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Finalist Melbourne Food & Wine Young Writer Competition
Mia Gross Aged 12 Year 8 Mount Scopus Memorial College North Balwyn
"The Best Meal I Ever Had - The Golden Touch Gets Reviewed"

“I like cooking.” That sounds pretty casual doesn’t it? Like saying “I like watching television.”, “I think I’ll give that party a flick.”, or “I don’t feel like it today”. Just one of those comments you make. But the truth is, cooking is my life, my passion. When I think about it I get butterflies in my stomach. I get so exited I don’t know what I’d do with out it.

I’m a chef at one of the most prestigious restaurants in Melbourne, the Golden Touch. The Restaurant is very glamorous, but when you enter the kitchen it’s a whole different story. For one thing, it is very busy and very loud but there is an order to it: it just takes a little time for you to work it out. It’s hard work but worth it just to hear a customer say, “That was the best meal I ever had!”

It’s hard to put down on paper, to describe; the aromas that come from the kitchen waft through the air. It’s one of the highlights of my job. Just the simple smells like onions and garlic frying together can make anyone drool! Presentation is a very important part of cooking in a restaurant: if it doesn’t look good why would you want to eat it?

It was a Saturday night, busy. The restaurant was packed. The head chef was sick. The phone rang. I picked it up, “Hello, Golden Touch. How may I help you?”
A man answered me in a very monotonous tone of voice, “I would like to make a reservation for one.”
“And what name should I put it under?”
“Kevin Smith.”
I couldn’t believe my own ears. Kevin Smith was one of the most well thought of food critics in the whole of Victoria! I paused for a while before I answered, “Umm yes of course, that’ll be fine.”
He hung up. Suddenly a wave of despair came over me. The head chef wasn’t there. I was in charge. The food critic was coming. It had the makings of the disaster.

I had to break the news to all of the other chefs. “People can you stop for one sec, I’ve got an important announcement to make.” I saw the whole room glaring at me, waiting. “Kevin Smith, the food critic, has just booked a table at the restaurant, and it is not a purely social occasion.” They stared at me in disbelief. Finally’ someone broke the silence.
“Is this some kind of practical joke?” It was Darren McKenzie. He was new to the place.
“No it sure isn’t. I wish it was. We all have to work as a team. There can’t be any stuff ups tonight!” I never thought that I was a very good motivational speaker but that sure got them on their feet.

It was time. He was here. At least the waiting was over; it’s one of the most stressful parts sometimes. He was escorted to a table by one of the waiters. His order was taken: so far so good. I was under so much pressure. If anything went wrong it would be blamed on me. All I could think was “Damn! Why did the head chef have to get sick TONIGHT?”

He just had to order the most expensive and difficult things to prepare, didn’t he? Well, I guess it’s his job to keep us on our toes. He ordered quails for his entrée, lobster for the main course and lemon soufflé for dessert.

The quails, in my opinion, were cooked to perfection but I still took a peek at his reaction. He looked pretty satisfied. He wrote some notes down in his pad. Oh, what I would have given at that moment to have x-ray vision! Next was the lobster, then the soufflé. The same thing happened. He looked satisfied and wrote some more notes. Was it satisfaction with the meal or from some bad notes he was writing?

Once he had finished his meal, he put the money on his table and walked out.

I tossed and turned all that night. As soon as light struck the horizon I got out of bed. My eyes were bloodshot. I was so worried I felt like I was about to throw up. I waited desperately for the paper to arrive, counting off every minute. It finally came. I picked it up, opened it up to the food section. I read it. A wave of relief flushed over me. He only wrote eight words on the page. “It was the best meal I ever had.”

What the Judges said:
Perhaps Mia was a chef in her previous life? Could have had more about the food but imaginative dialogue and good construction.
Great idea and well executed, but a little lacking in adjectives and excitement.
Well done. Simple story and effectively told. Perhaps a little more drama with the food would have made it even more exciting but a clever approach.