Lights, Camera, Cook!

by Charise Mericle Harper

  “Yes, Chef!”

  Rae shouted too. But was it true? Could they really do it?

  It’s not really fair. If I knew that we were presenting to the people at the fair I would have made something different. I’m not sure that a person who likes a deep-fried Oreo is going to be a good judge of steak bites with blue cheese and walnuts.

  ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅

  Rae felt lucky. Her helper chefs, Raymond and Phoebe, were amazing, and they had good ideas about how to make the process go faster. It had taken her forty minutes to make just one skewer. Making fifty seemed almost impossible.

  “Division of labor,” said Phoebe. “If we each concentrate on one thing, it’ll save time.”

  Phoebe prepped the corn and helped Rae make the corn cakes. Raymond handled the pork belly. When all the ingredients were ready, they worked together to assemble the skewers.

  I’ve never made so many crepes in my life. It’s a good thing they’re easy to make. I can’t even count how many times we had to go back to the pantry to get more eggs. I’m pretty much an expert at crepes now. My skewer was the most challenging, because each crepe dumpling has a different filling. If I knew we were going to have to make fifty of them, I might have made something different, but definitely not profiteroles. That would have been even more work.

  Gochujang sauce is strong. You have to be careful. Devon, one of my helper chefs, rubbed his nose and got some next to his eye. The medic had to take him away for ten minutes to fix it. Ten minutes without a helper is a big deal if you’re in a competition, but we got a surprise. Chef Gary came and took Devon’s place. It was amazing. I got to cook right next to Chef Gary!

  Chapter 26

  tasting area was roped off outside the tent for the judging. Tate snuck a peek. The helper chefs were setting up the skewers on four numbered tables. Which one was his? He couldn’t tell. He looked to the left. A long line of people stood waiting to get in. Caroline crept behind Tate to have a look. The first thing she noticed was the stage with the microphones and, of course, cameras. She scratched her arm. Now she wished she hadn’t looked.

  Chef Gary called everyone to the middle of the tent. “Junior chefs, may I have your attention! Here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going outside to introduce the challenge.” Chef Gary pointed toward the tasting area. “And then after that we’ll bring you out to meet the fair attendees who will be judging your food. Just step forward and wave when I call your name, and then once that’s done, you can come back here to relax. That was a busy two hours. You deserve a rest! The helper chefs will be in charge of handing out the skewers and the voting cards.”

  Tate, Oliver, Caroline, and Rae stood in the tent, waiting for Chef Nancy’s signal. Chef Gary and Chef Aimee were outside talking to the fairgoers. Everyone loved Chef Gary; he knew how to make an audience laugh.

  And here they are, our four young junior chefs! And one of them will be the Next Best Junior Chef!

  “Go,” whispered Chef Nancy.

  Tate, Oliver, Caroline, and Rae ran out of the tent.

  There were so many people, I thought I’d be nervous, but I wasn’t. It made me feel like a superstar, especially when Chef Gary said my name and everyone clapped.

  ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅

  After the introductions, Chef Nancy welcomed them back into the tent. “Enjoy yourselves, and relax. I’m so proud of you. You all did a great job today!” She pointed to the back of the tent. “I have a few calls to make. I’ll be right over there if you need me.”

  Rae sat down, stood up, sat down, then stood up again. “I can’t relax! People are eating my food right now! And they’re grading me! What if they don’t like it?”

  Oliver stood up. “What if they love it?”

  “Exactly!” Tate jumped on a chair and struck a pose. “My, my—this is delightful. In fact, it’s delightfulness . . . ON A STICK!!”

  Soon they were all shouting out suggestions.

  “Deliciousness . . . ON A STICK!”

  “Lusciousness . . . ON A STICK!”

  “Tastiness . . . ON A STICK!”

  Chef Nancy rushed over, arms waving. “SHHHHHH! SHHHHH! SHHHH!!!! They’ll hear you outside!”

  Getting in trouble was worth it; they collapsed into their chairs. No one was nervous anymore.

  Everyone stood up the second they saw Chef Gary come back into the tent. This was it, the big announcement. Rae crossed her fingers for luck, but instead of announcing the winner, Chef Gary announced something else.

  “While Chef Aimee oversees the counting of the votes, we’d like you to do a quick round of interviews.”

  Caroline groaned, then quickly covered her mouth. Luckily Chef Gary didn’t hear her—he was gone again.

  I’m going to win because my skewer is a sweet and spicy taste of summer.

  I’m going to win because my skewer is sophisticated and homey.

  I’m going to win because my skewer is a sampling of three different tastes.

  I’m going to win because my skewer is daring and challenging for the tongue.

  ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅

  When Chef Gary came back the second time, Chef Aimee was with him, and so were the camerapeople.

  “This is it!” whispered Rae.

  Caroline squeezed her hand. “Good luck!”

  Chef Gary looked at each of them and smiled. “Junior chefs, you have managed to do something that chefs twice your age rarely do. This was a taste of what it’s like to work in a real restaurant, and you succeeded. Congratulations to all of you! But as you know, every competition has only one winner.”

  Chef Aimee stepped forward. “The votes have been tallied. Congratulations, Oliver! You are the winner of this challenge. Your recipe was clean, simple, and classic, but with an edge. The blue cheese and walnut compote was an inspired addition, as were the seasoned chips. Sometimes less is more, and you demonstrated this perfectly.”

  Chef Gary clapped his hands. “Well done, Oliver!”

  They all clapped, and Oliver bounced up and down just like Tate.

  Chef Aimee put her arm around his shoulder. “Now comes my favorite part. Oliver, since you are the winner, you get to choose a gadget and the fate of Chef Gary. I want you to think hard about this: pie in the face or Jell-O dunk tank?”

  Everyone screamed out suggestions.

  “Dunk tank!”

  “Pie in the face!”

  “Dunk tank!”

  Oliver whispered something to Chef Aimee. She held up her hand. “JELL-O DUNK TANK it is!”

  They all screamed again, but this time it was because Chef Gary was standing behind Oliver wearing a bathing suit and a snorkel.

  A dunk tank was wheeled out and Chef Gary climbed up onto the seat. Rae wondered if Chef Gary already knew about the Jell-O color, because it matched his green bathing suit perfectly.

  Oliver got to go first. Chef Gary didn’t stand a chance. Oliver’s arm was as good for throwing as it was for catching. The ball smashed against the target, ringing the bell, and a surprised Chef Gary dropped straight into the Jell-O.

  Chef Gary got dunked two more times. His only lucky break was Caroline. She had horrible aim. She couldn’t get the ball anywhere close to the target. That was too bad—Tate really wanted to see Chef Gary get dunked one more time.

  Wednesday

  Chapter 27

  ae followed Caroline to the breakfast buffet. Caroline grabbed a bowl and a spoon, then stopped, motionless, in front of the cereal display.

  Rae gave her a nudge. “What’s up? You stuck?”

  Caroline pointed the spoon. “Sort of. I’m tired of eating cereal, but if I lose tomorrow and have to go home, that means today and tomorrow are my last chance to have any. You know my mom—no junk food allowed!”

  Rae wasn’t expecting that. Caroline going home was not something she wanted to think about. In fact, she didn’t want to think about anyone going home.

  Oliver was in a great mood. He held up a hand blender. “My pick from the Gadget Wa
ll. I didn’t get a chance to put it in my toolbox yet.” He put it on the table.

  All during breakfast he joked with Caroline, smiled at Rae, and tossed an apple back and forth with Tate. But Rae didn’t trust the carefree happiness. Oliver wasn’t the kind of person who’d forget about camera cards. She’d have to be extra careful. There was a whole day where something could go wrong. If she lost a card they’d be tied, and then what? He wanted that private lesson as much as she did.

  Chef Nancy came into the room wearing a sun hat. “We will be spending the day on Porter Farm, and Chef Porter has some nice treats in store for us.”

  No one cheered. Chef Nancy knew why. They were scared of Chef Porter. She couldn’t blame them; Chef Porter was intimidating—and a famous world-class chef. She’d just have to work harder to get them excited. “I’ll be giving you a tour of the farm this morning, and then Chef Porter will meet you for a lunchtime surprise.”

  “Oooh.” Caroline and Rae both nodded.

  Surprise was a good word. It energized people.

  Chef Nancy continued. “There will be cameras following us today, so be mindful. But today is not about competition—it’s about fun. We’re going to enjoy the experience, enjoy each other, and rest up for tomorrow.”

  Rae waved her hand. “Does that mean I won the private lesson?”

  Chef Nancy shook her head. “We’ll have to wait until the end of the day for that one.” Rae slumped and Oliver stood taller. He still had a chance.

  Porter Farm was right next door, an easy walk.

  Chef Nancy led the way. “Our first stop will be the herb garden.”

  Caroline stepped up next to Rae and bumped her playfully. The cameras followed closely behind. Chef Nancy was right. When they were out and walking around, she hardly even noticed them. Of course, cameras at the workstation were different, but today she didn’t have to think about any of that.

  She turned to Oliver. “If you were sitting in the dunk tank, what would you want to fall into?”

  Oliver paused. That wasn’t such an easy question. He had favorites, but there were other factors to consider. Ice cream was delicious, but it would be cold and hard. Crème brûlée wasn’t good either, because of the burnt-sugar crust. He finally chose vanilla milkshake: ice cream but runny. He’d just have to deal with the cold.

  “Cotton candy,” said Tate.

  Rae nodded. That was a good one.

  Caroline held up her hand. “Crème pâtissière.”

  Rae nodded again. “Yum! Who doesn’t like pastry cream?”

  “What about you?” Caroline nudged her.

  Rae’s favorite thing was not perfect for the dunk tank, but she said it anyway. “Guacamole!”

  Chapter 28

  he herb garden was a hit with everyone, especially Rae. It was exciting to see the herbs she cooked with in their natural environment. Chef Nancy let them pick parsley, basil, thyme, chervil, tarragon, chives, dill, mint, oregano, rosemary, sage, and cilantro. Then she showed them nasturtiums, which are flowers you can eat.

  Caroline picked a mint leaf and sucked on it. “Sweet and a little tangy!”

  “Not this one.” Tate waved a cilantro sprig.

  “Ew.” Caroline covered her nose. “Soap!”

  After the herbs, they walked over to the chickens. Chef Nancy quickened her step. She had a feeling this was going to be a highlight.

  “Really? We get to pick eggs?” Tate was excited.

  Caroline shook her head. “Not pick, gather. Eggs don’t grow on trees.”

  Tate didn’t care about terminology. He ran ahead and waited at the gate.

  The chicken area was fenced off to keep the chickens in and predators out.

  “Unfortunately,” said Chef Nancy, “it isn’t just people who think chickens are tasty.”

  Chef Nancy opened the gate. “Chef Porter loves her chickens, so no running in here, and be respectful of the animals. The eggs are in the coop. You may collect an egg, but only if there isn’t a chicken sitting on it. And please bring them back one at a time. We don’t want to break any.”

  The chicken coop was huge; there was plenty of room for everyone to stand. There were three levels of shelves, each divided into little boxes.

  “Look!” said Caroline. “They each have their own bedroom!”

  “Pretty skimpy bedrooms,” said Oliver. Once a chicken was sitting in the box, there wasn’t much extra room on the sides.

  Rae shot him a look. “Bigger is not always better.” Back home her own bedroom was small—just big enough for her bed and one dresser.

  Caroline was the first to find an egg. “I got a brown one! And it’s warm!” That was a surprise. Suddenly the egg seemed more precious. She was extra careful carrying it out to Chef Nancy.

  Soon everyone was finding eggs in beautiful shades of brown and cream. Oliver was in the coop next to Rae when he spotted it. A blue egg! He reached in front of her, but then stopped himself. What if he let Rae get it? Maybe if she was extra excited and happy, she’d forget about the camera cards. That was the only way he’d win. She would only make a mistake if her guard was down.

  “OLIVER! Really? There’s the whole coop and you have to be right in front of me?” Rae pushed past him angrily, and then she saw it. A blue egg! Why hadn’t Oliver taken it? Was it a message? His way of saying Forget the competition—let’s just have fun? She took the egg out to Chef Nancy. If Oliver was being nice, she could be nice too. She’d try harder.

  “A blue egg?” Tate couldn’t believe it.

  Chef Nancy carefully placed it in the basket with the other eggs. “Isn’t it beautiful? This is from a special breed of chicken called an Ameraucana.”

  Rae started to nod, then stopped and stared. Her mouth dropped open. Chef Porter was heading straight toward her, and there was a chicken riding on her shoulder.

  Chapter 29

  veryone gathered around Chef Porter.

  Chef Nancy put her finger to her lips. “Quiet voices, please. See, I told you. Chef Porter loves her chickens.”

  Tate was shocked. This couldn’t be the same person who’d frowned at him in the filming studio. Chef Porter smiled and introduced the chicken

  “Good morning, junior chefs. I see you’ve been busy.” She pointed to the basket of eggs. “My friend here is very special.” Chef Porter tickled the chicken’s neck with her finger. “This is Nancy. She’s two years old and a special breed of chicken called a Belgian bearded d’Uccle bantam.”

  That was a long name. Tate hoped there wouldn’t be a test. Nancy was easier to remember. Could chickens be pretty? If so, Nancy was beautiful. She had rust-colored feathers speckled with black and white dots, and they covered her feet like fancy feathered boots.

  Tate raised his hand. “Is her name Nancy because of Chef Nancy?”

  Chef Porter shook her head. “Good question, Tate, but no. This Nancy is named after a great inventor, Nancy M. Johnson. Do you know what she invented?”

  Tate shook his head. He was pretty surprised Chef Porter knew his name.

  “Nancy M. Johnson invented the first hand-cranked ice cream maker over one hundred and fifty years ago, in 1843. It was revolutionary, and made ice cream easier to make. Can you imagine a world without ice cream?” Chef Porter shook her head. “I can’t. I love ice cream, so my Nancy is named in honor of Nancy M. Johnson.”

  The kids were trying hard not to laugh. Nancy the chicken was pecking at Chef Porter’s head, but Chef Porter didn’t seem to mind. She just put her hand up and stroked Nancy’s feathers.

  “Nancy can be naughty. It’s in her genes. Did you know that chickens are the closest living relatives to the Tyrannosaurus rex?”

  Everyone nodded. They all knew that.

  Chef Nancy handed the basket of eggs to Chef Porter. “Thank you, Chef Porter, for letting us visit with your chickens. We’ll see you soon, at lunch?”

  Chef Porter nodded and Nancy the chicken jiggled up and down on her shoulder. “I’m looking forward to it
. We’re going to cook up these beautiful fresh eggs.” Chef Porter handed the basket over to a helper, and then she and Nancy headed back down the path.

  Chef Nancy pointed in the opposite direction. “Next stop, the restaurant. We’ll take the scenic route.” The restaurant was on top of a small bluff overlooking the fields, the lodge, and the filming studios. It was famous and very popular; it took months just to get a reservation. Lunchtime with Chef Porter was definitely a special treat.

  Tate ran ahead, then collapsed on the ground in a fit of giggles. He didn’t know why, but a chicken riding on Chef Porter’s shoulder was the funniest thing he’d ever seen. What if Nancy the chicken had suddenly turned into a mini T. rex? That would have been a surprise—for everyone! When the group caught up, he was still rolling around laughing.

  Chef Nancy decided it was a good time for a rest, so they all sat down to enjoy the view.

  Rae studied Chef Nancy. “Are you named after the ice cream inventor too?”

  “No, I’m named after my great-aunt Nancy. She didn’t invent anything, but my mother loved her very much.”

  Tate nodded. “Well, that’s better than being named after a chicken.”

  After that, there were five minutes of chicken jokes. None of them was very good, but everyone laughed. It felt good to let off steam. Rae thought of a new joke, but she didn’t share it. Why did the chicken cross the road? She was eliminated from the challenge. After tomorrow, things would be different. One of them would be gone.

  Chef Nancy stood up. “Okay, break is over. Let’s go make some lunch!”