Chapter 1
"Today, you two will he judging Clark Hamilton from Chicago and Gabriela Zapata from Texas. They will be cooking dinner meal from the Hilton hotels that they are head chefs at," says our producer, Dixie Livingston. " Mark, please don't hit on Gabriela. We don't need any more lawsuits. We are barely recovering from your last one. This is your last chance. If not, the network will fire you and hire Jerry Miller to replace you. Do you understand what I am saying?
Yes, I do. Maxine Cummings went after me during break while her dessert was chilling. I couldn't help but she liked me." " Mark, you never will take responsibility for your actions. I am very attractive and can get any woman too except I don't go after contestants on our TV show." " If you have the same libido as I do and looks, you might." I
threw my hands up and left for makeup. I hear Dixie talking to him still. Gabriela is getting her makeup done before me. We introduce ourselves as we wait. She is attractive with black hair with olive skin with brown eyes. I have honey hair and fair skin with green eyes. She is looking at me, which tells me she may be interested in me. I am still sipping on my water when she gets up and leaves. Our TV director, Christopher Gallagher, comes in to talk to me while I am getting my makeup done. He mentions to me that Gabriela is planning on moving here, but Mark does know it. She will be working as a head chef at the Embassy Suites at Hilton Syracuse. We talk a little more before he leaves. I thank the makeup artist, Philip Acosta.
I am on my way to my dressing room to go get my chef coat. I hear Mark speaking with Christopher in the hallway before I enter my dressing. I use the restroom before I put my chef coat on that has my name and the shows name on it. I look in the mirror to make sure I didn't get makeup on it. If I did, I would put on one of the others. I didn't get any makeup on it and leave. I make my way to the set. Mark is there waiting.
" Five, four three, two and one." I introduce the two chefs, and Mark states what they will be cooking for the competition and have forty minutes to get it done. They start preparing to cook. We both talk a while about the upcoming next week show where all years top six chefs will return for the season finale to make desserts of their choosing. The winner will get one hundred grand, a cookbook deal, and be featured in the World Chefs Magazine. We get up to go see them cooking. They each have two sous chefs to help them. Gabriela is making beef tenderloin celery roots with thinly fried potatoes, corn kernels, and chimichurri style meat. Clark Hamilton is making honey ribs aged prince style with a slow moistened bath in wild honey and freshly grated cheese. Their sous chefs are making green salad and steam vegetables with bread. We go to commercial. Clark has to start over. He accidentally burnt the honey. One of his sous chefs gets more ribs, and Clark starts over. We are back in the air. Mark tells the TV viewers while we were in on commercial breaks that the reason Clark is starting over. I state out loud that the meat they are cooking looks good. I don't mention before Clark burnt the honey. I tell them they have twenty-four minutes left. They are showing the five chefs the callers have called in the last month who will be competing next week for the three and half hour finale. The viewers will decide who competes for the sixth position, Clark or Gabriela. We have two more breaks. We returned and got up again to encourage the two chefs and talk to our audience and answer questions each that one of the employees picked out for us to answer. I state time is up. Clark barely finished but did. They present what they made. Mark and I taste everything. It's a commercial break. We discussed who we feel should win. We are back in the air. " This is very close, call Mark. We have decided, Gabriela Zapata wins and goes home with a twenty-five dollar check. Please give an applause to all. We will be right back to announce who will return next week. Clark is disappointed. Mark , myself, and the rest of the chefs tell him he did well. They are able to hear our conversations with him. He asks Julie and I what he did wrong. We tell him how he seared it. We are back in the air.
"Next week will be Gabriela Zapata, who will be returning next week. Congratulations to all who came on our show to compete. We will see you next week,"says Mark. We are drinking a glass of champagne when the show ends. We talk to the audience, and several of them get to try the meals. Each had their opinions. We left back to our dressing rooms before we left for the day. Mark left before me. I was talking on my cell phone when I heard a knock on my door. I tell the person to come in. It's Clark and the producer. I end my conversation and put my cell phone in my purse. I listened to them both. Gabriela comes and joins in on the conversation. I invite them and the entire employees for dinner like I normally do the last day before the finale to my restaurant. Clark and Gabriela agree to come tonight. "My restaurant will be closed for you and the employees to come. Tonight, we will be having a local DJ playing various genres except heavy metal. Heavy metals are not my type of music. I will see you at five. I will see you after I am done cooking with all my fellow chefs to enjoy the food, music, and conversation. I am off now to take a nap." It's ten oh eight when I get in my vehicle and leave for my home.
