KaraMaeK

The Blueberry Lime Basil cheesecake is served on a black slate plate. Confectioner sugar has been delicately sprinkled over a fork to create a stencil of the fork on the end of the plate. It is pure art. The dinners marvel over the beauty before digging into, what the party of three all agree, is the best cheesecake they have ever had the pleasure to consume.

In the kitchen, among the clatter and clangs, bursts of fire from the stove, and chatter of the crew, is the sous chef. Tonight, on top of her already intense and at times overwhelming role as head of the kitchen, she is plating desserts.

One Wild Rice Burger with Yuka fries and chimi aoli!

One five cheese mac!

One Margarita flat!

She calls out the ticket to the line of cooks.

Yes! Chef! They chorus back.

She grabs the next ticket. Blueberry Lime Basil Cheesecake for table 14.

The kitchen is humming, tickets are pouring from the printer. She promised Exec she’d cover desserts tonight as a long overdue return of a favor allowing Exec and Pastry Chef to move their only child to college tonight. Her heart swells as she thinks of this little family moving on to their next chapter, then she forces her attention quickly back to the task at hand.

Grabbing the slate from under the expedition table, sliding a spatula under the cake to reveal a slightly brown slice with plump berries on top, and placing it on the left side of the plate. She reaches for the fork.

Where is the fork?

WHERE IS MY GD FORK!? She yells.

Honestly. This is the tenth cheesecake she has served and now the tenth fork she has had to acquire.

She hears the shuffling of shoes behind her, a fork is placed perfectly on the right side of the slate.

Thank you, Grace.

Grace, not making any sort of eye contact gives a slight nod and shuffles away.

A quick tap, tap of the confectioner sugar container, then a careful removal of the fork, she tucks the now white fork under the table behind the stack of slate for next time.

Joy! Cake for table 14.

Joy whisks away the plate, grabs three forks, and hustles out of the kitchen as Sous grabs the next ticket and starts to call.

Without her noticing at all, Grace creeps back in, snakes her hand behind the stack of slate and grabs the sugar-coated fork. A quick wipe of the counter to clear any sugar left behind then quietly creeps back to her station where she places the fork into the industrial dish washer to be cleaned.