Revenge Series 1: Twins of Moonlight Desire

Chapter 5: Chef Alvin Peterson

“Miss Jones, what are we doing here?” Cole asked once they got out of the car.

After he had signed the contract and sent it to the address given to him. In just a matter of hours, he immediately received a call from Miss Jones's secretary, Abby, as if they were expecting him to agree to the deal on that day.

He was asked about his current location and the next thing he knew, they had already arrived at an empty building. It didn’t look exactly like the abandoned one once, but it was obvious that it was under renovation.

“I want you to meet someone,” Kathryn said as she headed towards a closed room inside the building.

As soon as they stepped inside, that’s where Cole had a clear idea of what the building was for. The room they had just entered was a huge kitchen, and with that alone, this building must be the one she had spoken about, Caiside Palace.

“This is where you are going to practice your skills while waiting for the competition… And I want you to meet him—” The side door opened and a man in white polo, he was probably in his 40s already, entered the room.

“This is Chef Alvin Peterson and he will be your trainer.” Kathryn smiled as she introduced the person to him.

Cole couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He had heard this name before, as he was a very famous chef in the entire Southern Islands. That even the alpha’s family couldn’t defeat. He was a fan of his, together with his brother.

In the past, he dreamed of meeting him in person but he suddenly disappeared from the spotlight. Not even a single piece of news about him was spread. Some even thought that the great chef had died, which explains his complete disappearance. But, who would have thought that he would be able to meet him in person?!

“Young lady, so this is the person you told me about? Can he really handle it?! He looked weak.” Alvin Peterson opened a bottle of wine he got from the table and drank it straight from it.

Cole kept his silence and suppressed the emotions on his face. He couldn’t believe that this man was the “Great Chef Peterson”. He looked like anything but a professional chef. His outgrown hair was unkempt and a little greasy, his beard seemed to haven’t been shaved for months, and his scent, Cole was tempted to hold his breath. He really didn’t like the strong scent of alcohol.

“Indeed, it’s him, Chef Peterson. I hope you will be able to help him win the competition.” Kathryn said and took a seat in one of the empty high chairs inside the kitchen. She sat in such a position that she radiated confidence and elegance. She wasn’t slouching or complaining as she talked with Chef Peterson.

Chef Peterson nodded while humming. “Let me test this kid first.” He walked closer to him, “Kid, you have to show me what you’ve got. My lessons aren’t that easy to obtain, remember that. Are you ready?”

“I’m always ready, Chef Peterson!” Cole replied with confidence.

Chef Peterson nodded and served three dishes in front of Cole which he had prepared in advance. Cole looked at the three dishes as he inspected them.

“The test today is quite easy. I was told that you have a very unique tongue that can easily distinguish flavors, so you have to make use of it. In front of you are three dishes and I want you to replicate them. First, is the pan-seared foie gras. Here, why don’t you give it a try?” He uncovered the first dish and pushed the plate towards Cole.

The pan-seared foie gras was visually appetizing. Cole silently picked up his fork and gave it a taste.

“If you are done tasting it, you should write down the ingredients you tasted on this paper. Don’t worry about time, as you have all the day to test it. You can also taste it several times if you are not sure about your answer.”

Cole Donovan heard him and nodded. He closed his eyes as he slowly chewed the foie gras meat in his mouth. Aside from the foie gras, he couldn’t distinguish five other ingredients used in the dish.

Of course, there’s salt, pepper, white wine, grapefruit juice, and unsalted butter. The white wine added to the appetizer complemented the delectable pan-seared foie gras and helped provide an excellent balance of sweetness and acidity.

“So, what do you think, young lad?” Chef Peterson placed both of his hands on the countertop of Cole's counter and waited for him to finish the foie gras.

“It’s delicious, as expected. It is extremely fatty with a very rich buttery flavor. The texture of the meat was smooth and leaves a great mouthfeel because of the natural fat content. I wouldn’t be surprised if this becomes a sensation.”

Chef Peterson took a peak at Cole’s papers and inwardly smiled. There were 5 ingredients listed on it. Even the butter that was used on the dish was found by him. Now, he wondered if this Cole Donovan could replicate the dish and reconstruct the flavors.

“Moving onto the next one, this is a simple bean-curd egg drop soup.” Chef Peterson presented a small bowl with rich, creamy yellowish soup.

Cole scooped a spoonful of the soup and tasted it. With only a few simple ingredients, a little butter, bean-curd, eggs, chicken stock, cornflour, soy sauce, salt, peppercorns, and spring onions. This bean-curd egg drop soup had an intense flavor that tasted just like summer.

The ingredients that were used were simple yet of their best quality. The layers of flavor didn’t contradict one another, instead, they stimulated his mouth with such vigor that it overwhelmed and heightened his senses.

He immediately wrote the ingredients on the board and moved on to the next dish. He wasn’t surprised at all when he saw a garlic herb butter roast chicken in front of him.

Once Cole was done tasting the three dishes, Chef Peterson called Kathryn and Abby to also taste the food.

“Taste these three dishes as well too. I’ll let you decide later if Cole Donovan passed this test or not. You will compare the taste of the dishes I presented with the ones he would cook later.”

Kathryn had a taste first before Abby. Both of them appreciated and deeply engraved the flavor of the dishes on their minds, hoping it would do some justice later once Cole recreated them.

The two of them agreed and took turns to have a taste of the three dishes while Cole stood silently, deep in his own thoughts.

Chef Peterson presented three dishes that were deceptively simple with very few ingredients, and yet the cooking techniques used to produce such great flavors were critical. From handling the ingredients to cooking under accurate temperatures, the cook should focus their attention on the time it's being cooked.

“We are now done with the tasting part. Mr. Donovan, all the ingredients you need are in the fridge and in the pantry at the back. I’m not expecting you to finish all the dishes soon, but I hope you can serve them tonight as our dinner. Can you prepare 4 servings of each dish tonight?”

Cole nodded in reply.

“That’s good then. You can have the kitchen all to yourself and you can cook. We will just be outside.”

Chef Peterson left the kitchen with Kathryn and Abby following behind him.

“Good luck, Mr. Donovan. I hope you will not let me down,” Kathryn said, before completely disappearing with the chef.

When everyone left the kitchen, Cole raided the fridge and pantry and started with food preparation.

First, he took a whole chicken from the fridge and blotted it dry with paper towels, trying to keep it dry as much as possible. If he didn’t do this, he couldn’t achieve that crispy, crackly crust that he was aiming for.

Next, he seasoned it generously with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Kosher salt would be ideal to season this chicken, and with fresh ground black pepper, it would have a great peppery flavor. He combined olive oil, melted butter, white wine, and lemon juice, then rubbed it all over the chicken, under the skin, and inside the cavity.

After that, he rubbed the minced garlic over the chicken and under the skin to maximize the garlic taste. Once he’s done with seasoning, he places it on a rimmed baking sheet and lets it sit in the fridge for three hours. Then, he moved on and started preparing the bean-curd egg drop soup.

Using a knife, he cut the bean-curd into medium cubes. Sliced the spring onion bulb and add it to the stock. He then breaks the eggs, one at a time, while separating the yolks and whites in a separate bowl.

Cole melted the butter and sauteed the bean-curd in a large pot over medium-low heat. Once it turned soft and translucent, he added the chicken stock, light soy sauce, salt to taste, and freshly crushed black peppercorns and mixed it well.

After it came to a boil, he added half of the cornflour slurry and mixed it well till the soup thickened. The drizzled egg white was then added to the soup with the spring onion greens.

Cole brought it to a boil and then reduced the heat to medium-low and cooked it uncovered for another ten minutes.

After finishing cooking the soup, he checked the time. He still had another two hours to prepare everything until dinner time came.

***

Chef Peterson lazily tapped his fingers at the table, waiting for Cole to serve the three dishes he recreated. Looking at that hardworking boy, Chef Peterson found some similarities to himself when he was still young. Full of vigor and vitality for cooking.

However, after losing his ability to taste flavors, he lost all the passion he had for cooking. Losing his sense of taste is the equivalent of being a useless chef. That’s why he stepped down from the spotlight and lived as silently as he could.

If not for Miss Jones finding him, he wouldn’t have come out of that small apartment of his and have tried to live again. Her promise to him that time that she would find the culprit behind him losing his sense of taste and making that person pay for what he did had brought hope to him.

And after learning the story of this young man who lost his brother because of cooking, he decided to help him out win back the justice his brother should have. He had also seen Cole Donovan’s brother in the past and his achievements, and he could not deny that he was indeed a genius at culinary.

If Justin Donovan, Cole’s brother, hadn’t died, he would have conquered the culinary world by now. With his talent and passion for cooking, there were endless possibilities and doors waiting for him to open.

And, Chef Peterson knew that he would be damned if he would just turn his back on Cole Donovan without helping him achieve his goals. Just like his brother, he inherited the same tongue that the gourmets would fight for. If he couldn’t train him to achieve the pinnacle of his potential, then all of his hard work in the past would be deemed useless.

Then, the door slid open, revealing Cole Donovan’s figure.

“Looks like you are finally done.” Chef Peterson said while Cole served the bean-curd egg drop soup at the dining table.

“I have done the best I could. Whether I pass the test right or not, I will stand by my decision to compete in the annual culinary competition. I won’t give up even if I fail this test.” Cole Donovan stood confidently, his eyes meeting Chef Peterson’s without a hint of doubt in his eyes.

The amused glint in Chef Peterson’s eyes returned, “We’ll see, Mr. Donovan.”