Kitchen Trouble (3 page)

We lay in each others arms and I said, “That was…was…ambrosia. Wait, that will be the name of my place…Ambrosia.”

“Did that just come to you?” I looked at him and the idea did indeed just come to me or should I say in me. I broke out in hysterics and he finally got what I was thinking and joined me.

Three weeks later and it was one day away from the grand opening. With Peter here to guide me, I was able to finish in less time than I scheduled for. Peter was a marvel not only between the sheets, but also with his hands. He took most of the place and refurbished what was already there. A little paint here and some little nick knacks to give it the right ambience and it was almost ready. He even somehow bargained with the building code guy and it only cost me a month’s free food for him and his wife. Not something I condone in my administration, but with me stretching a buck, I would gladly accept that offer. That guy streamlined the permits I needed and it didn’t take the normal time of 3 months to get done.

The advertising was done with legwork with my friends handing out flyers and getting the word out. It must’ve worked, because my opening night was looking to be totally booked.

I only hired the staff that I needed. Two chefs to cook with me in the kitchen and believe me I vetted them personally. I had four waitresses, one whom I snaked from my old employer and a manager who just got out of Business College. Mario would be the one who expedited the food and made sure the front of the place was running smoothly. Even Peter was dressed to help out that night. He was looking so yummy in that suit that I just wanted to rip it off of him with my teeth.

The doors were about to open, when one of the stoves refused to light. Peter took a look, but not even his handy hands could fix it.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do. We are going to have a full house in less than an hour and I just can’t do it with one oven.”

Peter said, “I might know someone, but it’s going to cost you. He’s the best in the business, but it’s after hours and he usually doesn’t make house calls. I think I can persuade him to come out. I’ll give him a call. He kind of owes me a favor. I introduced him to his current wife.” I was having my doubts that anyone could fix this disaster, but if anyone could, of course it would be Peter.

He came back and said, “He can come out, but his wife and daughter have the car. I have to drive 20 minutes to get him and 20 minutes back. I know it’s cutting it close, but I’ll be as quick as I can. Don’t panic, this will work out, I’ll make damn sure of it.” His words were comforting and my stress level was dropping slightly. He took off and sped out of the parking lot in a cloud of burnt rubber.

Less than an hour later, and still no sign of Peter and his guy. I had no choice but to open and let the chips fall where they may.

I gathered the staff and said, “Ok, we are moments away from opening that door. I want you to double check everything and let’s make this grand opening one that they’ll always remember for years to come.

My cooking staff was losing it and Manuel, my sous chef, said, “There’s no way we can do this with one stove. We’re doomed, doomed, doomed.” I slapped him across the face and he looked at me with a stunned look on his reddened face. Every one looked on at the spectacle with mouths wide open.

“I don’t think I needed that.”

“You did, trust me. Now, I need you…. I need all of you to pull it together. We can do this. We’ve all trained for any eventuality and I’m sure this has happened in other restaurants that you’ve worked in.”

Sally, one of my servers said, “Yeah, that might be true, but never on a grand opening, when whatever we do will decide our fate.”

“Mario, put on that smile, it’s time to open the doors”. He flashed that same grin that got him the job. It was more his personality and determination that got me to hand over the reigns to him.

Orders came flying in and we worked hard to get them out in a respectable time. It was hard with only one stove but we made do. I could see the mayor and his wife out there, along with several food critics that would make or break me on just their thoughts on the food.

It was an hour into service when Peter returned with his guy. I certainly didn’t expect much, considering the guy was old with long white hair in a ponytail. However, my grandma taught me to never judge a book by its cover. It was a hard decision to make, but I bit the bullet and allowed this guy to work on the stove. Amazingly, he found the problem in less than ten minutes and we had our second stove back. Apparently, it needed a small part, but fortunately he had one with him.

“This happens all the time. When Peter told me what happened, I figured I’d need that part, so we had to drive to my buddies place to get it. He wasn’t happy to be dragged out of his house, so you owe him as well. I would send you my bill and it would’ve been hefty, but since you’re a friend of Peter I’ll let it slide on two conditions. One, you give me a plate to go and two, you don’t think of using anyone for repairs to your appliances, but me.”

I thought that he was being very fair and said, “You’ve got a deal. I really appreciate you coming out and doing this.” He shook my hand and I could tell that he had years of manual labor under his belt just from the calluses on his hands. Peter kissed me, wished me luck and said that he would be back in less than an hour.

They left and you wouldn’t believe the jubilation in my staff when they saw that we were working at full complement. Things were looking to go my way, but I shouldn’t have jinxed myself like that.

20 minutes later, I found out that we were running out of Salmon. That was my signature dish and someone had either miscalculated on the amount or the patrons were ordering more than we had. I called Peter and he said that he was on his way back and would think of something. I only had three more pieces of Salmon and that would be gone quickly in the next wave of customers that came in the door.

I was right and we got an order for 5 of my signature Salmon dishes. “Ok, let’s not go off the rails. I think we can stretch the three we already have for the 5, so just pile on the fresh vegetables and maybe no one will notice.” They all nodded their heads and thankfully the customers didn’t complain about the portion and instead raved about the food. Just another hiccup to deal with, and now we were plum out of that fish. If someone ordered it, they would have to be told that we had to make a substitute.

I was about to tell my wait staff to cut the Salmon from the menu, when Peter came in carrying a box filled with ice and fresh Atlantic salmon. I don’t know how he did it, but there was no time to find out. We were slammed with customers and moved to fill the orders that were coming in. Peter got right in the mix of things and gave a hand serving.

The night was going well, until a fire started in the kitchen. Panic consumed me. After all the hard work, I couldn’t believe this was happening! I was only hoping that the smoke didn’t creep into the dining area outside the kitchen. We scrambled to put it out, and eventually it subsided with the help of Manuel. He grabbed a fire extinguisher and gave it a good blast.

I realized the fire started from the stove Peter’s friend attended to. I was so annoyed and regretted even praising that fool for what he seemed to fix. I was flooded with stress and frustration and I turned to Peter with venom on my tongue, “This is your fault. If it wasn’t for your guy messing with the stove this never would’ve happened. You almost ruined my night, I hope you’re happy!” I had no idea where this came from, only that I was under a lot of pressure and this last thing made me blow. I needed to vent my anxiety, and unfortunately Peter was there to take the blunt of the attack.

He looked at me and said, “Are you kidding? You’re actually blaming me for this? I was only trying to help. It wasn’t like I intended for my guy to fuck with your stove. I don’t need all this drama.”

“Drama? Is that what you think this all is? My fucking kitchen almost got burnt to the ground! I’ve worked so hard for tonight and you think I’m causing drama?” I was screaming at Peter in anger. I didn’t even notice that two of my servers came into the kitchen, then cowered out because of the commotion between us. 

“Damnit Mar. Screw this! If I’m causing you so much distress, I’ll just fucking leave. Hope you have a great night.” He walked out the the kitchen through the back, slamming the door behind.

His words hurt, but I understood where they were coming from. I just didn’t have the chance to say anything else, as he went out to his car and took off. I had the rest of the night to deal with and then I would go see Peter the hothead.

At the end of the night, the response to my food was amazing. Not only was everyone thrilled with the fare, but the mayor himself said that he would be making this place his go to spot for any lunch or dinner meetings in the future. There was even a media journalist on hand and he came right into the kitchen, where he asked me if I would consider doing an interview with him in the next couple of days.

I congratulated my staff and after we cleaned up, I sent them home with a bonus check for a job well done. I then sat and thought about what happened and came to the conclusion that I was being a bitch. Not a comfortable thing for me to admit, but that was how I was acting. Peter had gone above and beyond his duty to help me and I treated him like that. I was so ashamed of myself.

I drove back to his place after I closed up my restaurant. I do love the sound of that…my restaurant. This was a dream come true for me and to share it with my best friend and now lover just made the whole evening something very special indeed. It was just unfortunate it had to end in that manner.

I got to his place and hurriedly ran to the door to hopefully make up with him. If he was there, he wasn’t answering the door, probably because he just didn’t want to hear any explanations. I could see candles all over the whole house but every one of those were put out. I don’t know how he managed to put this all together, but I was floored by it all. It just made me feel that much worse for how I behaved.

That night I slept alone in my own place and it didn’t feel very good. The bed was cold and I felt that I blew it. Even though I was thrilled with the success, it was possible that I could’ve lost my best friend and that just didn’t sit well with me. I wasn’t about to go down with at least fighting for what I wanted. It just wasn’t how I was brought up.

I went over to Peter’s early in the morning, carrying a plate of his favourite meal of Spaghetti Bolognese. I knew if anything would get him to open the door it would be that.

Peter approached the door and peeked through the curtain. When he saw me standing there, he didn’t seem pleased to see me. That was until I opened the platter and he saw the spaghetti and the steam rising from it. His look of irritation turned to one of amusement and he shook his head and opened the door.

“Before you say anything, just let me say a few words first. I was an idiot last night. You were my knight in shining armour and I blamed you for the stove. You were being so kind and going out of your way to help me. In return I was a complete ass towards you. I apologize for going off the handle like that. The only thing I can say is that I’m sorry and I hope you forgive the bitch that I was. I came over last night, but you were still pretty sore and didn’t open the door. I did see all the candles around the house and was wondering how you found time to do that.”

“I had my neighbor do a little redecorating for our evening together. When I told her about you, she was more than pleased to lend a hand. It was a total waste to come home and not be able to share it with you.”

“I love all of it, but I have to know how you got the fish, especially that late at night.”

“I was driving back, when I got your call and was just passing a seafood restaurant. I got in there and made a deal with the owner for his last case of salmon. All I have to do in return is go back in a few days to help fix his sign. It was a small price to pay to see the reaction on your face when you saw that I had done the impossible.”

“I could kiss you and I think I will, well, if you still want me.”  He smiled and I drew his lips down to mine and I found a passion inside me that was ready to explode. I took my time and really enjoyed the feel of his body against mine. He had done everything right last night. I was beginning to think that this could be more than just friends with benefits. I knew I loved him, but I didn’t know that I was in love with him until this very moment. It kind of snuck up on me over the last few days, but it was a welcome surprise.