Catering to Love (11 page)

“You really care about that?”

“Why shouldn’t I?”

“I don’t know. I guess I’ve never heard of a boss caring about what employees want so long as they are doing the job.”

“Well, smart bosses care. What do you see yourself doing in a year from now?”

“Hopefully, I’ll be a line cook.”

“Is that your ultimate goal? Have you given any thought to trying out the other stations?”

“I hadn’t,” she giggled. “I’m having a hard enough time trying to get this one under my belt.”

“Oh, stop. You’re doing fine. It’s one meal at a time—or in your case, one dessert at a time. The fact is that you’re doing pastry every day, all day long, and it’s important to come up with new ideas.”

“I agree. For right now though, I’ll stick with pastry as long as I know it’s possible for me to move to another station in the future.”

“That’s good. Always keep your options open. What prompted you to go to culinary school?”

“Hmm, the company I was working for went belly-up and I was searching for a job. I had invited friends over for dinner, and while I was cooking in the kitchen, the husband was sitting at the breakfast bar conversing with me and commented on the ease with which I moved around the kitchen.
It was then that I decided this was really what I wanted to do, so I enrolled in culinary school.”

Leslie chatted until Gabi released her for the lunch rush. She was happy to know her employees were excited about the future of the restaurant and ready to stand behind her ideas.

Once the lunch rush was out of the way, Gabi decided it was time to meet with Corey. She walked to his station. “Can you meet me in my office?”

“I have too much to do for the dinner crowd.”

“That should have been done this morning. What exactly do you have left to do?”

“I have to put this roast in the oven, I have to fillet the fish, and other stuff.”

“Okay. Give the roast to Joey to take care of, the fish to Steven, and what is the other stuff that needs your attention?”

“I need to cut the garnish for tonight’s presentation.”

“Okay. Joey, will you show Leslie how to cut the garnish for the plate presentations?”

“Yes, Chef,” he said dryly.

Leslie’s wide grin told her she was delighted to have something different to do. “When Corey and I return, we’ll help pick up the slack.” She turned to him. “I’ll see you in my office in ten minutes.” He made a face. “Joey, you can hold down the fort, can’t you?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Thank you, guys. We’ll be out shortly.” She walked to her office. Her heart was beating faster than she would have thought, but the truth was Corey did intimidate her somewhat. She’d never admit that to him, because the minute she did, he’d take advantage of it. She had barely gotten comfortable when Corey entered and sat down in the chair in front of her desk.

She cleared her throat. “Look,” she said, “you and I started out on the wrong foot and I’d like to change that. So why don’t you tell me what has you so angry.”

The shadow of his day-old beard gave him a manly aura and brought out the rich color of his deep brown eyes. Despite how handsome it made him look, she didn’t like the casualness of it in her kitchen. As he rubbed his hand along his jaw, the rasping noise was as though his hand was rubbing against a stiff brush. “You don’t need to know anything about my personal life.”

“That’s true. I don’t care about your personal life. But if it’s affecting the way you treat your employer, it would help me to understand what’s going on in that head of yours. Nell told me you were trying to buy the restaurant. Is that the problem?”

A muscle flickered in his jaw. He snorted and shook his head. “That was between us. I’m disappointed to hear she blabbed her big mouth.” He pursed his lips. “Isn’t it just like a woman?”

“Tell me what your issue is with women. And don’t think I’m falling for that sorry, archaic excuse you gave me before.” He didn’t respond. “Look, if you want to stay here at Carters’, then we need to come to some common ground.
I’ve waited a long time to own my own restaurant and, while I don’t expect every day to be a bed of roses, I do expect everyone to respect me as well as each other. I’m all about harmony in the work environment; otherwise, coming to work is a real drag… for you and for me.” She leaned back in her seat. With a sharp intake of air, she crossed her arms against her chest. Tension mounted in her shoulders, but she wasn’t about to back down. This was one time she was sticking to her guns, and if Corey couldn’t handle it, he would have to make his contribution to society somewhere else. Corey’s eyes remained fixed in a downward cast. “I’m waiting.”

“Hey, if you want me to quit, I’ll hand in my resignation right now.”

“That isn’t what I want, Corey. You are a talented chef, and I need someone like you. I just want to get to know you better. I want to know that you have my back when I’m not around and I want to have yours. But if we can’t communicate, can’t work as a team, then what good is it?”

“Okay, fine!” He folded his arms against his chest. “I had a relationship that ended badly.”

“And that one thing has you angry at all the women in the world?”

He folded his arms across his chest and stared at the floor. “You wouldn’t understand.” He stood, ready to leave.

“Please. Don’t leave yet.” Gabi took a deep breath and gestured for him to sit. “We’re not done. I’m sorry about what happened to you. I’m sure it’s going to take some time for you to adjust. It’s not something that you just walk away from without some kind of baggage. What I’d like you to understand, though, is that I’m not the enemy here.”

“I’m used to running the show. Nell and John gave me that. Over the last year, with John’s health problems, he was out of the restaurant more than he was here, so they let me do my thing and relied on me to carry it out. They never got involved unless there was a customer issue that I couldn’t handle. Of course, that rarely happened, but I did what I could to keep things running smoothly. I’m not used to having a boss so hands-on and I’m trying hard to get used to it—but it’s not coming easily.”

“Okay, I can understand that, but do you think you can get used to having a woman for a boss?”

“I don’t know. I suppose I could try.”

“I’m willing to work with you.” Gabi said. “But understand I’m not about to walk away and let someone else run the business I’ve been dreaming about all my adult life.” He gave a nod. “So, are you willing to try?” She shoved her hand toward him. “Want to shake on it?”

He reluctantly shook her hand but not without first sighing. “I guess I’d better get back out there and get ready for the dinner crowd.”

“Where do you see yourself going from here?” she asked.

His body stiffened slightly, and he haughtily tossed his head. “You don’t need to worry your pretty little head about where I want to go from here. I’m here now. There isn’t another thing I can do to better myself. I know I’m not going to make enough money to start my own business again, so I have to stay or look for another restaurant.”

“Yeah, but I don’t want you here if you’re not willing to work as a team. If I don’t succeed with my goals, no one on the team does either. I want us to have an obtainable goal, and I’d feel much better knowing you were willing to work
toward that. You can’t predict the future. All you can do is try to think positively one step at a time and take it from there.”

“Yeah, whatever.” He turned to leave.

“One last thing. In addition to wearing a chef’s jacket tomorrow, please shave. This is a professional environment, and that’s how I want it to look. And I should think with your education and experience, you’d know better than that.”

He rolled his eyes as he placed his hand on the doorknob, then pulled the door open and walked out into the kitchen.

Gabi watched him until he was out of sight. She felt sorry for him. And she would have felt the same way if the situation were reversed. But this was his drama and something he had to come to terms with—not her.

Now Corey, you know the adage “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,” so don’t be expecting this little lady to be showering you with confetti anytime soon. But there’s a restaurant to run, so you still have to cook the rice, or cook your goose if you don’t toe the line.

Take a large bowl, mix the first six ingredients together until completely blended—which may or may not be good
practice for other parts of your life—and set aside. Then, make the vinaigrette.

Use a blender or food processor. Add everything except the olive oil and blend until completely smooth. The trick to emulsifying the vinaigrette is to add the olive oil in a s-l-o-w stream into the orange-soy mixture while the motor is running on the food processor. If it’s not, then you can expect the oil, orange and soy to part ways—something that might just make you happier. Or not! Before serving, pour vinaigrette over salad and toss. Makes 6 servings.

Steven was plating a dish with roasted cod, garnished with pears and berries when Gabi walked past his station. She stopped and watched him place the poached pear against the fish that was resting beautifully on a bed of green bamboo rice. She leaned in, wiped the edges of the plate with the lemon water and placed it on the pick-up table. “Looks good, Steven.”

He blinked his eyes and smiled, as though pleased that Gabi recognized him, then added two sesame-crusted tuna steaks to the fire.

Gabi nodded for Dan to deliver the dish to the customer. “It’s really nice to hear a boss compliment an employee,” he said. “We’re not used to hearing nice things. John and Nell only told us when we were doing something wrong.”