Chapter Text
After a nice meal, the entire staff went right away to the kitchen and started cleaning and desinfecting everything. The kitchen was very well distributed the spaces were arranged so the cooks could easily move and maneuver without inconveniences. And even tho they were not cooking, the way they all moved was so fast and precise, the kind of stunt that would need a very professional team to put on. Fourty minutes later, the kitchen was spotless, Porco could see his reflection on every table.
The cleaning day ended with everyone sharing their ideas and a cup of coffee with a slice of leftover chocolate and orange cake, it was amazing. Berthold and Annie offered to clean the table, while Reiner prepared the cups of hot brew. All of the staff members got their notes out. Pieck sat to Zeke’s right side and setted the blue carpet she arrived with in the table, and opened it in a marked page with an orange tape and Porco recognized the fine cursive handwritting on it, it was the same that labeled the spices and other products at the stock room. By Zeke’s left, Yelena sat with what seemed like a hotel courtesy note pad and a tablet with a pen which she handed to the chef. Sasha and Niccolo shared a very amusing spiral notebook decorated with printed pictures of fast food while Reiner and Berthold had hard covered notepads in dark colors. The notepad that had caught Porco’s attention was Annie’s, it was a pastel purple one, with tiny kittens printed and a golden marker, and not only the outside of it was cute, but the contents of it, were so aesthetically pleasing, they derserved to be on Pinterest. Neat handwitting, the title of the dish highlighted with blue marker, a chart below it with the ingredients, and the costs of them, and the procedure explained in very few sentences, all of the recipe finished by a small drawing of the plating of it. For a moment, the redhead felt selfconcious about his small notepad, a little bit old and full of food staines and smudges until he saw Colt’s notes, a mix of ripped sheets, a folded flyer and, a bar napkin with notes in blue ink.
-Okay, starters first, Pieck?- Zeke’s voice was a little bit low.
-Squash and barley salad, with balsamic vinagrette- as the sous chef was reading outloud the ingredients for her dish, everyone listened quietly and some of them made notes. Zeke was writting on the tablet with the pen.
-Nice idea, not a very usual salad. Niccolo?-
-Pumpkin spice soup, and instead of dairy, we could use coconut cream as thickening agent ...-
The dinamics for the meeting were simple, and every staff member paid attention to their coworkers carefuly. While the person in turn talked, Zeke was sketching their ideas, listening to their platings, and adding some changes and showed the final result to everyone. Then, the rest of the team would make suggestions i they had any.
-Okay, Mr Galliard, let’s see what you came up with-
The young man gulped a bit, he knew his ideas were interesting, but the thrill of being judgded by the whole staff made him a bit nervous. He cleared his throat and spoke.
-Figs, goat cheese and grapes, um, I really didn’t thought about the presentation, but, it could work as a truffle, or maybe a crostini...- he looked around him, specting some remarks from his experimented coworkers, but they just stared back at him in silence. A pair of grey eyes locked with his green ones, and with a complice smile, let him know he was doing fine, and confidence rose up again in his chest.
-A tower. with laminated fruit, and crispy bread, with the cheese spreaded-
-Nice, I like it- said Zeke without rising his eyes from the tablet. It seemed he was doing more than just writting.
-Now, what do you think, guys?- he had turned the tablet so everyone could watch what he had just drawn. A beautiful little tower colored with tawny, green and golden tones stood in a white plate, the drawing had little annotation marked with arrows.
-We can make 3 layers, and add a fruity sauce between them to wrap the flavors- Niccolo suggested.
-And pairing it with a sherry wine- added Colt.
Zeke wrote down both sugestions in the tablet, nodding to himself.
-I like it very nice idea Mr Galliard- he praised.
The meeting continued like that for another hour that seemed like 10 minutes. The participation of all the staff was very pleasant and the feedback even better, everyone was very supportinve and helped the others with their weaknesess. For example, Zeke, Annie, Pieck and Niccolo were incredibly skilled at plating, while Colt, Yelena and Reiner had an amazing sense for pairing drinks with dishes, and Berthold and Sasha were the best at adding enhacing sidings to complement the main dish.
They all were on fire sharing and developing ideas, and suddenly, the first draft of the menu was ready.
-Okay everyone, I think it’s everything for today. Go to get some rest, I’m counting on you all for the shopping tomorrow. See you all at gate 4- Zeke said tired
-Yes chef- everyone answered.
-Wait!- Sasha said loudly
-The price, chef, you didn’t told us. Yelena and I were the winners this time!-
Porco remembered that Niccolo explained to him that the couple who finished with the cleaning of their area first would earn a treat. It was usually an all included dinner at some fancy restaurant Zeke had connections to.
-Oh, sure. You’ll see tomorrow, this time I’ll treat everyone- the head chef brushed off, walking to his office, leaving his staff confused but happy.
-Wow, a price for all of us! Is he okay?- Reiner said
-Shut up, he’s trying to be nice Braun- Yellena answered fiercely, following Zeke to his office.
-Guys, go home. See you early tomorrow. If anyone is late, they’ll have to clean tomorrow’s dishes, pots and pans- Pieck said
-Yes chef- and with that the staff scattered.
The sous chef stood behind, putting away the dirty cups of coffe and rearranging the tables and chairs. Porco saw her from the hallway and went to help her.
-Oh, I thought you had left already- she said when she turned her head, leaving a chair perfectly aligned with the table it belonged to.
-Let me give you a hand, you already had a tiring day- he said as he bent his knees to lift a table.
-Don’t worry, I got this. You should get some sleep, the market opens very early-
-The market? Are we going to the Liberio Market?- he asked with a smile on his face
-Yes, they are our primary providers. You can find almost anything in there, and besides, we have to support local produce, it’s the best!- Pieck said, also smiling. -Glad to see you are excited-
-It seems you are too- her face looked so lit up, she looked really pretty. His eyes met hers, a warm feeling in his chest and cheeks. She was about to say something when the sound of a door opening and a voice got her attention.
-Pieck, my dear, can you come to my office? Oh, Galliard, I thought everyone was home now- Zeke said looking at him. Yelena was getting out of the office, looking pissed. She had her coat on her hand and left the restaurant without saying a thing.
-He was giving me a hand. I’ll be right there Zeke- the raven haired woman said turning her back to them.
-It’s okay, I’ll finish the cleaning. See you tomorrow Porco- the sous chef told him, walking quickly to Zeke’s office.
The young man stood for a moment in the front part of the restaurant, under Zeke’s cold gaze.
----------------------------------------------------
It was a very chilly morning. His coworkers had reccomended him to wear warm clothes, since the market was very cold inside. Walking down the empty and dark street made him shiver with eximent; it was 2:15 in the morning, the rende vouz was schedualed at 3am minus 15. The reason why chefs and cooks woke up so early in the morning to go to the market was to get the freshest products and also as cheap as they could, since the prices go up as time passes by. It was not his first time going to the Liberio Market, but it was the earliest he had woken up for work, he yawnwed as he went down the stairs to take the subway and luckily for him, it has just arrived. He entered the train car and a loud voice scared him
-Hey !! if it isn’t the newbie. Wake up man, we’re going shopping-
A tall blond man stood infront of him, Reiner Braun. For some inexplicably reason, Porco didn’t really liked him, maybe he needed to get to know him better.
-Good morning. You seem so thrilled even tho it’s so early- the redhead said as he took a seat near the door.
-Of course I am !! You should be too. I haven’t yet met a single cook who doesn’t jump with joy when they go grocery shopping, and more when it’s for a new menu-
Porco wondered if Reiner was high.
-Well, I am excited, the only few times I’ve visited were just to get potatoes-
-Oh, yeah, Colt mentioned you used to work at his old man’s dinner- the taller man leaned into the metal pole above Porco, towering over him. - I used to work too in fast food courts, but it wasn’t my call-
-How long have you been working for Zeke?- Galliard asked, maybe a small chat would keep him awake.
-Five years, I got hired right after culinary school, but I’ve been around the food industry since I was 14-
-Did all the staff went to culinary school?- Porco asked curiosly
-Not all of us, I think only Zeke, Niccolo, Yelena, Colt, Pieck and myself, we all went to the same school, Marley’s Institute of Hospitality and Culinary Education-
-Wow, isn’t that like, a super difficult place to get in?- the young man was amazed that almost the whole staff went to that elite school. And it also made him wonder why Pieck had dropped out of it. It was true that studiying there for a year was a huge deal, but getting out of it with a certificate guaranteed a job anywhere.
-Yeah, admission is hard, but the actual course is worse. The head instructor chef, Theo Magath is the definition of a general. He always teaches the fundamentals and if you don’t get a perfect score in his course, you’re out, he’d messure out every chopped veggie to make sure we practiced properly. Even now, the memory of him brings me chills, but he’s a good man deep inside. He was the one that introduced properly Pieck and Zeke, and convinced him to hire her-
Porco raised his eyes, he wanted to ask more about the genious sous chef, but he was shy, and his look showed it. The day before, that last interaction with her and Zeke left him with a weird feeling in his stomach.
-Say, how is Pieck like?-
-Hm? Well, she’s an incredible cook, you’ve seen her work. If I had to choose a word to describe her I think I would be cunning. no, unpredictable? Well I’m not sure. She’s very reliable and clever. Pieck’s the only one that can put Zeke in his place-
-What? chef Zeke? In his place?- Porco was amazed by the statement.
-Yeah, you know, he’s not the perfect boss sometimes, and she’s able to solve any issue when he’s not available, and the only one brave enough to call him out for his faults. They are very close, so I think that’s why she’s not afraid of being honest, and he truly listens to her-
Was their relationship something far beyond from collegues? The redhead cook started thinking about this, but suddenly wondered why did he worried about his boss personal life. Why was he feeling bothered by his thoughts? Reiner’s voice pulled him back to reality
-Hey, don’t fall asleep already! We still have some spare time, let me share my anecdotes from when I was a rookie like you!-
This was going to be a long day for Porco.