My Lady Chef { La Vita Series } - Volume 1

Chapter 77 - Soft Opening - Part 2

Ezran,

You have a way with words, husband.

But I would be lying if I am tell you that I look forward to your "suggestion". I'll even throw in something interesting I read from a racy novel I am reading.

According to the newspaper, the battle there is getting intense. Once again, please take care of yourself.

Your willing lady.

P.S The cafe is opening soon! It was so much work but I cannot wait to see the results!

-Duchess Aisenburg's Letter to the Duke.

Duchess: *finds an extra pouch with the letter, it looked like tea leaves.

When she asked Linda what it was, she looked blankly at the tea leaves and cleared her throat and whispered.

"Tis Night Dew Leaves, Milady. They increase your "enthusiasm" at night. Wives usually drink it to....easily get ready for their husband. An Aprodisiac..."

Also the Duchess: *blushed a lot when she got the answer*

Pierce's POV:

Initially, the senior dockmasters were reluctant to go to this opening since the food they are aware of the usual fare at the tavern which was greasy meat, bland potatoes and hard bread that that easily pound a nail.

"Micheal. I meant no disrespect to ye. But this cafe thing is ridiculous. We have wives who cook us food and that is all we need. This venture will go under in a month." one master gruffly used my first name as I led them to the cafe.

"My wife makes better soup and fried meat. But she was so excited to take a break from cooking and meet a real duchess so she asked me to come." a younger master sighed as he held hands with his missus.

But they stopped abruptly when they saw the cafe which was made of earth-toned wood and stone walls.

A rather rustic looking exterior.

From the way they reacted, I suppose they expected a more posh and expensive-looking place.

The duchess did well when she said that she wanted the feeling and decor of the cafe to invite people in.

The dockmasters and seniors were oddly silent but their wives and children were all oohhs and aahhhhs over the spacious and comfy tables and decorations.

As I seated them at two wide tables adjacent to each other, one of the servers greeted them and gave them the menu. Their expressions were again shocked at the menu items.

"What is this? Set Meals? Plus desserts and drinks?" one dock worker questioned. "What is Hamburg....Steak?"

"It is a patty made from ground minced beef with its own special sauce. It comes with vegetables or mash potatoes."

Their expressions cleared as the server answered their questions with ease. Most servers in this only "serve" what they are given and almost never answer questions about the food.

"And this baked chicken with gravy?" one wife asked.

"Yes, it is seasoned with a nice herb mix and spices and baked to perfection. The chicken has crispy skin and moist tender meat, Ma'am." the server nodded.

"This all sounds delicious. I'll have this Set Meal D then." a younger boy, the son of a dockmaster pointed out.

The server promptly took all our orders, I was hankering for that Hamburg Steak and ordered that too. I even ordered a basket of that jam bread and a whole roll of cake.

"Well, the servers here seem very well trained." said one young dockmaster whose name was Benjamin. He had been used to dining in a noisy and rough tavern after late hours so the warm atmosphere, clean interior and professionalism of the staff was a surprise.

"I-Is that?" one of the kids gasped, her eyes sparkled when she pointed at the person leaving the kitchen.

I stood up and bowed to Lady Alaina, who was dress in a simple chef's jacket and a narrow skirt and boots. Her beauty was not marred the least by the simple attire she put on as she faced the table and nodded to me as she spread her hand in welcome to the dockmasters and workers.

"Welcome to Cafe Terra gentlemen and family. I am Lady Alaina and I am currently supervising the head chef; We are happy to meet the hard-working citizens that helped my husband's shipping fleet flourish. We have received your order and it will be out in 15-30 minutes. Please enjoy a complimentary soup as an appetizer." She clapped her hand and the servers came out and laid steaming bowls of a creamy and delicious smelling soup. "It is called Creamy Macaroni Soup. Enjoy."

When she gracefully pivoted and went back inside; the silence from the men and their family was palpable and I smiled. Not many of the noble ladies interact as well as the duchess so to be in her warm presence must have been a pleasant shock.

"I cannot believe that she is married to the big boss."

"She was rather....sweet. The way she talked to us was very nice."

"I cannot wait to taste this soup now! I heard that the food is of another level."

The animated chatter suddenly began as I lifted the spoon to my lips, The rich, smooth taste of the cream and tender vegetables was well seasoned; small diced chicken and...chewy pasta that was shaped like a "U" burst in my mouth and judging from the smacking sounds and noisy clink of cutlery shows that they are enjoying the food as well.

Drinks soon came after we finished the soup and the server asked me whether I would like the jam bread and cake served after everyone has eaten. I told him to serve it after the main meals are finished and he slowly back away as I finished my soup.

I was timing the meals carefully, there are a total of 30 people here and to serve these people in record time is something I must confirm. To my surprise; the duchess came out and directed the servers outside with the food trays.

Everyone gasped and so did I. The cutlery was simple and durable but the food was presented very well. Usually the food they were used to at the taverns and small eatery were very sloppy.

As if someone just messily dumped everything on a plate but Neo's immaculate plating mirrored the same set meal she presented during the preliminary tasting back at the Culinary House.

My Hamburg Steak looked freshly cooked, plump and had a shiny glaze from the sauce that surrounded it, the creamy mash was also drizzled with the same steak sauce while the steamed vegetables looked colorful and smelled delightful. The dessert that came with the meal which was Vanilla Pudding was set in a small ramekin bowl topped with whipped cream and caramel bits.

It looked hearty, simple, and rustic.

"Thi...This is incredible." the dockmasters looked at their meals and I can see them holding back their saliva as they started to eat, almost afraid to ruin the image of the delicious plates.

As I ate my hamburg steak and moaned softly at how tender and juicy it was. I heard everyone moan in delight and dig into their meals with gusto after their initial bites. Even the younger children attacked their food as they exclaimed words of appreciation.

I focused on my food as the atmosphere soon turned for the better as the wives speculate how can these meals be so delicious and the men talked amongst themselves as they took bites from each other's plates.

Soon after the children and women also started swapping food and they all agreed...

That Cafe Terra's cooking is out of this world.