Chapter 628: Newlywed Chefs (2)
Chapter 628: Newlywed Chefs (2)
Chloe pretended to be calm, but Teresa’s teasing clearly offended her. Yet Chloe’s petite pride prevented her from showing it.
Teresa sensed that teasing more would only upset Chloe further, so she changed the subject with a smile.
“What are you going to do next?”
“Cooking.”
“Can you elaborate?”
“I don’t know. I just feel scared about starting a new job.”
Teresa didn’t ask why—she already knew. Usually it came down to one reason: fear of failure. Chloe had never truly failed before. Her relationship with Minjoon could be seen as a failure, but since starting her cooking career she had walked a path of assured success.
Looking at Chloe, Teresa asked, “Will you come often if I open a restaurant?”
“Well, I will, as long as you make great dishes and I’m available.”
“You said you liked my food last time. How much did you like it?”
“Chloe,” Teresa said softly, “don’t think about being judged by me. You have to judge your dishes, not anyone else.”
“Well, I’m willing to be judged if I’m singing. But cooking is different. You can sing without anyone hearing it, but if they don’t enjoy your dishes, I should throw them in the trash.”
“True. So why are you scared? What’s bothering you?”
“I wonder how valuable I am as a chef if people see me as an entertainer instead.”
Teresa said nothing. She wasn’t in a position to rank Chloe’s worth as a chef. Ultimately, Chloe needed to judge her own cooking.
She gently changed the topic.
“What would you do if people thought you weren’t valuable as a chef?”
“Uh?”
“It sounds like you’re just praying to be more valuable than you feel. What if you’re not? Will you give up?”
“Oh, that’s not what I mean…”
“Even if you feel valuable, just try what you want. If you keep at it, you’ll see your worth grow. If not, find ways to increase it.”
Chloe had no reply. She realised why she hesitated—she doubted her competence to open a restaurant yet feared working for someone else.
No wonder. Given her fame, she didn’t need a chef to employ her. If she had to, it was likely to learn kitchen leadership—like Raphael did learning from Rachel to make up for weaknesses.
That’s why she admired Raphael and Minjoon. Though established chefs, neither hesitated to work under Rachel.
Chloe struggled with accepting this reality. Knowing it, she avoided seeking a restaurant job. She didn’t want to give up the happiness she now enjoyed.
She stayed silent a long time. Teresa didn’t press. Chloe preferred avoiding failure and likely would again. Eventually, she’d find a way to survive. She was that type of woman.
Minjoon and Kaya’s newlywed life was unusual. It wasn’t simply because they skipped a honeymoon—there were still many guests at their home.
“Hey, do you really want a party like this while newlyweds?”
“Well, it’s boring when it’s just the two of us.”
“If you’re already bored with that, what about when you’re old?”
“Well, we can keep having parties like this.”
“Oh my God!” Anderson sighed and shook his head.
At that moment, their home held many guests—fewer than wedding guests but plenty. Lisa, Ella, Minjoon’s family not yet returned to Korea, Kaya’s family.
Also present were Chloe, Delia, Rachel, Isaac, Janet, and Rose Island’s main restaurant staff. Even Gwen lingered quietly in a corner. Almost everyone they knew in Los Angeles was here.
Meanwhile, Minjoon and Kaya concentrated on cooking in the kitchen. Though they vowed not to worry for fifteen days, they soon found themselves inseparable from cooking. At first, they enjoyed the slow days without cooking, but soon could not bear doing nothing.
In that sense, the party was an excuse to cook. Fortunately, all guests enjoyed the gathering.
“So, how’s newlywed life?”
“Great! You wouldn’t understand.”
Kaya smiled at Delia’s question.
Delia looked upset but controlled herself. She never won arguments with Kaya, so she knew better than to show humiliation here.
Kaya said, “If I have one regret, it’s that our vacation ends soon.”
“How can you call your newlywed life a vacation?”
“Why not? After our fifteen-day honeymoon ends, we’ll be back to work.”
“Work? What work?”
“Preparing to open our restaurant. We need to hire kitchen staff first.”
“Really? Did lots apply? You know hiring is the hardest restaurant part.”
Indeed, restaurants suffer from severe labour shortages. Hiring good cooks is not too hard; finding demi-chefs with great skills is tough. Delia knew well from running a hotel.
But Kaya wasn’t worried.
“I don’t expect big problems. Luckily, more people applied than I thought.”
“Really? How many?”
“Six hundred.”
“What!? Are you serious?”
Delia was speechless. She didn’t understand.
Kaya said again, nonchalantly, “Six hundred.”
“Does that make sense?”
Delia raised her voice, shocked.
Kaya’s face sullen—she expected such a reaction.
It wasn’t just Delia shocked. Others in the food business were astonished that 600 people applied to Minjoon and Kaya’s new restaurant. Except for their families, everyone was surprised.
“People must really expect a lot from you,” Chloe said, bewildered.
Jo Ara asked in broken English, “Is that great?”
“Absolutely. Only a handful of restaurants worldwide get that many applicants.”
Chloe was amazed. To her knowledge, Rachel’s recent hiring at Rose Island did not attract so many.
Of course, Rachel was the country’s top chef; many feared applying for her Rose Island, daunted by elite competition.
But Minjoon and Kaya were different—famous, recognised for skill, yet approachable and friendly. Unlike Rachel, who was a near-mythic figure, they seemed like talented, passionate chefs giving others a chance.
Chloe honestly told Kaya that’s what she thought about so many applicants.