Accepted under the mentorship of your idol and the world's hottest chef Gordon Ramsay, you must prove your skill and determination through competing in Hell's Kitchen- A month long cooking contest versus fifteen other fierce contestants and difficul...
Now that Chef Ramsay is gone, everyone goes to their dorm bedrooms to check for the inevitable chef jacket, card, and recipe booklet waiting for them on their beds.
The red team's dorms are cramped, packed full with eight beds, each sporting a matching red pillow and blanket. The beds are small, with white plastic headboards and are raised off the ground by a mere three inches. I head towards my assigned bed eagerly.
Though I knew the jacket would be there, the moment I see it I feel a rush of happiness come over me. I'd worked as a chef at multiple different locations, but never did they supply me with a true chef's jacket. This will be my first one, and I'm going to wear it with pride.
I carefully place the jacket in the small drawer next to the bed and pick up the card that had been set on top of it.
It reads: 'Thank you for becoming a part of Hell's Kitchen. You've been selected as part of an elite group of chefs for this opportunity to work for me at my London location, 'Gordon Ramsay's London Cuisine'. Please study your recipe booklets carefully and be ready to impress! -Gordon Ramsay'
The bottom of the card is signed by Gordon himself! I squeak a bit as I hold the letter, and set it by the bedside table delicately.
Lastly, the daunting recipe booklet... I pick it up and flip through the pages. A few of the other chefs from the red team lounge on their beds reading as well. I decide to step out and read in the main area for some better lighting.
With my recipe booklet held tight to my chest, I walk out and find a spot on the couch next to a lamp. I settle in to read the recipes, tracing my finger under each sentence.
Thankfully, many of the recipes are the same as he'd had in previous seasons. I'd been sure to study those before I arrived, so a quick re-read is enough to cement them in my mind. It is interesting reading Gordon Ramsay's personal way of cooking. I had read his books but this is different. Not only will I have to demonstrate mastery of the recipes but I'll also have to show that I can follow his directions exactly, as I know he'll be watching closely.
Someone plops next to me on the couch. I look over at Taylor, who grins and holds her own recipe booklet up.
"Scary innit? So much to know and only one night to learn it! Do you want to practice with me?" her hazel eyes search my face for my answer. "I figured since you were chosen by Chef Ramsay to be his personal assistant today, you're probably the one he has high hopes for. I'd like to get some of that magic rubbed off on me!" She laughs.
A little embarrassed but flattered, I decide I would be glad to make a friend here in the kitchen.
"For sure, Taylor. Let's be study buddies." I smile back at her and she pumps her fist in the air.
"Woo! We're gonna be the most prepared outta all these ladies! Blow him out of the water, right?" Taylor happily bounces in place on the couch.
"Yeah, sure Taylor" I respond, blow him.
My naughty thoughts from earlier come bounding back. I have to consciously push them out of the forefront of my mind. There's no time to be getting all worked up.
Taylor and I spend the next two hours quizzing and bouncing questions off each other. She is actually pretty damn good!
Sometime during our study session, Red had made her way to the couch. She's now sitting near us listening. I didn't even notice her presence until we start to gather our study materials to get ready for bed. She looks a bit shy and mumbles, "You two were having some really interesting conversations about these recipes, I figured I'd learn something if I were a part of it, but I was too anxious to butt into the conversation... I'm sorry..." She nervously wrings her hands together.
"It's alright Mary, do you mind being called Red? I keep thinking about it when I see you, but I don't want to call you that if it'd make you uncomfortable," I ask, genuinely curious.
"Oh no that's quite alright, I've always been called Red even before I got here. Either for my hair or because I blush real easy. It's not a problem, I'm used to it." She gives a small smile as we finish gathering our things.
All three of us are the last to enter the dorm bedrooms at around 1am. We settle in our beds and attempt to get as much sleep as possible for tomorrow's service.
There's no way I am going to disappoint Chef Ramsay.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
