Chapter 541: Unexpected Twist (21)
Chapter 541: Unexpected Twist (21)
June surpassed herself. It was difficult to say whether she could truly beat Dave or not. In fact, she could improve her dishes by applying tips she had gleaned from Dave’s cooking. Yet, despite her desperate efforts, catching up to him remained a daunting challenge.
For now, she didn’t care about such trivial concerns. She simply kept striving to do better. Whether she could outpace Dave was irrelevant.
“Okay. I’m ready.”
On that day, she immediately began preparing her dishes’ ingredients. As she worked on the gazpacho and the jellies, she never neglected to check the plates for all the dishes.
At first glance, a plate might not seem important, but it greatly shapes perceptions of a dish. Fortunately—or unfortunately—Dave paid little attention to anything other than taste in this contest. Even if he had, it wouldn’t have made a difference, as his plating skills lagged far behind hers.
Meanwhile, Minjoon assisted her not only with trivial tasks but crucial ones, too, while she cooked. As her sous chef, it was natural for him to do so, even though he was also a judge in this competition. He couldn’t help but notice a slight increase in her cooking scores. Although not all dishes reflected the change, some showed clear improvement. While helping prepare the dishes, he concluded her cooking seemed flawless and wondered how she’d managed to raise her score.
‘Does this mean I simply missed it from my point of view?’
Obviously, she had found a way to take a step forward. He was unsure whether to praise her tenacity or simply call her tough as nails.
Finally, the day arrived for the judges to evaluate her dishes. The way they did so was unusual because Minjoon was both her judge and sous chef. Cameramen around the kitchen snapped photos eagerly, eyes gleaming.
“Well, he’s criticised the chefs freely up to now. I wonder if he’ll be as blunt with June.”
“He needs to prove he has the right to criticise others.”
If Minjoon had been a gourmand, his skills wouldn’t draw comment, good or bad. But as a chef, many would quickly criticise him if his cooking was lacking. Of course, doubting Minjoon’s skills meant not understanding the current situation.
Besides surpassing typical chefs, he was June’s sous chef, so it was natural he cooked well. Angela thought so too—until she saw him cooking.
“Well, he’s definitely different...” muttered the assistant PD next to her, embarrassed.
Angela nodded. There were rumours that he might not be the world’s best chef, but he was definitely the best sous chef. Such rumours weren’t exaggerations.
Compared to other chefs, June was overwhelmingly composed as she cooked. Without separate orders, Minjoon directed junior chefs instantly while cooking flawlessly himself. Watching how he handled the frying pan with ease, few could believe he had only several years’ professional experience. His skills were overwhelming; this impressed reporters covering the competition. In terms of charisma, June and Minjoon were clearly in a different league.
Angela believed that if the competition allowed miracles, no chefs deserved the title ‘Hero of Miracle’ more than June and Minjoon.
This was understandable. In competitions, Minjoon had triumphed repeatedly: from small contests to prestigious ones like the Grand Chef and Paris International Culinary Competition, not to mention Rose Island.
Unlike other contests, this one had no particular rules or time limits. Contestants simply cooked, aiming to make the best dishes possible. Minjoon’s role was to scrutinise every detail of June’s cooking to prevent errors.
Such scrutiny might seem minor but was often where chefs failed. Many chefs’ recipes were incomplete. Some ambitiously tried to impress judges, but most sought Rachel’s recognition—not competition trophies or fame. Rachel’s recognition meant more than gold or jewels.
If money or fame had been their goal, they would have worked at hotels rather than remain under Rachel’s control at Rose Island.
Their continued roles as head chefs at Rose Island showed how much they trusted and longed for her approval.
Thus, most avoided taking on more than they could handle in this competition. Were they reckless, they wouldn’t limit themselves to recipe trials. Actually, they constantly struggled to overcome what they perceived as walls.
Minjoon didn’t think their efforts were meaningless. Compared to visits to their restaurants before, he saw improvement here. He recognised their great potential and change.
He only hoped June would evolve too and that her growth brought her what she desired.
To help her achieve this, Minjoon was resolved that she should make no mistakes. His tone towards the kitchen staff grew sterner, and his sensing of the frying pan’s temperature sharpened.
Because he stood behind her as she cooked, June felt secure and reassured. She felt capable of anything—not even thinking about achievement now—simply wanting to show her best dishes and how she had spent her life until that point. She wished to prove she had not wasted time, merely fuelled by ambition.
Finally, her first course arrived: the amuse-bouche.
It was a meringue sandwich made with beetroot and decorated with horseradish cream. The amuse-bouche melted instantly on the tongue, though the plate was large enough to hold a substantial turkey.
The plate was designed with blue tiles fitted together, the meringue centred on it. This was the plate June had sought to match with the beet meringue sandwich. She thought the contrast of beet’s red against the plate’s blue would enhance the beet’s presence vividly.
Indeed, the chefs facing the plate felt an odd sensation: it looked like an abundant dish, despite only one meringue sandwich being present.
Obviously, June’s dish was impressive—not just in taste but in plating and artistry.
“It’s strange. She seems the most insensible, yet has the strongest artistic sense among us,” Deborah muttered, amused.
June had a dull, almost inhuman personality. She scarcely resembled a typical person. Yet watching her cook, Deborah was forced to admit she had been mistaken and prejudiced. June’s sensibility, evident in her dishes, was as acute as any girl or artist’s.
After tasting the meringue sandwiches, the judges were served accompaniments: three mouth rinses—vodka and lime, tequila and grapefruit, gin and tonic. After selecting their preference, the next dish came: grain mustard ice cream with red cabbage gazpacho, the dish June had shown Nathan previously.
Minjoon didn’t taste it at that moment. It was unreasonable for him to judge a sample dish and simultaneously prepare the next course. June planned to recreate the dishes after all chefs had finished sampling for full evaluation.
Deborah envied that. Though Minjoon’s personally prepared dish was perfect, she thought June’s own preparation would be more interesting.
At that moment, another dish showcasing June’s exceptional skills appeared, one that Minjoon highly praised.