Tiana (4 page)

F
rom across the room, Tiana saw Jono La Crème. He was sitting at a table near the front of the restaurant. He wore a pin-striped brown suit with a white shirt and a yellow tie. He was mostly bald with a little bit of dark hair, and he had a small mustache that curled up at the ends. His large belly spilled over his pants. Tiana thought he definitely looked like a man who loved food.

“Go ahead.” Charlotte had seen her friend hesitate. She gave Tiana a little push forward. “Introduce yourself to him.” She smiled warmly. “He's going to rave about your food; don't worry so much!”

Tiana walked slowly toward the table. As she got closer, she saw that next to Mr. La Crème was a pad of paper and a pen. What would he write? Would he tell people to come to her restaurant?

Tiana took a deep breath and walked up to Mr. La Crème. Charlotte was still standing across the room, watching. She waved encouragingly.

Tiana waited until the song ended. Charlotte was right about Mr. La Crème liking music. He seemed to be enjoying the band. When Louis blew a long note to end the song, Tiana walked up to the critic.

“Welcome to Tiana's Palace, Mr. La Crème,” she said boldly. She extended her hand. “I am Tiana, and I'm so glad that you could be with us this evening.”

Her heart was racing! She was trying to sound calm, but she wondered if he could tell how nervous she was to have him in her restaurant.

“Lovely to meet you, Princess,” he said in a slow Southern drawl. “I'm looking forward to tasting your food. The LaBouffs speak very highly of you.” He leaned back in his chair and sniffed the air. “Something in that kitchen of yours smells good.”

“Well, I sure hope you enjoy the food,” she said. She backed away and scurried into the kitchen. Her mother was loading up the tray for Mr. La Crème. A waiter was standing by to take the food to him, but Tiana put her hand up.

“I'd like to take this tray,” she said.

Her mother smiled at her. “I'm sure Mr. La Crème would like that,” she said sweetly.

Tiana carried a tray with her gumbo, a basket of homemade biscuits, and skillet corn bread. She placed the dishes on the table in front of Mr. La Crème.

“I was raised on my granddaddy's gumbo,” Mr. La Crème told her. He opened his napkin and tucked it into his collar. “But I'm looking forward to trying yours.”

Tiana smiled. “Thank you,” she said. “The recipe is my daddy's, and it was passed down to him. I hope you have a great time here tonight. Please enjoy.”

As she walked back to the kitchen, Tiana wasn't sure what to think. Would Mr. La Crème like the gumbo? Was it too spicy? Not spicy enough? Knowing that he grew up with a favorite gumbo worried Tiana. She ducked into the kitchen and then peered through the small round window in the door.

Charlotte and Tiana's mother also tried to get a glimpse of Mr. La Crème. The three of them wondered what he was thinking.

First, Mr. La Crème sniffed the gumbo. Then he took his spoon and made swirls in the bowl. After a few moments, he lifted a spoonful up to his nose.

“Oh, the suspense!” Charlotte cried.

“Heavens!” Tiana's mother said. She wiped her forehead with a handkerchief. “I wish he'd taste the food already!”

“I know,” Tiana said with a heavy sigh. “I wish he would eat!”

As soon as the spoon hit Mr. La Crème's lips, Tiana got a huge surprise! The kitchen door flung open and pushed her, Charlotte, and her mother clear across the room!

“Oh, no!” Naveen cried. “Are you all right?” He hurried toward them. One at a time, he helped them up. When they were all standing, he looked at them inquisitively. “What were you doing there, anyway?”

Tiana blushed. She was embarrassed to admit that she'd been trying to spy on the food critic. “We were just trying to get a glimpse of Mr. La Crème as he tried my gumbo,” she said sheepishly. She felt silly getting caught. She looked up at Naveen.

“The fate of this restaurant is in his hands,” she blurted out.

“You mean his mouth,” Charlotte said, giggling. She ran over and peered through the door again. She started to jump up and down. “Now he's trying the biscuits!”

Naveen grabbed Tiana's hand. “Ma cherie, he is one person. You are worrying about him too much. Come and dance with me.”

“Wait a second,” Charlotte shouted. “He's fixin' to leave! He's talking to my daddy at the next table and heading for the door.”

“Do you think that he didn't like the food?” Tiana asked. She ran to the door to try and see what was going on. “What about the dessert? We have some delicious bread pudding and my beignets!”

Charlotte shook her head. “I know!” she cried. “I'll give him some dessert to take home!” She gathered a couple of Tiana's famous beignets and packed them in a red-and-white checkered napkin and ran out of the kitchen.

Tiana hung her head. After all that work, La Crème hadn't even stayed to finish his dinner.

Suddenly, she saw Naveen holding out his hand.

“Dance with me,” he said again. “Dance with me on opening night at Tiana's Palace, the best restaurant in New Orleans.”

Tiana took her prince's hand and walked out to the dining room. She didn't feel much like dancing.

But when Louis and the Firefly Five played a ballad, she began to feel better.

All around her were people she loved and cared about. And they were there because of the good food and music. That's what Tiana's Palace was all about.

As Naveen twirled her around the floor, she couldn't help but smile. At that moment, she didn't care what Jono La Crème wrote. This was her dream come true. She was surrounded by what was most important—love.

She laughed as Naveen dipped her on the final note of the song. No matter what Jono La Crème wrote, this night had turned into a recipe for success!

T
he next morning, Tiana awoke before the sun was up. She couldn't sleep! The celebration at Tiana's Palace had been so much fun. Everyone in town had been there and had a good time.

But today she would get to read the review that Jono La Crème had written. Even though he left early, Tiana hoped he had enjoyed himself.

Tiana got to the restaurant just as the sun was rising. To her surprise, her mother, Charlotte, and Naveen were already in the kitchen waiting for her.

“I guess none of us could wait for the morning paper,” Charlotte said, smiling. “Lord knows this is the earliest I've gotten up in a while.”

“I'll make some café au lait,” Tiana's mother offered.

“I'll make some beignets,” Tiana said.

“I was hoping you'd say that!” Naveen exclaimed.

“Me, too!” Charlotte chimed in.

Tiana was happy she didn't have to wait alone for the paper to arrive. Even though she'd had a wonderful time last night, she still couldn't wait to see what Mr. La Crème had to say about her food.

“Mr. La Crème left so quickly last night,” Tiana said. She stirred the batter. “I couldn't tell if he liked the gumbo.”

“How could he not like your gumbo?” Naveen asked. “You pour your heart and soul into your food. A man like that has to know that makes the difference.”

Tiana plopped the dough in the oil to fry. “Oh, let's hope,” she said.

“You know, this is just the kind of place your daddy wanted for you,” her mother said, giving her a hug. “It's truly a palace.”

“A palace of good food, good friends, and good music!” Louis bellowed. He stuck his head in the door. “Good morning!”

Tiana ran over to Louis. She gave the alligator a big hug. “Thank you for all that great music last night,” she gushed. “I loved all the new songs. You kept everyone's feet tapping. Thank you.”

Louis bowed his head. “It was my pleasure,” he said. “I had a grand time.” He reached behind his back. “And I thought you'd like this.” In his hand, Louis had the morning paper!

“Hot off the press!” Naveen called.

Tiana looked at the newspaper. She wanted to know what Jono La Crème had written, but she was too nervous to read the review! She looked up at Naveen.

“I'll read it,” Naveen said. He could tell that Tiana was anxious.

He took it over to the large wooden kitchen table. He opened it and scanned the pages for the La Crème de La Crème section. “Ah, here it is!” Naveen exclaimed. He pointed to a column at the top of the page.

Everyone rushed over to stand near as Naveen read the review. Only Tiana stayed where she was, making the beignets. She had to keep busy. She was too nervous to stand still and listen!

“‘Last night, I ate at the new Tiana's Palace. The gumbo didn't taste like my granddaddy's,'” Naveen read.

Oh, no! Tiana thought. He really didn't like her gumbo! She stopped what she was doing and stood still.

“How could he say that?” Charlotte cried.

“He needs his taste buds looked at,” Louis snapped.

Naveen raised up his hand. “Wait,” he said. “Let me finish!” He glanced down at the paper and continued to read. “‘Princess Tiana's gumbo was even better than my granddaddy's!'”

Tiana dropped her spoon. “Could you read that again?” she asked. She couldn't believe her ears!

“You heard correctly,” Naveen said, grinning. But he reread the line and the rest of the glowing review. “‘Like the jewels in a royal tiara, this restaurant is a precious jewel in New Orleans. Tiana's Palace earns five stars. It is la crème de la crème!'”

Everyone rushed over and hugged Tiana.

“What a lovely review!” her mother exclaimed. “I knew that he couldn't resist your cooking. Congratulations, Tiana.”

“Well deserved.” Charlotte beamed.

“I knew he would love it,” Louis added.

Naveen folded up the newspaper. “I'd say this calls for a beignet celebration,” he cried. “First batch ready?”

Tiana laughed. “Coming right up!” she said. She placed the fresh-cooked pastries on a platter and sprinkled some powdered sugar over them. It was a royal feast!

The phone rang, and Charlotte answered.

“What, you want a table for tonight?” she said. “Let me see if we have anything.”

Tiana looked at her friend worriedly. Didn't Lottie know they didn't have any reservations yet?

Charlotte winked at her. “It looks like we can squeeze you in around six forty-five,” she said.

“What were you doing, Lottie?” Tiana asked as soon as her friend hung up.

“I was just making sure they knew it wouldn't be easy to get a reservation here. After all, it's a jewel of New Orleans.” The phone rang and Charlotte grinned. “See?”

“Sounds like other folks are reading the review!” Naveen exclaimed.

“I think that you're going to be very busy around here,” her mother sang out.

Laughing, Tiana nodded her head. Just as Charlotte had said, many people listened to Jono La Crème's opinions about what restaurants were good. Since he gave her a five-star royal review, everyone in town wanted to come! And the more people who wanted to come to Tiana's Palace, the better!

Naveen picked up Tiana and twirled her around the kitchen. “Well, Princess Tiana, what do you have to say?”

Tiana's eyes sparkled. “This is the best palace in the world. A place where everyone will come to have a royally good time.”

With a beignet in hand, Tiana toasted her friends and family. “To a royal success,” she said.

Everyone laughed and then enjoyed the most delicious beignets in New Orleans.