The judges knew well that Min-joon and Kaya achieved such outstanding results just because they were lucky. However, they found the current situation was very unfamiliar to them, although they knew it.
As a matter of fact, the pair had always shown an outstanding dish with the skills that surpassed even theirs in this contest. They thought that one’s talent would improve one’s skills rapidly, but it was another matter to make the dish that surpassed one’s skills. So, they had no choice but to be curious about how the pair could make dishes with such fantastic skills.
“I know that the world is unfair, but this confirms it once again today,” Asher muttered in a low voice. He seemed to have mixed feelings as if he felt empty and bitter. And the judges agreed with him.
“I even feel scared. Actually, this dish you have made today is something everyone has imagined.”
“But they couldn’t make it. It’s always difficult to make one’s imagination come true.”
“Even if we had given you one week, it would never have been easy for you to make a dish so fantastic as this, but you have made it, after all.”
Min-joon was rather embarrassed by the judges’ praise.
With a broad smile, Kaya asked, “Do you mean we have won?”
“Oh, let me hold my judgment because we have not yet evaluated the Dobby pair’s dish.”
“Well, no matter what dish you try, you will find it hard to find one more delicious than this.”
The moment they heard Kaya’s words, the judges found themselves agreeing with her.
The pair’s dish was not just delicious. It was original, fun, and shocking.
Could they find the same in Dobby’s dish?
Honestly, the judges found it hard to feel the same about the Dobby pair’s dishes in this contest. Their dishes were more orderly, luxurious, and stimulating than anybody else’s. Ordinary guests might find more enjoyment and fun in the dishes made by Dobby and Eva than by Min-joon and Kaya.
Unfortunately, however, the judges did not fall into the category of ordinary guests. They were chefs and gourmets. And they had tremendous skills and years of experience, so much so that they were selected as the judges of the Paris International Cooking Competition.
It was about time they finished evaluating the Min-joon pair’s dish and moved to the Dobby pair’s table. The funny thing was that when they were just done trying one dish, they felt tired like someone who was just back from a very long trip. They were more exhausted than when they ate the pair’s full Asian course on one table in the semi-finals.
Norris, the presiding judge, opened his mouth in a weary voice.
“We’re not going to give scores in this final contest.”
“No scores?”
“No. Each of the five judges here will vote one by one to judge which of the two pairs is better. And the winner is determined by a majority vote. So, they have to win over at least three of us.”
“Oh, I see.”
Min-joon nodded with an expression showing some regret. Norris noticed that Min-joon and Kaya were obviously looking forward to what score they would get for their dish in the finals.
But honestly, it was meaningless. If the judge had to grade the pair’s dish again now, they would have no choice but to give 10 points.
In other words, their dish was perfect, something that nobody imagined that they could ever see in this contest. The pair’s dish was full of the adventurous spirit and wit of a young child. No matter how much adventurous cooking a chef liked, he or she might choose a safer path in the finals of the tournament with a 1 million prize at stake. Of course, such a safe way would mean less fun. Anyway, it would take a lot of courage and guts for a chef to make something adventurous and new in the finals.
The judges turned to Dobby and Eva. What kind of dish would they show? What challenge and adventure could they show? Although the judges didn’t express it, they had such expectations while moving to the pair’s table.
Dobby and Eva welcomed the judges politely.
“Welcome!”
The judges were surprised by his polite voice. At that moment, they had no choice but to recognize that the pair belonged to the Rose Island’s New York branch. Rose Island was famous for running many branches with head chefs with different personalities.
Among them, the New York branch was most famous for its luxurious menu.
‘Obviously, he is June’s disciple.’
Personally, Norris had a lot of thoughts about the atmosphere of June’s restaurant.
He couldn’t say that it was right or wrong, but Rose Island’s New York branch didn’t have an atmosphere where guests could feel relaxed. In the New York branch, where the walls, tiles, tables, tableware, dishes and services, and even the bathroom towels were kept spick and span, even customers tended to be perfect, overwhelmed by that perfection.
In June’s restaurant, customers did not try to release the buttons on their shirts as well as their belts while sitting tight at their tables. It seemed that they worried about ruining the beautiful atmosphere of the restaurant if they didn’t do so. After they did their best to be part of the New York branch, they came back home and lamented with a sigh, “Man, it’s scary out there.”
But they didn’t think it was scary in a bad sense, for such pressure made them feel they had been to a really high-end restaurant, just like people visiting a haunted house on purpose.
Even celebrities in the political world were sometimes afraid they could show the decorum befitting her restaurant when they went there.
Now, Dobby and Eva showed how the atmosphere of the New York branch was like, which they didn’t reveal until now, by showing a restrained and polite attitude toward the judges as much as possible. It was strange that their politeness made them look more majestic.
The judges’ perception like that was confirmed when they examined their dish. Their dish was a big contrast with the neat and simple dish made by Min-joon and Kaya. The Dobby pair’s dish was luxury itself. A white sea bream was placed in the center of the plate, and on it was a sauce made by pickling a little bit of Guanciale, onions, and cilantro in vinegar. Next to it, green puree was sprinkled in several places like a drop of chocolate, and squid baked in butter was arranged in a very carefully circular shape. Its plating showed they took special care of each curved curl of the leg.
“What splendid plating! It’s just awesome.”
“Well, it’s our head chef’s cherished opinion that the most important thing about a dish is its plating. As you know, people can feel the taste and fun of a dish by looking at its plating even before they try it.”
“Yeah, I agree with you.”
“As for this sea bream, I skinned it completely then lightly coated its outer part with flour to make it crispy. The sauce on top of the sea bream was pickled in a sauce made with onion, cilantro, and Guanciale mixed with white wine vinegar and sugar. And the squid on the outside was baked with cumin and butter.”
“How did you make the puree?”
“I put some Bok Choy, avocado, apple, and basil in it. When you eat, you can put sea bream and squid together on a fork. As for puree, I recommend you dip it slightly when you want to try something new while eating.”
As soon as Dobby said that, the judges began to taste it. In no time, they groaned not because they were not impressed but because it tasted so delicious. They had no choice but to realize that this guy named Dobby was really a great chef. Given that he was only a sous chef, they got even more amazed by his excellent dish. In France, lots of famed chefs took part in this contest only to be eliminated later.
‘The future of Rose Island is bright.’
They didn’t have to think hard about the fact that Rose Island would lead the American gastronomic world in the future.
To be honest, when considering the richness of taste, Dobby’s dish was better than the Min-joon pair’s dish because they had a longer and more colorful career. But which pair should they value more highly in this situation? What should they value more, Dobby’s seasoned experience or Min-joon’s passion and guts?
‘Well, I know the answer already,’ Norris thought to himself.
Norris raised his head. The judges slowly wiped their mouths with a napkin and turned to the podium. Then, after exchanging their opinions for a moment, they carefully checked the results of the competition. Their final results were more shocking than expected.
“They will have more fun in the future. I mean the cooking world.”
“What’s the point of more fun? They are going back to the American cooking world, not here in France.”
“I think even if they are in the American culinary world, they will influence the French cooking world, too, because of their gravitas.”
Other judges didn’t object to what Sophie just said.
The judges did not proceed for some time. They had already decided on the winner, and now all they had to do was to announce the winner. However, they knew the repercussions of their announcement too well. So, they didn’t want to proceed with it perfunctorily. They wanted to feel the weight and thrill of this moment for even a little longer.
“How about announcing our results?”
But they couldn’t delay the announcement forever.
When Norris asked, the other judges nodded seriously, but they began to check out who was going to announce the final results. In fact, they wanted to be the first to announce it, but at the same time, they wanted to be the last to let their fellow judges do it. Normally, they would have felt pressured so much as now. But they felt like they were now selecting the best chefs of this era.
“Can I announce the results then?” Bastien carefully opened her mouth.
Other judges looked at him wistfully as if they wanted him to go ahead.
After all, the judges gathered around him and stood before the podium, drawing everybody’s attention.
Clearing his throat, Bastien said, “Rose Island… Oops, sorry, the Paris international Cooking Competition is over finally. While we exchanged our opinions on the outcome of the finals, we were really surprised. It’s because we have come to realize that although our taste is subjective, our taste is completely different, but sometimes our taste can be exactly the same.”
The audience, who immediately realized what he was trying to say, now began to whisper among themselves. Biting their lips, Min-joon and Kaya looked at Bastien’s face.
Bastien slowly opened his mouth.
“Let me announce each judges’ voting. First of all, Bastien voted for the Kaya and Min-joon team.”
When he said that, Kaya grabbed Min-joon’s hand tightly. She was staring at his lips.
Then he began to reveal which judge voted for whom.
“Asher voted for the Kaya and Min-joon team.”
“Parnella has voted the same way.”
“Sophie also voted for the Kaya and Min-joon pair.”
One by one, their voting was revealed. The Min-joon pair’s victory was confirmed.
Bastien finally opened his mouth.
“Norris also voted for Kaya and Min-joon. As a result, all the judges here voted for Kaya and Min-joon. The winner has gotten the consensus of the judges.”
Bastien laughed, saying “Our decision is unanimous.”
