Chapter 570: Each Team (1)
Chapter 570: Each Team (1)
Why did I come here? Gwen couldn’t immediately recall what she had done a moment before. She wasn’t foolish, nor was she brave enough to ignore how crucial it was to choose her team well for this mission.
Merlyn didn’t seem incompetent, but she was still a teenager. There were countless unspoken differences between adults and minors. Merlyn could cook well, but cooking well on her own was clearly different from working in harmony with team members while anticipating their thoughts. Peter wasn’t necessarily a good team member either. Gwen knew about Peter’s past feuds with his team members during the Grand Chef competition. As for his cooking skills, many said they weren’t that impressive. Of course, time had passed, and he had improved; his tandoori mackerel from the other day had earned praise from all the judges. But that was all he had shown the judges. His strengths didn’t outweigh enough of his shortcomings to quell the unease many felt about him.
Still, Gwen chose to join his team. She had rejected offers from other strong participants and put her faith in Peter’s team, which many viewed as unstable. Perhaps seeing Merlyn, struggling to secure support and facing rejection, reminded her of her own teenage days. Gwen felt sorry for Merlyn’s unease and even guilt over having to ask for help. While feeling pity, Gwen was also frustrated that she hadn’t taken the initiative to reach out to Merlyn earlier. So when Peter offered to team up with Merlyn, Gwen was pleased—as if she herself had been helped by that gesture. That delight sealed her decision to join Peter’s team.
Yeah, I’m clumsy in every way, Gwen Queen.
She took pride in standing alongside Merlyn but also wrestled with mixed feelings about joining a team that included Merlyn and Peter. She vowed to succeed by any means, to live a respectable life, but she knew she had once almost become a bitter adult who would have ignored a teenager’s plea. Gwen realised again that her path was long and uncertain.
I have to make it somehow.
In any case, Peter and Merlyn were good chefs capable of making excellent dishes. Although both posed a risk for Gwen, who aimed to win this competition, their combined efforts could bring outstanding results. That assumption wasn’t wrong, since one of the judges, Minjoon, was watching Peter’s team the most closely right now.
“Don’t you think Gwen’s team will be interesting?” Minjoon asked. Even though Peter and Merlyn were present, he consciously called it Gwen’s team. Joseph, who had caught Minjoon’s words during an interview, nodded slowly.
“Honestly, it looks tough for you to get good results, but I have high hopes for your team. I think I’ll be rooting for you for that reason.”
“Well, people do cheer for the underdogs, as you know,” Kaya said, shaking her head knowingly.
That didn’t mean Peter, Merlyn, and Gwen formed a weak team. Individually, none of them were bad. The issue was that each had their own unique circumstances and personalities.
Above all, their overall cooking skill is high, Minjoon thought.
Peter and Gwen’s cooking level was seven; Merlyn’s was five. Yet Merlyn had survived this far because her creative ideas compensated for her lack of culinary skill. Her youthful imagination lent a rare delight to her dishes that judges found unmatched by others.
“Michael’s team is the largest, with five members.”
“If they have too many members, that could work against them in this mission,” Kaya said, stroking her chin thoughtfully.
If each member had distinct specialities, it might be different, but that wasn’t the case here. Even though all had survived thus far, their skills hadn’t been fully verified by the judges. And even those whose skills were proven lacked much when compared to true professional chefs well-known in the industry.
Even professional chefs working together often disagreed over dishes. So it was likely that amateur participants forming their own teams would encounter even more discord during cooking.
“It seems Michael’s team members are aware of such problems. They’re wearing worried looks.”
“But Michael himself seems relaxed.”
It was natural Michael looked so carefree, since he accepted anyone who wanted to join his team without considering their individual circumstances. His attitude made it clear he was here to make memories rather than desperately fight to win.
Nevertheless, he’s the favourite to win.
Minjoon found it both daunting and strange that understanding cooking went far beyond merely cooking. Even when preparing the same dish, countless scientific reasons and processes brought out different flavours depending on the recipe and technique running through his mind. Cooking armed with such knowledge invariably created superior cuisine.
That was a method only truly genius chefs could master—ones in a league apart from Kaya.
Meanwhile, Hugo had formed a team with Ken and another participant. Their overall skill level was high, making their team the safest bet.
Minjoon announced, “I’ll give you three hours for your team meeting. You must agree on your recipe and coordinate the menu you plan to prepare within that time.”
Though three hours might seem ample, it wasn’t. They had to complete a full course within those hours. They needed to assign roles, set their cooking sequence, and develop necessary recipes. Usually, chefs took weeks to adjust their timing with each other, and months to develop new recipes.
In truth, it was hard to expect the participants to devise an excellent course so quickly.
Well, all you can do is make dishes good enough, Minjoon murmured.
He hadn’t expected much more because he knew how challenging it was to craft a recipe and create an outstanding dish in such a short span.
He watched participants gather in groups, discussing ideas. The reality was rarely beautiful. Their passion was bound to bring clashes, which would then damage their teamwork and final dishes.
He predicted few teams would achieve great results through harmonious cooperation—and he was right.
“Well, among the teams this time, I have some expectations of Gwen, Peter, and Merlyn’s team,” said Minjoon.
“Are you serious? Isn’t that the most unstable team?” Martin asked.
“Well, I admit their team doesn’t feel stable, but they’re solid chefs. By now, everyone realises how pointless it was for them to attempt forming a team while stubbornly excluding those they deemed problematic. In fact, the chef preoccupied with weeding out ‘incompetents’ had far more problems, big and small.”
“Problems?”
“I’d say their biggest problem is lack of experience. Most participants here have never cooked with other chefs before. They know how to cook alone, but not how to collaborate. It’s ridiculous for them to reject a teenager like Merlyn, assuming her judgement immature when their own decisions aren’t exactly quick or wise. If I had to point out the difference between her and others, it’s like telling a white egg from a black one.”
As a chef, Minjoon’s metaphor related to cooking. Martin chuckled but nodded in agreement. From the perspective of an ordinary onlooker or TV producer, it made sense that they sought better teammates. But Minjoon viewed the matter from an entirely different angle.