Page 23 of Winner Takes All

“Our workers are here to revamp the cooking areas so our two teams can get started in one hour. Are you all excited?”

Everyone shouts their approval as I grit my teeth. Victor moves over to me, smiling from ear to ear. “Ready for the final round?” he asks.

“You’ve gotten off so lucky. I was going to destroy you today,” I tell him. I realize this is more of an act. I don’t hate this turn ofevents. I won’t admit it out loud but Victor’s very good at what he does, and might’ve been able to take me. I think we make equally great food, so it really comes down to the judges and which dish they prefer. I haven’t been able to figure out their favorites yet.

“You’re probably right,” he says, shocking me.

“You don’t have to throw me off my game. Apparently, we’re a team now,” I tell him.

“I’m not trying to throw you off. You’re damn good, Nik,” he tells me. Our gazes lock together as I stare at this man I’m close to falling over the cliff for.

“So are you,” I tell him very quietly.

He laughs. “Don’t say that too loudly or someone might hear,” he says with twinkling eyes.

“Don’t worry, I won’t,” I say, joining him in laughter. Maybe we’re both enjoying this.

“Here’s another twist,” Carol says, and I groan. I figured pairing us up was enough. What else can they throw at us? We move out of the way of the workers as they get our station ready, and look up at Carol as we wait to hear what else she has in store for us.

“In Food Network fashion we can’t make this too easy by allowing you to prepare a dish you’ve done a thousand times before. That wouldn’t be fair for all of you out here waiting for a good show.” Everyone laughs again except for those of us competing. We’ve put so much time into this and now the rules are changing at the last minute. We should’ve known this with the Food Network involved. They like to throw out challenges. I love watching it on television. I don’t love it as much when I’m the one in the contest and a heck of a lot of money’s involved.

“Contestants come on up,” Carol calls.

I walk forward with reluctance. Victor’s practically skipping. He loves this. He would. I’m not sure if anything fazes this man. Cindy and Mike look a bit uneasy too. They might’ve agreed topair up, but they already had their menu picked out as well. At least they’re as uneasy as I am.

More covered dishes sit on the table. I look over them as the crowd behind us cheers. I’m in this and I’m going to roll with it. I try to assure myself that I’m not worried. It went well last time, and it will go just as good this round. We’ve got this.

“Today, we want to really challenge you,” Carol says with a smile that has me on edge. “Today’s all about fusion. We’re throwing you together to work and we want to see the same with your food. We want you to blend two distinct culinary traditions into one beautifully cohesive dish. I’m excited to see what you’ll come up with.”

The lids are lifted with a flourish the crowd loves while ingredients are revealed from two completely different worlds. I’m thrown for a long moment. There’s sushi rice, seaweed, fresh tuna, wasabi... along with tortillas, black beans, jalapenos, and chorizo. What in the heck are we supposed to do with this? The clock’s already counting down, and I have no clue where to begin.

Victor looks slightly less confident as he gazes at the ingredients. “Japanese and Mexican. They aren’t making this easy.”

“No, they aren’t,” I agree.

“At least you two look as lost as us,” Cindy says. We all chuckle, more through nerves than amusement.

We move off to the side where we can’t be heard and start planning. Before we know it, our station’s set up, our food laid out. We move behind the table and look over the items with Cindy and Mike doing the same at their station.

“We’ve got this,” Victor says.

“I know,” I tell him. Ideas are finally beginning to flow. We start laying things out on our cutting boards.

“What if we do a sushi roll, but with a spicy chorizo and jalapeno filling?” I suggest.

“I love it,” he says. “That will be dish one. Nothing like a sushi burrito.”

I grab the tuna and start slicing it with precision. “It’s more of a temaki, you uncultured swine,” I say with a laugh.

“Ah, you’re using the big words now,” he says, laughing along with me, making the audience clap.

He grabs the tortillas and starts grilling them, softening them and giving them a good smoky flavor. “I might not be the most sophisticated, but I come up with some good ideas once in a while.”

“Let’s hear some ideas, then I’ll let you know if they’re good or not,” I tell him. I catch some of our audience nodding along as they watch the two of us. I hear laughter from Cindy and Mike’s station as well, so they shouldn’t be counted out. I’m trying to tell myself I’m not nervous, but I’d be a fool to underestimate them.

We cook while we bounce ideas off of each other, and soon enough, we’re working in the same seamless way as we did before. Victor perfects the tortillas, crisping them just enough to hold a sushi-like shape while I whip up a quick jalapeno aioli. He suggests adding a touch of lime zest and I agree. We taste it, and it’s perfection. We’re moving along nicely.

“It’s almost like we know what we’re doing,” Victor says as he works on some tuna rice with fresh herbs, searing the fish perfectly, making my mouth water. Shockingly we’re making several dishes that can truly be called unique. We have this in the bag.

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