Saving Grace

Chapter 24: Grace

"We need to get another pot of French onion soup going! We're almost out and table nine just ordered five servings!"

Greg cut me off on his way to the fridge, nearly knocking the ladle out of my hand.

"Sorry Chef! I'm starting that soup right now."

It was a typical busy Friday night. The restaurant was alive with first night dates, anniversaries, birthdays, and business meetings. The kitchen was bustling, and while the chaotic atmosphere may cause some people stress, it brought me a sense of peace--a sense of purpose. I came alive in the kitchen with cutlery in my hand. It was about the only time I felt I had a voice that mattered as I shouted different orders to my team.

"Chef, there's a customer who would like to speak with you. Says he has a complaint." Jade, one of the servers, said as she popped her head through the kitchen door.

Andy, my Sous Chef and best friend, appeared by my side.

"Do you want me to see what's the matter? I know you don't like conflict and if its a guy..."

I opened my mouth to speak but closed it again. I gave her arm a light squeeze and shook my head.

"No, it's okay, I got it."

"Okay, if you're sure, but I'll be nearby."

"Thanks, I'm sure it's nothing serious."

I walked out of the kitchen and followed Jade as she led me to the upset customer. As I approached his table, he glared up at me.

"Hi, I'm Grace, the head Chef here. I heard there was some sort of problem. I would love to fix it. How can I help?"

The man looked me up and down with a mix of disgust and desire written on his face.

"I would love for you to fix it as well. Let's see if you can." His lips curled in a cruel smirk.

"Okay, well I would need to know the problem first." I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to appear unfazed.

"I ordered my steak medium and this," he said as he cut into it, "is most definitely not medium. It's more like rare."

I looked at the offending meat, which was in fact, a perfect medium, most of which had already been devoured.

"Well, I'm sure your wonderful server could have taken care of that. I do apologize. I will fix that right now for you."

I went to grab his plate, but he moved it aside, causing me to flinch and my nerves to go haywire.

"Yeah, but I shouldn't have had to get it sent back in the first place. And tell me, what kind of sauce is this?"

"It is a red wine sauce. It is one of my specialty sauces paired with the ribeye you ordered. There was a description on the menu."

"Seriously? Well despite the fact that it is in your DNA as a woman, I don't think you have a clue about what you're doing in the kitchen with a sauce like that."

I was momentarily stunned and completely embarrassed. This obnoxious man ate over half his "non medium" steak with the red wine sauce before he decided he had a problem. It was more than obvious what he was trying to do; it wouldn't be the first time someone tried getting a free meal out of the restaurant. But if he wanted to claim he didn't like it, I was willing to bite my tongue to diffuse the situation. I took a deep breath in before speaking.

"Is there something else you would like to try since you were not satisfied? Perhaps a more common garlic butter sauce on a newly cooked steak?"

"Yeah, as a matter of fact, that sounds great. Go ahead and throw in some shrimp too. But don't expect me to pay for any part of this meal. That includes her tip." He jerked his head at Jade who was visibly uncomfortable. "The only tip I'll give is to not serve customers food they didn't order."