To Trust the Dawn

Chapter 40

Chapter 40

I sternly continued doing my responsibility as the head cook, disregarding the freaking fact that he's alive and kicking while talking to our manager at the grand dinning hall of the restaurant. Hindi rin madali ang posisyon na ito because I'm not just a chef, but a manager of the entire kitchen operation who ensures consistent and timely service to the costumers. Lalong-lalo na sa t'wing dinadagsa ng mga customer ang restaurant na halos hindi na kami magkamayaw sa paghahanda rito sa kitchen.

Nagpapasalamat lang ako dahil inilaan ang buong araw na 'to para sa mga special guests ng manager na hindi ganoon karami, hindi katulad sa usual costumers dito araw-araw. Mga artista at film crew ang nasa dinning hall ngayon. The waiters are already collecting their orders, and all of the chefs here are hands on.

I was sternly monitoring everyone who is doing their responsibilities. Kung seryoso na ako noong ordinaryong chef pa lang ako rito, mas nadagdagan lamang 'yon nang mailipat sa 'kin ang posisyon bilang head cook. Istrikta ako sa oras ng trabaho. Minsan ay may napapagalitan din akong ibang cook dahil walang lugar ang babagal-bagal sa industriyang ito lalo na't kailangang on time ang pagse-serve ng orders ng mga costumer.

May time rin na napagsabihan ko ang isang cook na muntik nang magkamali sa paglalagay ng isang ingredient. It was just a single mistake but it could lead to food poisoning. Isang pagkakamali lang sa pagluluto ay magdudulot na ng kapahamakan sa mga kakain. Bukod sa babagal-bagal, wala ring lugar ang palpak sa industriyang ito.

Aside from keeping our costumers safe and satisfied with our service, I also don't want our manager to realize that he mistakenly assigned me in this position. Hindi dapat niya maisip na isa akong pagkakamali.

Nang masiguro kong everyone is doing their job correctly, I continued to cook one of the orders. Hindi ko alam kung kaninong order 'to. It just caught my attention dahil ang order nito ay ang dish na nangangailangan ng sarili kong recipe. Na-include na rin ito sa menu last year pa. Hindi ko na lang 'yon pinansin at pinagpatuloy ang ginagawa.

"Chef Vilan, veuillez vérifier ma présentation de nourriture avant qu'elle ne soit servie. (Chef Vilan, kindly check my plate display before it will be served)." I was almost done when one of the chefs went near me.

I kindly smiled and nodded. Pinakita niya sa 'kin ang pagkakaayos ng Salade de Chèvre Chaud (Goat's Cheese Salad) sa isang platito. I sternly probed it. As the head cook, it's also my responsibility to manage the food preparation including how the foods are attractively displayed on a plate and its quality.

I briefly critiqued what needs to be improved. Tinikman ko rin ito sa ibang platito, at nang matantong okay naman ang quality, tinanguan ko siya. Agad niya namang inayos ang kaunting na-critique ko sa food display, at inutusan ang isang waiter na i-serve na ito.

Ilang food display pa ang sinuri ko matapos ang isang chef na nagpa-check sa 'kin. It's the food preparation staff's tasks, but I still supervise it from time to time for a double check. I gave them the power to do it in order for me to focus designing my food display.

Ang sarili kong dish na tinawag kong Porc à l'Aube, that means Pork at Dawn ang inaasikaso ko ngayon. I came up with the dish name through thinking about my second name dahil noong sinimulan kong planuhin ito, ang kahulugan ng pangalawang pangalan ko rin ang naisip ko dahil sa naisip na related ingredient sa dawn. The Dawn-inspired Sauce.

I placed it on a plate. The pork medallions are arranged in a crescent shape covered with a sauce made of fresh cream, orange juice, lavender, white wine, and honey. The arrangement of the pork symbolizes the curve of the rising sun, and the overall color of the sauce serves as the color of the sunlight when it's just starting to rise. Mayroon ding lemon zest na nakapalibot that serves as the first rays of sunlight in the morning. To make it more appealing, naglagay rin ako sa recipe ng edible flower: the marigold flower that suits the color that I want to prevail on the plate which is yellow. May ibang ingredients pa akong hinalo to make the dish taste right and tasty.