My Lady Chef novel Chapter 64

Ely's POV:

Almost 2 weeks later....

"Neo. Have you gotten used to the kitchen?" I asked the young man who was cleaning his station with efficient movements.

"Yes, chef. I am honored that you reached out to me." he put away the cloth he was using and began taking out the ingredients I asked him to assemble.

Through Pierce's help, I was able to track down Neo who was helping out at a local tavern in his village as a waiter.

For some unknown reason, he had quit the royal kitchens and went back to his village but when I offered him a position at the new cafe as a chef. He jumped on the offer without even asking about his wages.

A strange young man but from the steady mana energy emanating from him was strong. His mana spirit will soon be strong enough to manifest soon...

I did a small interview before taking him under my wing. He was an amiable fellow with a thirst for knowledge which was all I needed to know.

Neo hails from a mountain village which a bit far from the capital and is the sole male breadwinner of the family. He has 4 siblings and all were females. The other breadwinner was his elder sister who works as a guard and a hunter at times.

He told me that he was captivated by my food and the myriad of flavors that it has which was why he left the Palace to think about what he really wanted.

He said that he was happy that we managed to meet again because he decided that he wanted to learn from me.

The lad even begged me to take him in as my apprentice.

So now I am teaching him to make easy desserts that will be served as an ala carte sweet at the new cafe.

A Swiss Roll plus Jam Bread.

First I taught him how to mix the ingredients together and even taught him that separating egg yolks and whites and then folding them in would result in a fluffier sponge cake.

He watched as I whipped cream with the mixer that I was able to power using mana stones. It was a new tool

I asked Pierce to craft for me as well as other cooking and baking tools that I remember using on Earth.

"Whoa. The cream has stiff peaks and it took a few minutes. Incredible." he saw me take out the mixer. "After this what next?"

"The sponge cake is now cooled so we place the sponge cake out of the cake tin and place it on a baking sheet.

I demonstrated how to make the final product by layering the whipped cream with a spatula before rolling it with the help of the baking sheet.

" It...it really became a round cake. Does it taste good chef?"

"We will taste one in a while so for now. Let me place it in a cooling rack and show me how you roll the cake." I said as he took the bowl of whipped cream and prepared to replicate what I did.

His attempt was a little clumsy and he pressed it too much that the extra whipped cream came out on both sides but it was acceptable after a little cleaning.

Finally, after cleaning up everything and sitting outside the table, I gave him a slice of the roll cake I made and took a slice from the one he made.

When he took a bite of mine. His eyes sparkled as his eyes closed in bliss as he ate another and then another....

Until the plate was empty.

While I took my time and ate his creation. It was not bad but the whipped cream was all but smooshed so it had a lesser amount which affects the sponge to cream ratio.

"You need some self-control and remember that desserts and sweets can be delicate to make. Your first attempt at a roll cake is not bad but you need to improve more. Is that clear?"

"Yes, chef! Uhm...I just want to say that it is an honor to learn under you. This has been the most enjoyable time of my cooking career." He blushed when I looked surprised. "Do not be so surprised Your Grace. Your teaching method is very ideal. Most chefs do not like teaching the lower cooks and expect them to learn from just watching which is why sometimes one needs to be alert to even get the most minute detail on a dish. We are only able to learn properly if the chef actually opens his mouth to teach us which is not very often."

"That is a horrible way to teach."