Page 12 of In a Pinch

I’m suddenly very glad I left on Wednesday instead of Friday. This will give me a little time to get my papers organized and to catch up on sleep.

With my wine glass in hand, I make my way to the couch and curl up. We turn on a movie and the sound of screeching tires fills the room as the preview plays.

I was worried it would feel awkward living with Cal. I have gotten to know him better throughout the year, but actually living with someone in their space can be a little tricky. Thankfully, my worries were wasted because we all fall into easy conversation and laughs.

After it arrives, we eat our pizza on the couch and settle into our soon to be new routine. The dancing flames from the fireplace illuminate the room and a little piece of me settles. Yup, this feels right.

Chapter Six

Sam

“You can’t be serious. We all know my people skills are severely lacking.” The words fall from my mouth before I can catch them. My boss knows I have a tendency to say it like it is, but even that was bold for me. In fairness, this is the dumbest shit I’ve ever heard.

Shrugging his shoulders, he gives me a ‘tough shit’ look. “If you want to be head chef, this is the requirement. We usually make our new hires do it, but you happened to slip past,” Chef Antony says. Though, we all just call him Chef. It comes with the territory when you make head chef, which is my leading drive in life right now. Work hard and claw my way into the head chef title.

I have been working for Flambé for just over a year and a half now, I'm the only one here in the kitchen without a culinary degree. I’ve fought my way to the top, and I'll be damned if I let something stupid like this slow me down.

“Yeah, I kind of thought I had dodged the bullet.” I shoot Chef a smirk. I was so close to getting away with never having to do it.

Fuck my life right now. The idea of the program is great, but me and peopling go together like oil and water.

“I know you think this is stupid, but teaching others and leading is a key part of the position. Do you want to be the next head chef? You will need to learn how to communicate with people and learn how to teach. This is the best way for it. Plus, us being involved in the community is good for our image.”

The thought of me standing in front of a bunch of people and teaching a cooking class is certified insanity. I shift in my seat. Here I was, excited about getting dragged into the boss’s office, and thinking I had my promotion in the bag. So close, but so far.

“You succeed with this, and the position is yours.”

No pressure. Just teach a bunch of toast burners how to not catch their kitchen on fire, and the job is yours.

“So, what do I teach them? Are we cooking different things every night and I teach them new dishes?” I fidget in my chair, taking note of Chef. While I’m stressed, he’s clearly loving it. His gray eyes are bright with delight. It’s hard to believe he’s of retiring age with how well he has aged. His tan skin only has crinkles around the eyes. His dark hair is free from gray, and I kind of wonder if he doesn’t dye it or something. Surely, at sixty, he’d have some salt with that pepper.

“The curriculum is up to you to create. I’d recommend starting with the basics: chopping; how to measure; when to use a scale; and so on. This is your project. You can do what you please with it.”

My annoyed demeanor is doing me no favors today. But I have the utmost respect for the man looking at me. He’s been the best boss I’ve ever had and a great mentor in my career. If he says jump, I will.

“Okay, so, when do classes start?” My brain starts to tumble through thoughts on what I can do with this. Do I teach basics? Or should I make this more technical? Shaking my head, I refocus back on Chef Antony’s gray eyes.

“They begin tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. The participants have already paid. You can use whatever you need from our supply. Just let me know what you’re taking so I can make sure we are well-stocked.”

My back immediately straightens, and the professionalism falls from my face. “You mean, I have to create a whole curriculum for this class in one night?” This is a joke.

My arms cross as irritation rises. Down to my bones, I am a planner, and this short of notice kind of prohibits that. I hate half-assing things; if I’m going to do something, whether or not I like the task, I do it to the best of my ability. I’ve been doubted my whole life, and that adds all the fuel to my fire to be the very best.

“You cannot always plan for what may go down in the kitchen. Sometimes shipments don't arrive, and you have to make it up as you go. I believe in you. As much as you think you are a growly asshole, and for good reason, you are a wonderful teammate when you want to be. Learn from this.” He stands from behind his desk and hands me an information sheet about the class and attendance numbers. “Here’s what you’ll need to know.”

He shrugs on his jacket and smiles at me. “Good luck with your planning. I look forward to hearing about your first class.”

Guess that is my cue to go. He has put his neck out for me many times, and I have yet to let him down. He took me under his wing from day one and is a huge reason for my quick growth,not only in my career but in my skill. You would think my quick growth would come with a reward, not punishment.

Scouring the internet, I tried to come up with ideas that would be good for class. If the next step in my career rides on teaching a class to cook, I will make it the best damn class that has ever existed.

Breaking it down to basics, I took Chef's idea. Chopping, measuring, and all the things you have to know to be able to build a dish. He’s a total asshole for making me do this, but as much as I hate to admit it, this will probably be helpful in the long run. There will be team members I will have to build from the ground up. Everyone starts somewhere, and if they have a passion for anything culinary, I’d be doing a disservice to not help them grow.

From there, I broke it down to simple dishes, which will introduce basic ideas. Breakfast, some pastas, and some meats to help teach temperature safety. Trying to hype myself up, I convince myself that I can make my way through this. Come hell or high water, this will be the best community class ever. I didn’t come this far to stumble now.

Flicking on the switch to turn on the fluorescent lights of the community center building, I make my way to the small, round table at the front of the room. Seeing that the place is lined with carpet makes me cringe. Cleaning this place up must be a real pain in the ass. Each little workstation has a cooktop, oven, and small sink, everything we will need to roll smoothly. Moonlightshoots in from the large windows on the outside wall of the classroom.

I set up my table at the front of the room and get the supplies all out. There are four different sets of people coming. I guess it is a buddy and me class? The sheet Chef gave me has basic information, like how many people and how long I’ll be stuck doing this. I’ll take a couple’s class over a mommy and me cooking class any day. Kids are great and all, but when it comes to teaching, I’ll stick with adults; they tend to lick less bowls and don’t touch everything with sticky fingers. The kitchen is a place for order and cleanliness.

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