Chef Dubois stood on a chair addressing his crew.
The kitchen-noise subsided as he greeted them all; from sous-chef to hostess, from water-boy to waitress.
His team; exhausted, longing for sleep.
“I have good news… and bad news”
Some smiled, some looked more anxious.
“We have worked hard towards the goal of public acclaim… “
The silence was punctuated by humming from cold-rooms below.
“… you will be pleased… “
The sauce-master winked at a blushing waitresses.
“… for the call I received… “
Everyone drop-of-a-needle-tense…
“… two Guide-Rouge-stars…”
Everyone cheered.
“What’s bad news, then?”, the bartender cried,
“Tomorrow… begins our journey for three stars.”
© J Hardy Carroll
So this was an effort to tell a story from a world I know next to nothing about… the kitchen and the effort to earn those stars… all the hard work that is needed.
At Friday Fictioneers Chef Rochelle guides us all through the mixed efforts of cooking up word-stews and syllable-sallad. Click on Kermit below for more stories.
—
September 18, 2019
Björn Rudbergs writings 
And you told it well.
We all know when we have achieved something there is always something more to be done.
I think his staff may have reached their limit with him, perhaps tomorrow should be a well-earned vacation before they think about that third star!
Sometimes ambition shades over into megalomania. Nicely done, Bjorn
Dear Björn,
You served a healthy serving of delectable story. And Leonard Cohen is always a feast. Well done.
Shalom,
Chef Rochelle 😉
You made this so interesting to read 🙂 Visually engaging too.
They are with their fearless leader. Onward!
you conveyed it well … love LC, thanks for this!
I always imagined that a kitchen running for such high acclaim must look like some sort of a chaotic and twisting musical composition. Love the mini piece you wrote and I hope the staff is ready!
You took me right back to when I ran a restaurant. Hard work but happy days. Onwards and upwards was my motto!
Here’s my story.
Ha! No time for the poor staff to get a breather, then!
They’ll be there, ready to go again – cooking is an art form that gets under ones skin, literally!
And that’s exactly it, isn’t it? Never be satisfied, always looking for the next star…
Well done!
Ah, well. No rest for the weary 🙂
At least he did not say from now on we begin journey for three stars! What are the staff complaining about?
Interesting take of the prompt.
Always reach for the stars.
I was afraid perhaps the restaurant was going to close down (as so many do, whether the food’s good or not), so I like your ending much better!
I would hate to work in a kitchen, I love to cook but the pressure at home is pressure enough. Good stuff Bjorn
Fabulously tense. Haha loved this… I was leaning forward too! Hope they get a short break at least. A fun read
There’s always room for improvement… unfortunately.
Whoa, Boss. He needs to stop driving them so hard or he’ll lose the people who got him that additional star. Young people these days have no reason to half kill themselves for a job as there’s little job loyalty. The employers often haven’t shown loyalty and the employees have learned that. They keep changing jobs taking their IRA’s with them. 🙂 — Suzanne
Nice story, Bjorn.
I particularly like the little interjections, which both set the scene and build the tension. Nice work!
Love the tension in the dialogue, feels so immediate. The last line rings true of ambitious chefs, though better to tell his staff tomorrow morning ?
A short celebration! Chefs have a common quality, always striving for the best and can never rest. Very serious bunch.