Page 33 of The Chef's Kiss
“It has to be someone local.” Selena took a bite of roasted artichokes and fennel with a slice of smoked duck and dragged it through the purée as I taught her, so she would be sure to get all the flavors in one perfect bite.
“I take it back.” She chewed. “This is the best thing I’ve ever tasted.”
“I agree.”
“It’s the best thing you’ve ever tasted?” She raised a brow at me.
“I agree our house manager needs to be a local. A familiar face the clientele will recognize and trust. But it also has to be someone who can stand toe to toe with our more … cultured out-of-town guests.”
“Good luck finding that person.” Selena returned to the duck course. “What are you going to do with all the leftovers, by the way?” She gestured at the various dishes I’d prepared for her tasting.
“Toss them out.” I shrugged.
“Oh no. I’m taking all of this home with me if you don’t want it.”
“I do enough tasting while cooking that I rarely want to eat what I’ve prepared. I’ll pack up the rest for you.”
“Do we have a lock on desserts yet?” She went back for another bite of duck.
“I need to speak with Jake Ashford again. I had high hopes for the Hidden Cove Bakery instead, but it’s a glorified grocery store bakery. We can do better than that. We need desserts that will wow our customers.”
“Oh, Jake can definitely do wow. He made this white chocolate vanilla bean and cardamom cake for a wedding I went to once that was to die for. It was gorgeous too, with live flower decorations. Try dropping by his shop again.”
“Desserts aren’t even the biggest problem. The Ashfords don’t seem to want to cooperate with anyone who isn’t an Ashford or a local.”
“I have faith you can do this, Hudson. You’re a culinary genius. This town will love you if you give them half a chance.” Selena wiped her mouth with a linen napkin and stood with a groan.
“Excellent job. The menu is coming along nicely.” Selena yawned and headed to the office in the back to make some phone calls while I packed up her leftovers.
* * *
After Selena left, I dragged out my notecards and laid them on the stainless steel prep counter. I had a process for developing a menu, and I worked better in silence. Pouring myself a glass of the wildflower mead I was quickly becoming obsessed with, I sat on a stool and reviewed my entrée notecards, making some adjustments to each. I begrudgingly added the apple chutney from the Cheddar Chariot to the list of ingredients for the roasted chicken dish. I could compromise if I had to.
“Forget something?” I called to Selena when I heard the sound of heels against the tiled floor.
“Here’s the thing. If I’m going to work here, I need a proper title and a fair salary. I don’t want special treatment because I’m your boss’ sister-in-law–to-be.”
“Jorgina.” I took a gulp of my wine and braced myself for another encounter with the local princess. “I thought I offered you a job and you turned it down.”
“I’ve reconsidered.” She fluttered past me in a haze of white linen and bright colors. The girl knew how to dress, and I’d bet any amount of money no one gave her grief for wearing designer clothes in this small, suit-hating town.
“I had in mind a more temporary advisory role for you. I need a liaison to help me get in with the local service providers, that’s all. Once we’re established, I can’t imagine what position you could take on. What qualifications and experience do you have? Do you even have a resume?”
“No, but I have a business degree from Harvard. Or I will in a matter of a few weeks. I know what it takes to establish a business in this town. Everything else a manager does, I’ll learn. I have the marketing knowledge and the business mind for running the front of the house. I also have the connections and the reputation that will bring the right people here during the crucial first months after opening. I know people. I can make things happen for you, Hudson. I just need the chance to prove myself.”
“You want me to hire you as the manager of my restaurant?” I raised a hand. “And don’t remind me it’s really Selena’s restaurant; you know what I mean.”
“Yes, I want to be your partner in this business.”
“Why? You’re an Ashford. You can get any job you want.”
“I want this one. I don’t want to start my career with a position someone gives me because of my last name. I don’t want to work for my father. I want to make my own way.”
“Why?” I leaned forward and grabbed a second wine glass from the shelf behind her and poured her a glass of mead.
“Because no matter what I do, all anyone will ever see me as isThe Ashford’sdaughter and my brothers’ spoiled little sister.” She ignored the mead I set in front of her.
“People will think Conner gave you the job.”
