Chapter 630: Newlywed Chefs (4)
Chapter 630: Newlywed Chefs (4)
Minwoo slipped quietly into the interview room and took a seat in the corner. He listened quietly to the others chatting among themselves. He wanted to join their conversation, but like many Asians, he felt hesitant in such situations. Speaking with Jill in the elevator was the bravest thing he’d done so far.
“How do genius chefs feel?”
“I have no idea. On TV, they seem ordinary like us, but when they cook, they’re completely absorbed. Ordinary people like us just can’t understand at all.”
“Oh, so we’re meeting America’s most famous chefs right now, right?”
“We’re not just meeting them—we’re going to work with them!”
“I really hope so.”
“You can. So don’t worry.”
Hearing their conversation, Jill nodded slightly. She had watched every episode of Minjoon and Kaya’s shows—they were great, special chefs. She was here partly because she wanted to find and imitate something unique about them.
Can I do it?
There was nothing left to hide. Kaya and Minjoon were almost idols. Few young chefs disliked them because no faults showed in their cooking or how they treated people.
Jill’s heart pounded as she awaited seeing these legendary chefs in person.
The interview room door opened. Kaya and Minjoon stepped out. Jill, about to smile, froze into an awkward expression.
Oh, she’s right.
Her eyes fixated on Kaya. Wearing a neatly ironed cook’s suit and the intense makeup she first donned during the Grand Chef competition, Kaya’s dark eye and lip makeup gave her an individualistic look—almost like a hippie. It looked as if a child had roughly copied her mother’s style. Her strong makeup seemed meant to impress and overwhelm the applicants.
Only then did Jill remember these chefs were geniuses—different from others, but missing something just a little.
Yet there was nothing new about Kaya’s words and mannerisms. She had long been infamous for that makeup style—many wondered if she was a hippie. But lately, her makeup was lighter. Back then, she hadn’t known how to apply it properly rather than intentionally wearing heavy makeup.
That wasn’t bad, though. Thanks to it, she’d shaped her image as a free, wild soul, uncaring for society’s rules.
It’s time she master makeup, Jill thought, puzzled.
Just like before, Kaya wasn’t skilled at makeup. As a top chef, she didn’t need to wear such harsh makeup just to impress applicants.
Only Minjoon knew the reason.
I told you not to wear makeup like that, Kaya, Minjoon thought to himself.
He sighed deeply. In fact, Kaya and he had thought long and hard about one question: what cooking mission and criteria should they use to select applicants? Simultaneously, they pondered the best way to present themselves—something trivial to outsiders.
Though most applicants wouldn’t join their team, those selected would remember their first impressions. Minjoon and Kaya agonised over what impression to leave, which had troubled them for some time.
“I want to be a head chef our kitchen staff respect.”
“Like Chef Rachel?”
“No, I don’t like that.”
“Of course, I respect Chef Rachel, but she seems distant. I don’t feel close to her. Maybe you do because you’ve worked with her, but that’s my impression. Over time, I’ll learn more about her true self, but for now, the first impression counts. I really don’t want my kitchen staff to look up to me like they do to her.”
“So how do you want them to respect you, Kaya?”
“I hope they respect me as a friend... Yeah, as a friend. I want them to cook alongside us because they want to be like us, not because we’re great.”
Minjoon understood—he’d felt that too. Anderson was a great example. At one point, he’d clearly given up competing with Minjoon, but it didn’t last long. More precisely, he grew sceptical of competing with Minjoon.
Though they cooked the same dishes in the same restaurant, Rose Island, under Rachel, Minjoon pulled ahead by creating the original Jo Reggiano dessert, while Anderson hadn’t developed anything noteworthy.
Anderson felt starved inside. Minjoon felt heartbroken watching Anderson distressed because of him. The word “best” shines brightest when a rival runs alongside. Running alone on an empty road, the “best” might not know if they truly lead.
I don’t want to live in such ambiguity.
Minjoon was on the same page as Kaya. He wanted to stick to his values and remember his start on Grand Chef Season 3. Still, he felt embarrassed seeing Kaya’s heavy makeup now. When they met during Grand Chef, he found her cute rather than unattractive. He thought her heavy makeup could pass in American society—but it didn’t. For her culinary status, it was inappropriate.
Her English accent also felt awkward. Although she had lessened her British accent, she reverted to it fully now—her mother being British left a strong impression. Even raised in America, she couldn’t help but show her original accent.
“You should be proud to be here. Over 600 applied, but fewer than 100 came. Being here means you’ve done well,” Kaya said.
Minjoon felt his ears burn. This standard encouragement came from Grand Chef, yet applicants with prior experience seemed to chuckle quietly.
She continued, “We’re selecting one sous chef from thirteen applicants, four demi chefs from twenty-five, four cooks from thirty-two, and one junior chef from twenty-seven.”
Ironically, the junior chef position’s competition would be fiercest—only one chosen from twenty-seven applicants. Compared with other jobs, that competition was extraordinarily intense.