Gloria's first order of business the following day was calling Tsukiko back to her steakhouse. Being the first call of five, Tsukiko was scheduled for a late morning interview. Nicole was mildly surprised of the arrangement when Gloria told her over cappuccino.
"Really?" Nicole chuckled. "Just from her fries? Although those were killer."
"I was going over the footage from yesterday while prepping myself a pizza," Gloria began, queuing up a clip on her tablet. She and Nicole had spent the cooking audition mainly judging by results plate by plate. The new steakhouse had numerous security cameras in the house and back, ostensibly for security purposes. However, they also provided a valuable look into the applicants' preparation of their meals.
Gloria had built a large kitchen in the steakhouse, large enough that even dozens of corpulent chefs could work on their dishes during the waves of demonstrations. Being one of the taller heads of the new recruits, the six foot Tsukiko could be easily seen with the blue streak of hair she had in her long, tied back black locks. The kitchen was only "just" large enough, as there were bumps and collisions from the various cooks all competing for space and ingredients. This volume of potential talent trying to prove their best steaks might have soured some applicants' chances from all the stepping on toes and bumping of booties, yet Gloria both wanted the process done quickly and also wanted to see how well her new chefs could handle a challenge.
"Whoa!" Nicole gasped, seeing the footage that had impressed Gloria. One of the failed tryouts and Emma, another tall cook, had ran into each other next to the spice rack as one reached for a potato peeler and Emma sought the cayenne pepper. The big and bulky Emma stood firm, causing the smaller tryout to bounce back and create a chain reaction of chefs finding their cooking interrupted. Tsukiko, on the wrong end of this accident, was just getting her fries out of the grease as a wayward collision struck her. The basket was screwed out of her hand, in all honesty the fries should have been sent to the floor.
With quick reflexes, Tsukiko caught her balance and swiftly brought the fry basket back into position, catching the batch of fries without letting one drop.
"Oooh! Ooooh!" Nicole would often bounce in her seat or gesticulate wildly when overjoyed, her mighty hips quaking as she reacted to the video of Tuskiko's performance. "That save! Her knife work! That dodge!"
Indeed, although chubby on her tall frame, Tsukiko had smooth dexterity and footwork when it came to avoid other obstacles in the kitchen that tied up other chefs in a frenzy to plate up impressive steak dinners. Rapidly chopping garlic and chives, deftly sidestepping another tryout as she took her sauce off the stove, and keeping her plate perfectly poised as the swinging door to the kitchen swung towards her violently as a crying applicant was axed, Tsukiko clearly had the moves.
"She was in the top three for steaks," Gloria continued her judgement. "And while I want the best who know how to handle their meat, a steak dinner isn't a 'dinner' until you've got a good side with it. And her fries were the best, hands down."
"So Tuskiko comes out on top?" Nicole asked.
"I think she has promise, yes. She's shown to be well rounded in the kitchen and knows how to avoid a spill. And I imagine this place to be hopping once we open up, I want those steaks coming out good and fast." Gloria drew up a simple hierarchy chart. "If you're my head chef, Nicole, I want Tsukiko as your sous-chef. Everybody else answers to you two."
Gloria paused to hold in a belch. "Of course, when I'm in the kitchen I'm the number one chef, got it?"
"Yes ma'am!" Nicole mock saluted.
"Ms. Vandergast?" speaking of their star candidate, Tsukiko arrived. Poised, the moon faced applicant stood at attention in her grey chef's smock, a messy folded apron and scruffy boots; a sign of her hard work ethic, a contrast to her prim posture much like her blue streak of hair.
"Tsukiko, honey, you may call me Gloria," the franchise owner preened, although a bit miffed to be considered a 'Ms.' She was not past her prime, hell no! "But it's boss when we're in the kitchen together, no question."
"Yes, boss." Tsukiko bowed politely.
"Those fries of yours were absolutely kicker, Tsukie," Nicole said, already finding a nickname for her new sous-chef. "How'd you know your way around the fryer so well?"
"I worked ten summers on my uncle's takoyaki truck when I was a teen," Tsukiko replied simply. "We had a lot of fried foods on the menu."
"She's like some sort of fry-up samurai!" Nicole giggled before Gloria shushed her.
"Well welcome to the team, Tsukiko," Gloria said. "We're going to be frying up loads of great stuff with our steaks and you're going to be number two. Except when I reign in the kitchen."
"Thank you very much!" Tuskiko bowed again.
"I've got one change in mind on your fries before they get on the menu," Gloria continued, almost puffing out of her maroon suit with burgeoning authority. "And how about you demonstrate some takoyaki and calamari. Say, four or five dozen per batch." A hint of drool escaped her lips as she thought about possible changes to the menu. "Chop chop, ladies, we've got business to attend to!"
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