It was Akira who posted his review of Min-joon’s dish in his cuisine blog on the internet. He always wrote about his experience of the restaurants he stopped by. Whenever he visited Rose Island, he usually left more favorable reviews about Rachel’s recipes than any other chefs.
Of course, he didn’t post his cuisine review only when he visited Rose Island. Whenever he visited a famous chef’s restaurant, he would post reviews like ‘I enjoyed the dish more because the chief chef made it in person.’
But this time, his review was different. The title of his review was unusual. ‘I went there to enjoy steak, but got hooked on the flavor of the onion on the side.’ Obviously, he referred to Rachel and Min-joon’s dishes on that day.
Maya read Akira’s blog review with a smile.
<Until now, I’ve tended not to be satisfied with the food unless the head chef makes it directly. But this dessert smashed my stubborn tendency until now. Parmigiano Reggiano with five flavors and savory textures made by Min-joon. It’s the very best dessert!>
“Stop it, Maya. I’m embarrassed to read such a review.”
“Let me read it a little more.”
<In fact, I’m not interested in any dish made by Rachel Rose’s student or any dish made by the head chef’s disciple at any restaurant. Even now, I haven’t changed my attitude. But this was not a dish made by Rachel’s student, but Min-joon. I would like to admire it…>
“Can’t you stop?”
“Sure, Chef.” Maya mischievously shut her mouth.
Leaning against the wall, Janet asked, “Why do you look sullen? He is praising you! Can’t you be happy?”
“I don’t like the way he describes me. He mentioned it’s my dish, not Rachel’s student. Of course, it sounds like he recognizes me, but he didn’t mention Rachel’s influence on me. So, I’m sorry for her.”
“Don’t talk high and mighty, man. You can’t expect to get only favorable reviews in this world.”
“I know. That’s why I shut my mouth.”
“Anyway, it’s good to know you are recognized by a gourmet like him, or to be more exact, gourmets and chefs.”
“Chefs?”
Instead of replying, she showed him the screen of her smartphone.
Min-joon looked at it and asked, “What is this?”
“It’s a community of cooks. Lots of cooks are commenting about you after Akira praised you.”
“Was Akira such a famous gourmet?”
“To be exact, you’re famous. Oh, I would say Rose Island itself is famous. Isn’t our restaurant in the news when you kiss somebody, right, Min-joon?”
He scratched his head with an embarrassed expression. Janet narrowed her eyebrows, shaking her hand while holding the smartphone.
“How long do you want me to hold it?”
“Oh sorry.”
Min-joon quickly took her smartphone and began to read the cooks’ comments on Akira’s blog.
<h1>Title: Min-joon was praised by Akira.</h1> <h1>Name: None</h1> <h1>Content: Damned Akira! When he came to my restaurant, he didn’t even mention my demi chefs at all.</h1>
HW: Are you sure Akira praised a demi chef and one at Rose Island at that? What the hell did the demi chef cook?
└ David Chung: I hear the demi chef brought out five flavors and savory textures with cheese, even foam, air, galette, plus souffle and sauce. It’s definitely a brilliant idea. I can’t tell the taste just by looking at the photos, but his idea of highlighting the difference in taste depending on the age of the cheese was attractive.
└ HW: @David Chung It must be delicious. If it’s not delicious, that picky Akira would not leave a comment like that. I’m getting curious. Should I visit Rose Island one of these days? Can I make a reservation?
└ Benjamin Mathewson: @HW I think Rose Island takes reservations one month or a quarter in advance. Probably, if you make a reservation now, it’s highly likely that you can taste a new dessert by Min-joon.
Sae Hakayami: He may have excellent gastronomic skills, but I wasn’t impressed with his cooking skills. How could he make it?
└ Benjamin Mathewson: Who knows? He may have improved a lot.
└ Sae Hakayami: @Benjamin Mathewson Are you kidding? You know better since you are a cook. Don’t know you can’t improve your skills overnight? By the way, I saw the Grand Chef competition, but Min-joon was not good enough to get such a good review from Akira.
└ Benjamin Mathewson: @Sae Hakayami That doesn’t mean that Akira left a misleading review, right? Whether Min-joon made it by luck or with his own skills, it’s certain Akira was satisfied with his dessert.
└ Taraneh Kashani: Well, all of the gourmets who have been to Rose Island now are favorable to Min-joon’s dish. They say it’s as good as Rachel Rose’s. I just can’t believe a guy like him who just started his career could make such a wonderful dish. I thought you need to put a lot of effort into your skills before you can be recognized…
└ HW: @Taraneh Kashani Well, I guess it depends on hard work rather than talent as far as cooking skills are concerned. But creativity is ultimately a matter of talent. If cooking means your efforts, Michelin stars would actually be given to senior chefs first because of their age.
└ Taraneh Kashani: @HW That’s right too. Oh, I envy him anyway.
“Actually, I’m making lots of effort…” Min-joon muttered to himself.
He looked at the smartphone screen, a bit disappointed. He was about to hand the smartphone back to Janet, but he flinched because of her unusual look. Her eyes suggested she wanted to say something to him.
He asked, wiggling his eyebrows, “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Because I am so jealous.”
“Don’t you think you are too straightforward?”
“Well, I don’t want to hide my feelings, Min-joon. It would be more ugly if I tried to hide my feelings.”
“You don’t have to feel jealous. You just try it like me.”
Having said that, he thought she was very similar to the top student in his school when he was a kid. At that time, that guy said something like, ‘Grades? You can improve your grades if you do what they instruct you to do at school or private academy. Are you doing your homework?’
As if he was embarrassed, he cleared his throat and turned his eyes from her.
She was staring at him sharply at the moment.
“I just feel good because Min-joon is on a roll these days.”
It was Marco who said that.
With his hands and apron covered with white flour, he chuckled cheerfully.
“If Min-joon hits the ground while running, I feel like I can do well, too. By the way, isn’t it good to see our colleague rising in the world?”
“I didn’t say anything about it. What I mean is I just feel jealous. But I haven’t said I don’t like him to succeed!” Janet replied harshly then left, muttering that she should get back to cooking.
Min-joon looked at Marco with a smile and said, “Hey, do you like your job?”
“Yes, apart from Lisa, I was really surprised when I met Jack. I was so impressed with his deep understanding of bread.”
“It’s great since I’m learning a lot from him.”
“Thanks,” Marco said, laughing awkwardly.
Taking a deep breath, he spoke rather seriously, “I can work here like this because you have cheered me up. It’s my first time leading a life with expectations for my future. All thanks to you, Min-joon.”
“You’re very welcome. Don’t say that.”
“You don’t have to feel that way. If I can’t say thank you now, then I’ll probably never be able to.”
Marco scratched his cheek with his finger, embarrassedly. His face had a bit of white flour.
Min-joon reached out his fist, so did Marco.
Min-joon said with a smile, “Yes. Let’s stay on like this, thanking each other.”
<hr />
“Min-joon’s cheese dessert is being talked about a lot more than we think,” Isaac said in a low voice. Rachel lifted a fork instead of replying. It was the cheese dessert that he specially made for her at her request.
Isaac said with a sigh, “Not only gourmets, but our customers are worried that this cheese dessert will disappear as the season changes. I don’t know if it’s true or not, but there are people who buy and sell their reservation tickets behind the scenes…”
“Delicious dishes make people happy, and really delicious dishes make people crazy. Aren’t you curious how fast Min-joon will grow, given their hot craze for his dessert even before trying it?”
“I’m more curious about how you are going to deal with it than his future. What are you going to do? Are you going to keep his dessert on our menu a little longer or stop it this season?”
“Well, I think you had better ask him.”
Then she picked up her smartphone. Within seconds after she sent him a text message, Min-joon carefully opened the door of her office. Looking at the cameraman standing behind him and hesitating for a moment, she smiled and beckoned to him to come in.
“Master Rachel, what’s going on?”
“Well, let me ask you something. Your cheese dessert is very popular right now, so I’m thinking of keeping it on our menu next season. Well, as the ingredients are cheese, we don’t have to think about the season, of course. What do you think?”
“Oh, I see…”
Min-joon was confused at the moment because he didn’t expect such a question at all.
A little later, he opened his mouth with a cautious voice. “I think it’s a good idea to keep it until the next season. As long as we have customers who want it, I think it’s good to keep it. But if it’s on our menu for too long, we might give our customers the impression we don’t change our menu.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. We can set it as a dessert that they can order separately, not a regular course. Just because we seek to change, it doesn’t mean we have to throw away our existing menu.”
“Yes. That’s a good suggestion, too. But if you like this, too…”
Min-joon hesitated as if it was hard to bring it up then spoke slowly, “I think I can disclose the recipe of the desert.”
“Recipe?”
She opened her eyes wide as if she was surprised. It was the recipe that she okayed for his first attempt. Besides, famous gourmets extolled it. In some respects, it could be said to be Min-joon’s signature menu. Given that ordinary chefs would not reveal their recipes easily, Min-joon’s willingness to disclose his recipe was quite extraordinary.
“Why do you want to disclose it?”
“Even if you keep serving this dessert for the next season, I don’t think everybody who wants to enjoy it can’t for various reasons such as money or time constraints. But if I disclose it now, more restaurants will be able to make it, and more people can enjoy it. I think that’s the most valuable way for me to use my recipe.”
“Min-joon, you can’t disclose it so easily…”
Isaac was about to say something, but Rachel raised her hand and stopped him.
Then she asked with a gentle smile, “Won’t you regret your decision later?”
Min-joon replied, “No, I won’t.”
She looked into her eyes for a while, which seemed young, pure, and sometimes mature.
Then she quietly nodded and said, “Yes. It’s your recipe. You can do whatever you want.”
“Thank you.”
“You will see lots of people expecting you in the future. What they want is not just change. They expect your progress. You have to make a more deciduous dessert than the cheese dessert. Can you make it?”
“Yes, I can.”
He answered without any hesitation, but he had worries, of course. However, he had been thinking about it for some time, and he knew the answer. If he couldn’t make any further progress, why was he sticking with his current career path?
Rachel smiled at him and said, “Yes, I trust you.”
Having said that, she put his cheese dessert to her mouth. He closed his eyes with a smile.
As always, he was greeted with a different system window.
<Min-joon Cho. Cooking level 8 >
