One of the best things about my new apartment is its location. I’m within walking distance of both Central Park and The Madden Crowd, the five-star Michelin restaurant that is now my place of employment. After a quick stop in my kitchen to fill my travel mug with coffee, I grab my keys and leave the apartment. I ride the elevator down six floors, walk through the marble entryway, and step out onto the busy sidewalk.
I’ve walked my route several times in the past few weeks, trying to gauge how long it will take to get to work. My best time has been eleven minutes, the worst twenty-seven. I’ve learned that the time of day plays a big role in how fast you can move about the city. Today, the trip takes me just under fifteen minutes; I’m fifteen minutes early for work.
The Madden Crowd may be the only fine dining restaurant in New York that I haven’t sampled yet. James had been adamant that I not step into the place until he returned; it didn’t really make since to me, but I’d felt it pointless to argue. An apprentice’s job is to do as they’re told, and I didn’t want to start off on the wrong foot.
I take a deep breath and pull open the birch door. A thin, blonde woman in a fitted black dress greets me with a look of confusion. I glance around at the customers in the dining room and realize that I’m horribly underdressed.
“Hello,” I greet her sheepishly. “My name is Kiara Sands. I’m supposed to start working with Chef O’Toole today… I’m sure there’s a back entrance or something that I’m supposed to use…” I trail off.
“Just a second…” She pushes her long hair to the side and reaches for an earpiece. I realize that she’s wearing a discrete intercom system, and I’m impressed with how up-to-speed the place is technology-wise. As I wait for the woman to turn back to me, I take a closer look at the dining room. The restaurant has clean white walls adorned with delicate, intricate birch carvings. The scenes depict all sorts of nature elements, and the sleek stone floors draw the look together perfectly. It’s one of the most beautiful restaurants I’ve ever stepped foot in.
The blonde turns back to me with a stiff smile. “Chef Sands? Chef O’Toole will be up shortly.”
“Thank you,” I tell her warmly. “I’m sorry I didn’t get your name?”
“I’m Vanessa,” she tells me with an air of boredom.
“It’s very nice to meet you, Vanessa.”
“Do I hear that charming Texas drawl?” James calls out playfully as he approaches. He greets me with a hug. “Kiara, I’m so happy you’re here. Forgive Vanessa’s greeting; the staff usually enters through the situation. You didn’t know, and that’s my fault. I was so tired when I landed last night that I forgot to send you an email.”
“It’s no problem,” I assure him. “I’ve just been admiring the dining room. Did you design the restaurant yourself?”
“Oh, please.” James laughs with a dismissive wave. “Of course not. I hired a designer… a team of them actually. And that was after I hired the market researchers and the branding specialists… I’m glad that you like the place, though. Follow me, and I’ll show you where the real genius happens.”
He leads me across the dining room and through a set of swinging birch doors. My jaw drops as I lay eyes on the kitchen. I’d thought that Fission was luxurious. In The Madden Crowd kitchen, each chef had their own work area twice the size of the kitchen in my Austin apartment. The appliances are state of the art and plentiful; six ice cream machines churn on the back wall while pheasant, venison, and elk spin in a massive rotisserie. A staff of sixteen works on the food without shooting a single glance in our direction.
James sees the look of awe on my face and smiles. “They money I’ve spent on you so far kind of makes sense now, doesn’t it? What’s a five-hundred dollar haircut to a man with a three-million dollar kitchen?”
I’m too impressed by the kitchen to be put off by his arrogance. “This is amazing… I can’t believe that I get to work here.”
“Not just yet,” James tells me with a smile. “First, I thought we’d go to my office, and I’ll explain the apprenticeship position.”
I think the position is pretty straightforward, but again, he’s the boss. “Lead the way,” I tell him with a smile. The right wall of the kitchen has two doors. The second obviously leads to the walk-in cooler; I follow James through the first.
The room is small but clean, with just enough space to hold a desk, a filing cabinet, and two chairs. James sits behind his computer, and I settle in across from him.
“I take it that you’ve completed your homework and have tried the restaurants I listed in your planner?” he asks as he shuffles through his top drawer.
I nod.
“Fantastic. Consider that an ongoing assignment. Food trends are constantly revolving. It’s imperative for an executive chef to always be aware of what his… or her… competitors are serving. Did you bring your critiques?”
“Yes.” I hold up a thick spiral notebook.
“Jesus, don’t you have an iPad?” he asks in disbelief.
“Until last month, I was a struggling culinary student.” I laugh. “If I’d known that an iPad is required, I would have charged one.”
“They’re not required, but I’ll order you one anyway. They’re fucking useful… okay,” he says, turning back to my notebook. “We’ll go over your thoughts on everyone else’s food after we’ve made some of our own. But before we start cooking, I want to explain what your normal day will be like. I run things a lot differently than Weston. You’re my apprentice, which means that you work with no one else. I’m in the kitchen Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights and all day Sundays… when I’m not traveling or shooting the show, of course. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, I come in and work the end of the lunch rush through the beginning of dinner hours. My sous chefs can handle things on their own, but I like to be here at least a couple of hours a day. My schedule will be your schedule. Any questions?”
“Is there a set day that you usually do menu planning?” I ask.
“Carter handles all of the menu planning,” he tells me. “That’s my lead sous chef. I let him know when there’s something specific I want to make, but otherwise I let him take the reins.”
I nod. “I assume he does the inventory and ordering as well?”
“Of course not,” James laughs. “Raven, my kitchen manager, handles all of that.”
“You have a really large staff,” I observe.
“That’s the secret of running a successful business without having to live in it,” he explains with a shrug. “The most important aspects of being an executive chef aren’t taught in culinary school. You have to know how to spot talent in others and how to delegate to those people. Otherwise, you lose your mind and then your business. Like your old boss Weston,” he adds with a cocky grin.
“What do you mean, like Paul?” I ask. “Fission is doing incredibly well… at least it was just a month ago.”
“You haven’t talked to him then? That’s good.” James gives me an approving nod. “Paul Weston doesn’t deserve you, in his kitchen or anywhere else. I’m glad you’ve cut off contact with him.”
“There’s only one person from Austin that I’m still in contact with, and it’s not Paul,” I tell him. “But what were you talking about before? Is Fission in trouble?”
James shrugs. “I’m sure he’s still filling seats, but word in the industry is that he’s burning out fast. His menu’s been static, the kitchen is sending out sloppy plates… he’s stopped paying attention to the small, important details. If he doesn’t snap out of it soon, he’ll be closing the doors within the year.”
“Well, I hate to hear that, but Paul Weston is no longer any of my concern. Back to the topic of my schedule… I’m used to spending twice that amount of time in the kitchen… what else will I be doing? And what will I do when you’re shooting the show or on vacation?”
“You’ll be doing whatever I’m doing,” he explains. “If I’m shooting Kitchen Wars, you’ll come to the set. If I’m doing an interview, you’ll tag along to that as well. As far as my vacations, you’re always welcome to join me, or you can relax and have free time to yourself. Your salary will remain the same, regardless of the amount of time we spend cooking.”
I’m completely confused. The whole point of serving as an apprentice to a talented chef is to learn how to improve your food. James sees the confusion on my face and smiles again.
“Look, Kiara, I know that most chefs spend a hundred hours a week in the kitchen, showing their apprentice all of the tricks of the trade. I don’t have time for that, which is why I hardly ever take on apprentices. But you’ve already got the talent; there’s not much that I could teach you about food that you don’t already know, or won’t learn from the culinary institute. I don’t intend on grooming you for a life in the kitchen. I want to groom you for a life in the spotlight, a life like mine. How does that sound to you?”
I take a moment and think about how elegant and expensive my life has become over the last four weeks. And if James does what he’s promising, this is only the beginning. I could have a life of glamour and adventure… travel the world and taste all kinds of exotic cuisine.
I look at James and smile. “A life in the spotlight sounds just fine to me.”