seven-point ones.
To be precise, Jo Minjoon had eaten only one nine-point dish.
It had been at the two-star restaurant East Rabbit Garden, an establishment expected to receive its third star soon.
The nine-point dish he ate there had been the greatest culinary experience of his life. Nothing else he had ever tasted could compare to it.
Perfectly roasted lamb ribs with curry sauce.
Jo Minjoon had never imagined that a dish could shock him. He had certainly thought a disgusting dish might shock him, but he had never imagined that something could taste so good it would send a shock through his very bones.
First came the uniquely harmonious aroma of the curry. As its flavour spread across his tongue and rose towards his nose, the lamb ribs followed. The seared exterior of the lamb carried its own distinctive aroma, filling his mouth. The sensation of that aroma seeming to invade not merely his nose but his entire mouth had been almost miraculous, even entrancing.
By the time he came back to his senses, he had already finished all the lamb ribs without properly appreciating each bite.
The shock Jo Minjoon felt then had been anything but ordinary. It was at that moment, through his own tongue, that he had truly realised just how far cooking could be elevated.
That was why he did not feel frustrated about receiving seven points for his own dish.
From the beginning, he believed seven points represented the limit of his current ability. Perhaps it was the result of all the effort he had put in. Either way, it was not a score to be disappointed by, but one he should be grateful for.
Jo Minjoon placed the plate of bream on a trolley and pushed it towards the room where the judges were waiting. With so many contestants constantly coming and going, the studio was filled with the mingled aromas of countless dishes.
Jo Minjoon looked at each of the judges in turn.
The first was Emily Potter.
More precisely, his attention was drawn to the window that appeared beside her.
[Emily Potter]
Cooking Level: 3
Baking Level: 6
Tasting Level: 9
Decoration Level: 6
Her levels were generally high. In particular, he could not help admiring her Tasting Level. At level nine, even the exact same food would probably taste entirely different to her than it did to an ordinary person.
Alan’s Tasting Level was also nine. Joseph’s, on the other hand, was only eight.
Jo Minjoon assumed it was because of his age. Once people entered their forties, their sense of taste inevitably began to decline.
When it came to cooking, however, the situation was reversed.
Joseph’s Cooking Level was nine, while Alan’s was eight. Considering Joseph’s age, that was understandable. Jo Minjoon did not know his exact age, but he appeared to be nearing sixty. With around ten more years of experience than Alan, it was only natural for his level to be higher.
At the same time, however, Jo Minjoon could not help wondering.
If even a world-class chef like Joseph had not reached level ten in cooking, then who had?
Did someone like that even exist?
At that moment, Alan Craig spoke in his usual blunt tone.
“Minjoon. How long are you planning to make us stare at your face?”
“Ah, sorry.”
Jo Minjoon gave a slight bow, picked up the plate of bream, and carried it towards the judges’ table.
The moment he set the plate down, Alan stepped forward first. He had a lean, well-built physique, and even from his appearance alone, it was easy to imagine that he was a perfectionist.
“Is this bream?”
“Yes. I cooked the bream using the arroser technique and paired it with pepper sauce. The pepper’s distinctive heat should work well with the mild flavour of the bream.”
“We’ll know that after we taste it.”
Alan answered in his usual critical manner.
Jo Minjoon was not particularly bothered. From watching the broadcasts, he already knew Alan was that sort of chef, though he could not tell whether it was his genuine personality or simply a persona created for television.
Alan cut into the bream with his knife and tasted it.
Jo Minjoon watched silently.
It was a seven-point dish. He already knew he had not failed. There was no reason to be nervous. Anyone capable of properly judging a dish should have little to criticise about this bream.
After chewing for a while, Alan wiped his mouth with a napkin and stepped back.
He made no comment, but Jo Minjoon remained calm.
Emily Potter came next. With an expectant expression, she brought a piece of bream to her mouth, then closed her eyes and savoured it.
Her expression remained composed, but Jo Minjoon could not help thinking that there was the faintest hint of a smile on her face.
Joseph Vincent was the last to step forward.
Looking at Joseph’s wrinkled face, Jo Minjoon could not help sensing the bearing of a master.
For the first time, he grew nervous.
It was not because he feared Joseph would judge his dish unfairly.
Joseph Vincent was about to taste something Jo Minjoon had cooked.
One of the world’s finest chefs was going to eat his food.
Before his reincarnation, Jo Minjoon had been peeling garlic in a restaurant that did not even have a Michelin star. Yet now, a chef of Joseph Vincent’s calibre was about to taste his cooking.
Before taking a bite, Joseph asked him a question.
“Do you think you cooked it well?”
“…That dish represents the very best I can do right now.”
“Then if it isn’t delicious, that means you have no future.”
Joseph spoke as though deliberately trying to intimidate him.
Jo Minjoon did not back down. He answered calmly, his voice too low to sound forceful despite the certainty behind it.
“It will be delicious.”
“Good. I hope you’re right.”
With that, Joseph ate the final piece of bream in one bite. He savoured it for a while, then smiled before returning to his place.
The three judges began discussing the dish among themselves. Their voices were too low for Jo Minjoon to hear.
The conversation did not last long.
After exchanging nods, they returned to their positions.
Alan spoke first.
“Minjoon. What kind of evaluation do you think we’re going to give you?”
“I believe it’ll be favourable.”
“Based on what?”
“If it had been a failed dish, I wouldn’t have put it on the plate in the first place.”
Alan smiled at his answer, then turned towards Emily.
Emily continued the evaluation in his place.
“Using the arroser technique for the bream was an excellent choice. As I chewed, I could feel the aroma of the butter and the fish oils spreading through my mouth.”
“Thank you.”
“The pepper sauce was good as well. Normally, people would pair bream with a paprika sauce, but the heat from the pepper gives it a more distinctive flavour. It isn’t so spicy that it becomes difficult to eat, but it stimulates the palate just enough to make the flavour of the bream stand out more clearly. I enjoyed it. You pass.”
Emily finished her evaluation with a bright smile.
Alan nodded beside her and looked at Jo Minjoon.
“My opinion is the same as Emily’s. Personally, I think this is the most delicious fish dish I’ve tasted today. The pepper sauce in your signature dish has a character that feels uniquely yours. If I had to point out something disappointing, it would be the plating. It’s very understated and rather conventional. You showed creativity in the cooking, but not in the presentation. That discrepancy is disappointing.”
“Yes. Next time, I’ll study plating more carefully.”
“Good. Then I can pass you without hesitation. Your presentation wasn’t particularly impressive, but I’ll say this again. Your cooking is delicious. Minjoon, you know how to create flavour. You can afford to have confidence in yourself.”
At those words, Jo Minjoon felt something rise in his chest.
It was as though all the frustration and bitterness he had carried until now had been eased by those few words.
They were only words.
Yet he was grateful for them. Happy, even.
He had always assumed that contestants who cried during audition programmes were simply being used to create emotional scenes for television. But only after standing here himself and hearing such praise did he finally understand what those tears meant.
It felt as though his entire past life and all the passion he had devoted to cooking were finally being acknowledged.
If that passion had been genuine, then perhaps tears really were unavoidable.
Even so, Jo Minjoon did not cry.
Whether those tears would have been genuine or not, crying here still felt a little pathetic to him.
He wanted to save those tears for the moment he held the winner’s trophy and claimed the glory of Grand Chef.
Fortunately, when Joseph began to speak, Jo Minjoon found it easier to settle his emotions.
Joseph spoke gently.
“Minjoon. When you first came here, you said something. You said Grand Chef would be a good stage for you. Now I think I can agree. Grand Chef is a stage that exists for people like you. This is your stage. I only hope you continue showing us what you can do in the rounds ahead. I enjoyed your food. It was good cooking, Minjoon.”
Joseph paused for a breath, then smiled.
“You pass.”