The Winner Is . . . Read online

  “Yes, Chef. I made a salted caramel glazed donut with a dark chocolate hazelnut drizzle. It’s accented by toasted coconut shavings and candied pecans.”

  Chef Gary reached forward. “I’ve been waiting to try this ever since I first saw it. It looks delicious.”

  Oliver smirked. Rae and Caroline tried not to look worried.

  Chef Gary bit deep into the donut. “The texture and the taste are good . . . but the topping seems a little heavy for such a light, fluffy donut. It’s delicious, but maybe more suited to a cake donut. Something that can handle the richness.”

  Chef Aimee took a bite. “I see what you mean. There needs to be more mass, more donut, but I do like the flavors.”

  Chef Porter wiped her mouth with the napkin. “Salty sweet is such a nice combination, but this topping is a little heavy-handed. Less might have been more.”

  Caroline wondered, Did anyone else notice? Oliver’s donut was the only one Chef Gary didn’t finish.

  “CUT.”

  Chapter 16

  aroline watched Steve the producer. His arms were in the air and he was shouting, again. “Bring your kid donut trays up here for the judges. After we film this segment, we’ll take them outside to the kids. Stand behind your tray and when we get to you, give us a description of your donut.”

  I made a cereal-infused glaze for my donut and decorated it with sprinkles and crumbled sweet cereal.

  I made a marshmallow glaze and covered it with sprinkles, then added on a bonus chocolate-sprinkled donut hole.

  I made a unicorn donut decorated with nonpareils. The glaze is flavored with pink lemonade, and the horn is iced donut holes.

  “CUT!”

  Steve waved his hand and helpers picked up the trays and took them out the back door. The judges followed.

  Chef Nancy caught Caroline’s look of concern. “Don’t worry—it’s for the judging.”

  “I know.” Caroline forced a smile, but after seeing Rae’s donut, she was pretty sure she didn’t have a chance. A unicorn donut—that was genius!

  Just because a donut looks like a unicorn doesn’t mean it tastes good. And don’t kids prefer chocolate?

  It wasn’t easy to wait and do nothing. Chef Nancy pointed to the trays of fancy donuts. “The judges said you could try them. Don’t be shy. I’m not—I’ll try them too.”

  Caroline nudged Rae. “I’ll try yours if you try mine.”

  “Deal.” Rae picked up one of Caroline’s donuts and took a bite. “Oh, Caroline! This is really good! And your donut is fluffier than mine.”

  Caroline nodded and blushed. She would have said more, but her mouth was full of creamy banana goodness.

  “This!” Caroline held up her half-eaten donut. “Is so good it should be illegal.”

  “Mmm, mmm, mmm,” agreed Chef Nancy. A drop of banana cream dripped onto her shirt.

  Oliver couldn’t watch. He turned and looked at the floor. So what if he didn’t win this one. It was a good lesson: Less is more. It sounded familiar. Had he heard that before?

  ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅

  Ten minutes later, Steve was back with cameras, the judges, and a little girl. “Junior chefs, line up in front of the judges.

  “ROLLING!”

  Chef Porter moved to the center. “Welcome back. We have deliberated amongst ourselves, and we have tallied the votes of the children.” Chef Porter pointed to the little girl. “Annabelle is our special guest today, and she has in her hand the name of the winning kid donut. Annabelle, will you please read the card.”

  Annabelle took a giant step forward and shouted, “UNICORN DONUT!” She looked up at Chef Porter. “It was my favorite too, but not because of the unicorn. I like butterflies better, because they’re real . . . and pretty. But I like pink lemonade . . . and frosting. And lots of big chocolate sprinkles.” She stepped back into line, nodding.

  “Well, you heard it here!” Chef Aimee suppressed a laugh. “Thank you, Annabelle.”

  Annabelle looked like she might have more to say, but Chef Nancy quickly gave her the shush sign: a finger to the lips.

  Chef Aimee watched to see if it would work, and then, satisfied, she continued. “As for the fancy donut, the judges’ vote was unanimous. Rae, you are the winner. Your donut was inventive and original, and the creamy filling was just the right amount of decadent. Well done! Please come to the front.” Everyone clapped.

  Chef Aimee pinned a whisk pin onto Rae’s apron. The two pins sparkled under the camera lights. “Congratulations! But there’s one more thing, something fun.” She winked at Rae. “Almost everyone likes it. Any ideas?”

  Rae took a guess. “The fate of Chef Gary?” Each week, the junior chefs had been given an opportunity to have fun with Chef Gary. In week one, it was the dunk tank filled with green Jell-O. In week two, it was a roller-skating sundae-making obstacle course. What would it be this week?

  “Absolutely! And today your choices are Roly Poly or Topsy Turvey!”

  “ROLY POLY!”

  “ROLY POLY!”

  “Roly Poly!” decided Rae.

  “Nooooo.” Chef Gary waved his hands. “Not that one!”

  Chapter 17

  he field outside was covered in large red foam tubes that stood almost seven feet tall. An assistant rolled an enormous yellow ball toward Chef Aimee. It was bigger than Chef Gary.

  Chef Aimee tapped the ball. “Have you ever seen a gerbil in a ball? Well, this is kind of the same, only Chef Gary is the gerbil.”

  Caroline looked at Chef Gary, then the ball, and then burst out laughing.

  Chef Gary puffed out his chest. “I’m not scared.” He pointed at the junior chefs. “And don’t think you’re just going to stand there and watch. We’re in this together.”

  “Absolutely.” Chef Aimee nodded. “This is a team effort. Once Chef Gary’s in the ball, it’s up to you to help him knock down those tubes—like he’s the bowling ball. If Chef Gary can knock over twenty tubes in five minutes, a donation of twenty thousand dollars will be made to Kanter’s Camp Kitchen. This is a camp that provides culinary instruction, free of charge, for children between the ages of seven and fourteen. What do you think? Is that a good cause?”

  “YES, CHEF!”

  Rae raised her hand. “But how do we help?”

  Chef Aimee nudged the ball. “You can push the ball, tell him which way to go, and offer words of encouragement. Chef Gary needs you, because once he’s inside, he can’t see out.”

  “Nothing at all?” asked Rae.

  Chef Aimee shook her head. “Nothing.”

  Caroline looked over the field. There were a lot of tubes, maybe a hundred, but they weren’t close together. Maybe this wasn’t going to be so easy.

  The assistant inserted a small hose into the ball and started a motor. “This keeps air in the ball while I open the door.” He pulled down on a zipper. Chef Gary stepped inside; the assistant zipped the door closed and took the hose away.

  Rae strained her eyes. “I can’t see him in there!”

  Chef Aimee pushed the ball. “Chef Gary, are you ready?”

  There was a muffled “Yes.”

  She looked at the junior chefs. “Are you ready?”

  “YES, CHEF!”

  She raised her hand and looked at her stopwatch. “GO!”

  Oliver pushed left, Caroline yelled “RIGHT,” Rae yelled “STRAIGHT,” and the ball took off to the left.

  “NO! NO! STOP!”

  They chased after it.

  Oliver knocked on the ball. “Chef Gary, don’t move, sir. We need a plan.” He paused for a moment, thinking, then . . . “How about a guide? Someone out front planning where to go next?”

  Rae nodded. “And the two other people can help move the ball.”

  “I’ll be the guide!” Caroline ran ahead. “Follow me!”

  Rae tapped the ball. “STRAIGHT AHEAD, CHEF GARY!”

  “A LITTLE LEFT!” yelled Oliver.

  A tube fell to the ground.

  “
WE GOT IT! YAY!” Caroline ran to the right. “THIS ONE’S NEXT!”

  Six tubes later, they had a system—if Chef Gary got a little off-track, they just pushed him back into place.

  Chef Gary was fast. Oliver and Rae were panting to keep up. Sometimes he was too fast, like the time he fell down in the ball. No one could see it, but the ball suddenly stopped and there was a loud yelp.

  “TWO AND A HALF MINUTES!” yelled Chef Aimee.

  “SEVEN MORE!” yelled Caroline.

  Rae jogged next to Oliver. “Can we do it? Seven more tubes.”

  “RIGHT!” yelled Oliver. He shoved the ball. “WE CAN DO IT!”

  “SIX TO GO!” Caroline took off to the left. “THIS ONE’S CLOSE!”

  “LEFT!” Rae shouted, and the ball knocked over another tube.

  With twenty-six seconds left, tube number twenty hit the ground.

  “WE DID IT!” Caroline threw her arms in the air.

  The assistant came running, followed by Chef Aimee and Chef Nancy. He unzipped the ball. Chef Gary crawled out, tried to stand up, then sat down. “Too dizzy!” He was covered in sweat.

  “Goodness!” Chef Aimee kneeled down. “Are you okay?” She handed him a water bottle.

  He emptied it in one gulp and then slowly got to his feet. “We did it!” He weakly raised his arm.

  “YAY, CHEF GARY!”

  Monday

  Chapter 18

  ae walked to the breakfast table smiling. Yesterday had changed things. She felt better about Oliver.

  Caroline filled a bowl with cereal. “I’m ready for lessons and more challenges.” This was her chance to catch up and finally get a whisk pin.

  “I kind of like lessons,” said Oliver.

  “I heard about that.” Rae quickly covered her mouth. “Oops, sorry.” Caroline had told her about how Oliver had taken professional cooking lessons.

  Oliver shrugged. No big deal—nothing was going to bother him. There were two challenges today, and tonight he’d have three pins. He couldn’t wait to get started.

  It was like old times. We joked and laughed all the way to the school studio. It’s hard to be mad at Oliver anymore. It feels like he belongs.

  ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅

  Chef Nancy walked to the fridge and came back with a dozen eggs. “With all the sophisticated skills and techniques you’ve mastered in the past two weeks, it’s still important to remember the basics.” She held up an egg. “Can anyone tell me the characteristics of a perfect hard-boiled egg?”

  “Firm yellow.”

  “No green ring around the yellow.”

  “Tender white and not rubbery.”

  Chef Nancy put four eggs in the bottom of a saucepan and covered them with an inch of water. “You never want to boil your eggs.” She put the saucepan on the burner. “But you do want to boil your water. As soon as it boils, turn it down to a low simmer and cover. Leave for ten to eleven minutes, then pull your eggs out and drop them into a bowl of ice water. Anyone know why?”

  Caroline raised her hand. “To stop the cooking.”

  “Exactly.” Chef Nancy reached under the counter and brought up a bowl of peeled hard-boiled eggs. “The added bonus is that it also makes them easier to peel.” She sliced one open. “See how the yolk is bright yellow and firm. There’s beauty in a perfectly cooked egg.” She sliced the remaining four eggs and put the yolks in a bowl. “What is a deviled egg?”

  “A bad egg!” joked Rae.

  Caroline laughed.

  Chef Nancy held up a fork. “Maybe, but it’s also a delicious egg.” She mashed the yolks, then mixed in mustard, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper. When the texture was smooth and creamy, she filled a piping bag and then piped the filling back into the cup of each egg white. “And now the finishing touch!” She sprinkled paprika on top and then passed the platter. “Try one. I want you to notice the taste and the texture. They work together to enrich the experience.”

  Caroline reached for one. “I like deviled eggs!”

  Rae and Oliver agreed.

  Something caught the corner of Caroline’s eye. She turned. “The cameras are here!”

  “Mini-challenge,” whispered Rae.

  “I’m ready!” said Oliver, and he popped another egg in his mouth.

  Chef Nancy waited for the signal from the producer. “Your challenge is to create an inventive deviled egg. You have a total of twenty-five minutes to pick out ingredients from the pantry and make six samples of your egg. Let’s get cooking!”

  Oliver was in and out of the pantry in two minutes. He wanted his eggs on the stove and cooking as soon as possible. He looked at the clock. That gave him almost ten minutes to prepare everything else, and then a few minutes for plating. Once the eggs were done, he’d be rushing, but for now he had time. He sliced a shallot into thin, small rings and dropped them into a sizzling pan of oil. When they were crispy golden brown, he scooped them out and put them on a paper towel to drain. He checked the timer: four minutes left on the eggs.

  Caroline preheated her oven to four hundred degrees, then put two pots of eggs on the stove. She placed a thin slice of prosciutto on a baking sheet between two pieces of parchment paper and then added a weighted pie plate on top. Ham curled as it cooked, but not this time—it was going to stay flat.

  Making candied jalapeños was simple, but dangerous. Rae pulled on a pair of protective gloves. Jalapeño juice on a finger could get in an eye, and then it would be painful times a hundred. She sliced the jalapeño and added it to the simmering mixture of vinegar, sugar, and lime juice on the stove. Once the jalapeños were cooked she’d pull them out, reduce the liquid, then add them back again.

  ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅

  The last five minutes were busy but satisfying. Everyone liked plating.

  Caroline scooped her yellow yolk mix into the piping bag and then carefully filled each egg white cup. Some of the eggs had been hard to peel, but she’d made extras, and these six on the plate were perfect. She scattered seasoned breadcrumbs on top, sprinkled on thinly sliced chives, and added an upright ham chip as the finishing touch.

  Rae added a sprig of cilantro and one pickled jalapeño to the top of each of her eggs.

  Oliver carefully arranged the crispy shallots on top of his eggs. Then he stepped back, crossed his arms, and waited for Chef Nancy to call time.

  “TIME!”

  Chapter 19

  hen the cameras were done filming the eggs, the junior chefs moved their plates to the big table. Chef Nancy pointed to the door. “Here comes our surprise guest.”

  Chef Porter walked through the door. “Good morning, everyone!”

  “Good morning, Chef.”

  She studied the table. “Well, these all look wonderful. Junior chefs, can you tell us what you’ve made?”

  My inspiration was eggs Benedict. I made deviled eggs with seasoned breadcrumbs and baked prosciutto chips.

  I made smoky deviled eggs with sundried tomatoes and a crispy shallot topping.

  I made guacamole deviled eggs with a candied jalapeño garnish.

  Chef Nancy handed Chef Porter a napkin. “You pick first.”

  “Mmmm!” Chef Porter made the same sound for every egg. It was impossible to tell which she liked the best. Chef Porter and Chef Nancy went to the back of the room to choose a winner.

  Caroline watched them closely, looking for clues, but there weren’t any. Normally when the judges returned they were smiling, but not this time. They looked serious.

  Chef Nancy shook her head. “This wasn’t easy. We loved all of your interesting flavors and creative presentations.”

  Chef Porter raised a finger “. . . But there was one point of difference. Caroline, your eggs were perfectly cooked and peeled—not one single blemish.” She looked at Rae and Oliver. “You had a little trouble with the peeling, didn’t you?”

  They nodded.

  Chef Porter pulled a pin out of her pocket. “And your prosciutto chip—that was a standout. Congratulations, Caroline. You a
re the winner of this challenge. Please come to the front and accept your pin.”

  Oliver clapped with everyone else. The day wasn’t over yet. As long as he got that other pin to be even with Rae, he could live with that.

  I’m so glad I made extra eggs. That’s a good tip for the future. Make more than you need. I love my pin! It makes me feel like I can do anything!

  Chapter 20

  URPRISE!” Chef Aimee burst through the door. “I’m here to help Chef Nancy on this next really cool challenge.”

  Chef Nancy surveyed the group. “Shall we get started? Chef Aimee is right. This is a cool challenge, and it’s fun, too. There’s no lesson, so we’ll jump right in.” She motioned to Steve.

  He nodded. “ROLLING.”

  “This is the icebox cake challenge! So, let me ask: What is an icebox?”

  Rae raised her hand. “It’s an old-fashioned name for a refrigerator.”

  “Exactly. So I guess you could say this is . . . an old-fashioned challenge. Icebox cakes were popular in the 1950s and recently have had a resurgence in popularity. Do you know why?” Chef Nancy held up three fingers. “No baking, they’re fun to make, and they’re delicious! Your challenge now is to create a no-bake icebox cake, which is basically cookies layered with whipped cream or other creamy filling.” She bent down and picked up a round springform pan. “There are two important limitations to this challenge. You must prepare your cake in this pan, and you may not use the oven. The stovetop can be used to create your fillings, and you may use cookies and crackers for your cake layers. The pantry will be open for the duration of this challenge. You’ll have twenty minutes to assemble your cake, and then we’ll put them in the refrigerator to set. Chef Aimee and I will return with you here after dinner for the judging.”