Chapter 5

While everyone was having fun conversing with one another as they eat their very late dinner. Michel, Allan, and Gino were just standing as they watch them all eat. They talk about the new restaurant that Gino had no idea where it is, they also talk about Gino's wife who is currently pregnant.

"How is Vanessa doing these days?" asked Michel to Gino

"good, she's been craving a lot of different food nowadays and her mood swings are getting worse. She easily got angry at me when I didn't tell her about the new restaurant, which is the fault of your dear wife here who called Nessa about it" Gino pointed at Allan who called Vanessa, Gino's pregnant wife' a few weeks ago about the soft opening of the new restaurant.

"by the way, since the restaurant would be opening soon, what is the name of it? I never got to help with the whole process of it since I manage almost all the kitchen of 'LOIS' while you train your staff, Michel." They have a total number of four branches of 'LOIS', two of them were located within city S. While the other two were located at in the nearby beachside of city S. there is the distance in every branch so that it would not go against each other when it comes to customers wanting to eat their food. Gino originally handles the ones that are located within city S while Michel handles the other branches of the restaurant. The beachside was not that far from them, it is only a 45-minute drive from the main branch of 'LOIS'.

"We have decided to call it 'FUSIE', it's the Dutch term for fusion. Since we wanted to let our guests taste a great fine dining cuisine of different countries. Plus, there are recipes that we have tried to do some fusion cuisine." answered  Michel.

"I see, It's a nice name, I like it also. I assume the renovation is over right? since the soft opening would be in two weeks" Gino let the husband and wife take care of the new restaurant even though the two still wanted him to be part of the business contract. They told him that 'FUSIE' is still part of 'LOIS' only the name and menu change but it is still part of the businesses the three of them establish. Gino agreed to it after Allan and Michel talk to him together with his wife Vanessa. The two knew that only Vanessa would be able to talk some senses to her husband.

"Yes, we are only waiting for the name sign that would be placed outside but other than that everything is almost ready. Jerry was there to train all of the new servers while Michel trains the ones that are in the kitchen," said Allan. Jerry is the general manager of the main branch, he is the very first general manager that 'LOIS' had ever since it started. Currently, he supervises all the training of all the servers up until they got promoted. The current managers and supervisors of each branch were originally the same staff or servers who first work in the main branch the same year as Jerry but due to their excellent work that they got promoted.

"I see"

"by the way Gino, you got two new staff right? From country P" It was the main branch of 'LOIS' where Mari is working. This is due to them having the first time accepting trainees from another country.

"That is right Mari and Elena, also they are trainees Michel. Why do you ask?"

"well, how is it so far?" Michel wanted to be the one to handle them but due to his busy schedule of establishing the new restaurant that they have decided to let Gino handle them.

"so far they are both doing well in their work but If I may say so I want to test their abilities. Elena arrived two weeks before Mari came, she started working in Pastry station and then after a month she is now working in Soup station and her next station would be in the Hot station. Meanwhile, Mari started in Cold station, next week would be her last week in that station. She would then go to the Pastry station to train for a month." Gino assigned Lucas to look after the two trainees whenever he is not around. Elena also came from the same country as Mari, country P. She arrived in country A three weeks before Mari did, she started working in 'LOIS' two weeks before Mari.

"Hmm, how about you asked them to make a dish according to their specialty or in accordance to the station that they are currently in. After that all of us would judge who has the best dish, the best dish would be your special menu for the month. What do you think?"

"hmm…I think that's a good idea but I want to make this a little bit more than that. We could all taste it and also I want our guest to make a vote as well. By the end of the month whatever dish has the most vote would be part of the daily menu for this year. What do you think of that?" out of the three, Gino enjoys the competition between his staff more. And one of the known competitions to everyone was the yearly sous-chef competition. Wherein anyone can participate as long as they are a staff of the main branch. Gino was the one who started it since he couldn't decide who will be his sous-chef thus he made it a yearly competition to let anyone had the opportunity to become a sous-chef.

"You really enjoy making your staff suffer huh, anyway for me, I like the idea of letting our guest join the fun as long as we taste the dishes first." Allan always cares about the guest and the satisfaction of the guest.

"I like that too. I want to witness the end of this so don't forget to invite me here when the results are out" Michel got excited about the competition of the two trainees, that competition would bring out their talent and abilities to prove themselves.

"Alright,  Lucas! Come here for a second" Gino called out Lucas who was talking to Mari at that moment. When Lucas heard Gino, he excuses himself from everyone at the table so that he could go in the direction of Gino and the others.

"what is it Chef?" asked Lucas who just came forward.

"I want you to call Mari and Elena here, I need to tell them something very important," said Gino, he had noticed the behavior of Lucas ever since Mari came. He will always find time even in the middle of his shift to go to Mari and his attitude was completely different when Elena first came. It was not only Lucas but everybody inside the kitchen and some of the servers as well. Aside from Mari being beautiful, she is also friendly to almost everyone in the restaurant. They all treat her like their little sister which is very different from how they treat Elena. In the eyes of other people, the look of Elena is just like an ordinary lady even so she is also very friendly to everyone. But unlike Mari, they treat Elena like a friend or more of a colleague than something else.

"Chef, did you call us?" asked Mari who came together with Elena and Lucas

"ah, yes, Mari and Elena do you know him?" Gino knew that Michel and the two girls haven't met yet so he wanted to introduce them to each other.

"He is Chef Michel" answered Mari which made everyone shock. Michel laughs out loud when he heard that Mari knew him. His laughter even attracted the attention of everyone in the hall.

"How do you know my name? As far as I know, we haven't met yet" Michel calm down and asked Mari the question that everyone was thinking.

"that…When our agency told me that I would have an interview with your restaurant, I did my research about the whole restaurant and the cuisine that was being served here. Thus, I got to know the names of the owners of the restaurant that I will be working in. ah! But I am just guessing since I didn't know what you look like chef." Mari got a bit flustered when she saw that everyone was now looking at her while she explains.

"guess? why? Hey honey don't we have a picture on our website?" asked Michel to Allan who is beside him.

"No honey, but our names were written there so I assume that since Mari already knew me and Chef Gino that she had thought you might be Chef Michel, am I right Mari?" Allan is the most intelligent out of the three of them that he already guest how Mari was able to guess the name of his husband.

"that is right Mr. Allan, I saw everyone's name there and since I already knew Chef Gino then the only Chef that I haven't met yet was Chef Michel so I thought that he might be him. Am I wrong Mr. Allan, If I am then I am so sorry Chef!" Mari immediately apologizes to Michel ignoring the fact that he already hinted that he is indeed the Chef Michel that she is talking about.

"HAHA!!! No Mari, He is indeed Chef Michel Wilson, the husband of Allan Wilson here. Anyway, I wanted to introduce the two of you to Michel since he is also the head chef of 'LOIS' so you two better remember that, ok?" said Gino to both Mari and Elena while Michel offered his hand for a handshake as he officially introduces himself.

"Yes, Chef! Nice to meet you Chef Michel" said Elena, she wanted to be the first one to say it before Mari say something. For some reason, Elena is starting to feel that Mari is being ahead of her already.  She is starting to feel somewhat inferior and she doesn't like the feeling of being defeated by a newcomer like Mari.