Food Wars: Conquering the Mountain
The 92nd class of Totsuki Saryo Culinary Academy made some of the biggest upsets that the world had ever seen, and many have gone on to conquer the culinary world in ways that many never saw coming. At the center of that storm was what came to be known as the Jewel Generation, young chefs who truly changed what Totsuki was about from the moment they were formed to the moment the graduated. Since then, many have gone on to make names for themselves in the fields they specialized in and gained world renowned fame. But now the sun rises on the next generation, with the Jewel Generation now living the lives they trained for; it is now time for their children to take their first steps to conquering the mountain of Totsuki. But things are never as simple as they seem, especially when a chef from America shocks Totsuki to its core by showing his skills and flavors that will shake up the foundation of the academy. What will happen when these chefs clash? Who will emerge on top? Who will take the summit of Totsuki? This is their story, the story of the Steel Generation!
Chapter 1: One Man's Passion
The morning sun slowly rose over the clouds of the clear blue sky as its golden rays shine their first rays of light for a new day to begin. As the sun slips through blinds of a modest Arizona home, a young man is slowly roused from his sleep. The young man was sixteen and had black hair that was cut very short to his scalp in a buzz cut like fashion that complimented his caramel colored skin tone. He slowly rubbed the tiredness out of his hazel colored eyes and stretched his tired limbs, hearing a few bones crack and letting loose a yawn. The young man looked over at his alarm clock and saw that it was only 5:30 in the morning, this meant that his high school would not start for another 3 hours. The young man stood up and went over to a mirror which also doubled as a sliding door for his closet, his reflection showed off his well-muscled body which had a very defined six pack and significant pecs and biceps. His body was something that he was very proud of after his younger years of being overweight. The young man was Luke Anders, a sophomore going to Desert Winds High School but was also an aspiring chef.
His love for food was ignited when he was a child and his Hispanic grandmother would often make various foods of her heritage for him which made him eat a lot but when he started seeing how the food came together in the kitchen he soon caught the bug. Luke now spends any chance he can get in a kitchen either cooking for family or testing different recipes. His skills grew when he was 8 years old and his older brother Adam had gotten married to an amazing woman who was also a very accomplished chef with her own restaurant. He gained even more knowledge about food from her and his brother who was an accomplished game hunter and fisherman with his own fish and game distribution company, which was small but popular, nonetheless. Luke's love for food was also the reason he was up so early. After a quick workout and a warm shower Luke dressed himself in a pair of red and black workout pants and a short sleeved grey t-shirt with a pair of slippers. He then went to the family kitchen and began pulling out several pots and pans and placed them on top of the stove before going to the double door fridge and grabbed eggs, several types of peppers, cheddar cheese, onions, cilantro, bacon, ham, and a roasted red tomato salsa he had made the day before when it was taco night. He placed the ingredients on the counter before grabbing potatoes and a few spices from the cupboards next to the fridge. Luke smiled as he stood in front of his ingredients, he loved standing in a kitchen and making something amazing from just the raw materials.
Luke smiled and cracked his neck, "Now then, it's showtime!" he said happily. Luke cracked a few eggs in a bowl and seasoned them with salt and pepper before mixing them up with a fork. Once all the eggs were beaten, Luke sliced up red, yellow, green, poblano peppers, and just a pinch of jalapenos along with half a yellow onion and half of a white onion in swift and fluid motions. He then mixed the vegetable mixture together and placed them in a pan with hot oil and cooked them just long enough so that the onions were translucent but the peppers still had a nice snap to them before he placed them in a small bowl off to the side. Luke then went on to prepping his potatoes. With quick and expert precision, he peeled, sliced, and diced them until the potatoes were in one-inch cubes. Luke soaked the potatoes in water before he sliced up the bacon and the other half of the white onion before he strained the potatoes and made sure there was no water on them before he placed them in a clean bowl and heated up some oil in a pan. Once the oil was hot enough, he gently placed the potatoes into it which gave off a satisfying sizzle as the potatoes began to cook and crisp up.
While the potatoes cooked, Luke took the bacon he had cut into small strips and placed them in a hot pan. As the bacon cooked and the fat began to render, Luke then added the diced onion to the bacon so it could absorb the delicious taste of the meat. Luke heard a faint crisp off to the side and saw that the potatoes had gotten a beautiful golden color which made him smile and nod. He turned the heat off for the potatoes and scooped them out of the oil and drained the excess off before he added them to the bacon onion mixture. He tossed the hash in the pan a few times before seasoning it with some pepper and just a pinch of salt. Luke gave the hash a taste and added a bit more pepper to it to balance out the flavors until he was pleased with it. Once that was complete, he transferred the hash to a clean plate with a towel on it so the excess oil could drain from it. He then kept a cloche over it to keep it warm before he took a clean pan and melted some butter into it, Luke then took the egg mixture he saved on the side and poured half the mixture into the pan and kept it on low heat so it would cook but not burn. Once the edges started to get cooked he added his pepper and onion mixture to the eggs and let those flavors mix together and once the omelet was fully cooked Luke flipped it out of the pan and onto a clean plate then repeated the process. Luke scooped a decent amount of hash onto both plates along with the omelets and placed a cloche over one plate and placed it at a small bistro style table that was in the kitchen.
Luke then spent a few more minutes cleaning up and eating the omelet and hash that he made for himself before he heard the shuffling of feet coming towards the kitchen. Luke looked up and saw his mother yawning as she stood in front of the kitchen window that looked out into the family living room. Luke's mother was a lovely woman with short black hair that ended at her neck with blue green eyes and an hourglass figure. Her hair was currently a mess from bed head, and she was still dressed in as short sleeve black shirt that had Luke's high school mascot, a condor, on the front of it along with a pair of grey sweatpants. Luke's mother Gene was the one who centered on Luke's love for food and always encouraged him to follow his passions.
Gene yawned once more, "Morning bubby." She said as she walked into the kitchen with a tired tone in her voice. Luke chuckled at his mother and placed a mug of coffee with pumpkin spice creamer in front of her. Gene graciously took it and too a long drink from the mug, she didn't stop until it was a quarter gone.
"Good morning mom. Another late night I suppose?" Luke asked as he refilled his mother's mug.
Gene nodded, "Yeah, luckily the night wasn't difficult but there was a lot that needed to be done but then again there is no easy work when you work at a hospital." She said as she sat at the kitchen table. Luke's mother worked as a patient coordinator at the local hospital near their home. And she was very good at her job, Gene was able to take care of most of the craziest people in all of Arizona but thanks to how she was able to raise two boys by herself she could handle any kind of crazy situation.
Luke smiled before he placed a glass of fresh orange juice next to his mother's coffee before, he removed the metal cloche from the top of her breakfast, "Well, here is a little pick me up. I had a spark of inspiration last night when I was cooking salsa for the truck and made Southwestern Omelets with a potato and bacon hash." He said as the warm and slightly spicy scent from the fresh made breakfast wafted over to his mothers' nose which began to wake her up.
Gene smiled at the dish in front of her, "This looks delicious bubby but aren't you going to eat?" she asked worriedly. Luke smiled at his mother as he put the last of the dirty dishes in the dishwasher and cleaned down the counter.
"Don't worry about me mom, I already ate mine. And it looks like I have to start getting ready for school." He said looking at his clock showing he had just under an hour to get to school. Luke kissed his mother on the cheek and left her to eat while he changed into his clothes for school. Gene smiled at her youngest before turning towards the amazing looking plate of food in front of her. She began with the potato hash, the minute the potato dish touched her tongue it immediately brought her out of her tired state and into the new day. The potatoes themselves were a simple dish but combined with the bacon and the onions to provide contrast with saltiness and sweetness which lifted the taste of the potatoes and brought the crispness to light. The taste of the hash was delicious by itself, but Gene knew that it was made a side dish for a reason and that was to bring even more flavor to the omelet which was the main course.
Gene moved to the omelet, which was chock full of various peppers and onions, she didn't waste any time in diving into the delectable egg dish. The minute the dish hit her taste buds the flavors came alive more than she ever could have thought. The savory and slightly spicy taste just made her want to consume the entire plate in one fell swoop. She began to devour the omelet bite after bite while taking in small forkfuls of the hash along with it. The two dishes together created a wonderful harmony of sweet, savory, and spicy in a spectacular combination that had Gene imagining eating traditional Mexican dinner with her Madre (Mother).
Gene smiled at the breakfast her youngest son had given her, his skills were so incredible that even she could not believe it. He was still so young and yet his passion and skills were great enough to rival a lot of the well-established restaurants in their neighborhood. It made her feel incredible knowing that both of her sons had turned out well.
"So how was it?" Luke's voice said as he came back into the kitchen. Gene looked over at her son who was dressed for school. He was dressed in a pair of faded blue jeans with a pair of black and grey boots that were also no slips so he could use them when we needed to work. He wore a black to shirt with the insignia for the Rowdy Shogun dance crew over his heart along with a few graphic designs running over his chest in red. Over his t shirt we wore a simple long sleeved black and red flannel shirt that was open, and the sleeves were rolled up. On top of Luke's head was a black army cap while a simple silver chain was around his neck and a silver ring was on his right ring finger with the image of what looked like a large V with two prongs coming out of it and on his left middle finger was another silver ring with the image of a stylized bat in the center over his right wrist was a black and silver bracelet with a large wolf's head on top. Gene's youngest was a truly handsome man and she would tell that to everyone that she could.
"It was delicious bubby. Truly, the way the eggs texture just coated all the natural flavors of the vegetables and with the hash to compliment it adding just the right amount of saltiness made for a wonderful dish together. You just get better every single day." She said wiping her mouth. Luke smiled at his mother's praise and went over to her; he kissed the top of her head and took her dishes too the sink.
"Thanks mom but this is just another step in my journey. I plan on learning so much more about food so that I can become the best chef I can be. There are so many chefs and styles of cooking out in the world that I plan on seeing and meeting. The world of food is just so vast, and I want to explore every bit of it I can." He said with a smile on his face.
Gene smiled as well, the passion that her son had about cooking always made her proud, "Well I can honestly say that with all the skills you have now and the skills you will gain in the future I have a good feeling you'll be fine. But do you have to wear those incredibly silly rings while you do?" she asked.
Luke rolled his eyes, "Come on mom you know as well as I do that no matter how old I get I'm still going to be a huge nerd. And with me repping Lupinranger on my right and Kamen Rider Kiva on my left I think I have the perfect combination of both professional and nerd when I'm out." Luke said with immense pride. Yes, Luke loved being a chef, but he also had an incredible fascination with Asian culture. Everything from the ancient cultures that were still around to the anime and manga that had helped him learn Japanese. Well that and his sister-in-law teaching him.
Gene laughed and Luke rolled his eyes, he gave his mother one last kiss and headed towards the family garage which was a simple one that could hold two cars on in the family's case one SUV and one Midnight Black 2018 Harley Davidson Fat Boy that was a gift to Luke from his older brother Adam. This was also Luke's main source of transportation after he had gotten his license, it was his pride and joy. Luke opened the garage door and let the bright Arizona sunlight shine in and illuminate the black, two-wheeled beauty. Luke smiled and threw his left leg over the seat and sat down before revving the engines.
Luke smiled at the roaring sound of his healthy engine, "Okay Sleipnir, let's ride." He said calling the motorcycle the affectionate name he gave it. Luke pulled on a black helmet and revved the engine once more before leaving the garage of his home to go to school.
Food Wars
The drive to Desert Winds only took Luke a few minutes to drive to the school and luckily there was very little traffic at that time in the morning so driving up to his normal parking spot was incredibly quick for Luke. He parked Sleipnir and cut the engine before swinging his leg off it, he grabbed his backpack from the side bag and walked up to the front doors of the school. Desert Winds High School was a relatively simple school yet there was a lot of pride within the school and the community, mainly from sports games and a lot of charity work that most of the students did. Luke was in a sense a relatively simple student, he did rather well with his grades and did enjoy a pep rally every now and then, but he mainly was focused on hanging out with his friends and working on his cooking. One day he was going to share his cooking with as many people as he can and make as many smiles as he could. That was why he loved cooking, the smiles, and happy expressions that he saw when people ate his food made all the work worth it.
After walking into the front doors, Luke made his way over to where the school cafeteria was located and over to one of the far tables where his group of friends were located. The first two men were literal giants standing at over 6 ft but that was where their similarities ended. The first was a young African American man with black hair that was in a buzz cut and dark brown eyes. Currently dressed in dark blue jeans with a black and grey hoodie over a dark blue polo shirt and grey sneakers. Around his neck was a sliver dog tag that had a picture of his family on one side and his initials on the other. This was Davion Brantley, one of Luke's oldest friends since the day he moved to Arizona. The other tall young man had white skin that had a slight tan to it and dressed in a long sleeved dark green shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans and tan colored boots and a leather bracelet around his wrist. This was Jacob Duran, another one of Luke's oldest friends.
The other two young men were of Latin heritage with tan skin, short black hair, but one had brown eyes while the other had dark green. The brown eyed boy was dressed in a simple black t-shirt with jeans with red high tops and black square lens glasses framing his eyes. His name is Antonio Torres. The green-eyed boy was dressed in a white t-shirt with a black collar and a black and grey flannel shirt over it with black jeans to go along with it and grey boots. His right ear was pierced with a simple black, sphere earring and a brown cord necklace around his neck. This was Antonio's cousin Ray Hernandez.
These boys had been some of Luke's best friends since they were in elementary school when Luke transferred in from out of state and had gotten into a fight with some older kids and all four of them had come to his aide. They had been as close as brother's ever since.
"Nice of you to join us sir." Davion said with a cocky tone in his voice. Luke rolled his eyes and sat down at the table.
"Relax bro, as long as I'm here before the final bell I say that I'm on time." he said as he eyed the foods that were in front of his friends. The meals were simple school breakfasts such as French toast sticks and English muffin sandwiches which were good as a simple snack in the morning, but it wasn't enough for Luke and his friends. All of them were big guys with either heavy set or athletic builds so in the morning they needed something that would last them till lunch.
Luke smiled and pulled out a small container from his backpack, "You guys are going to need more than that for this morning. Luckily, I thought of that when I left this morning." He said opening the container to reveal thin, eggroll like items with three different sauces.
"I give you my homemade Lumpia. My own take on the traditional Philippine dish. They all have a different filling and the sauces are a pineapple chili, sweet and sour, and a chipotle barbeque. Help yourselves guys." He said and the boys attacked. The guys all loved Luke's food and they all gave him their complete support as he worked towards becoming a chef. Especially since it meant them having incredible food most of the time, they were together.
Davion bit into one and the savory filling spilled into his mouth as the warm, crispy shell cracked open, "Oh man this is good! This filling it tastes like barbequed pork but there is a tanginess that I'm picking up on along with a spice."
Luke smiled, "That one is my take on bulgogi that has a little bit of some homemade kimchi mixed with it. The tanginess that your tasting is a little bit of pineapple that I diced really fine to give it a bit of contrast." He said.
Jacob popped the last bit of his first Lumpia into his mouth before grabbing another and biting into it with a smile, "I can tell what this one is, it's a Philly cheesesteak with peppers and onions." He said as he happily devoured his second Lumpia.
Luke nodded, "That's right. I used some good quality beef and seasoned it with some garlic, cumin, salt, pepper, and chili powder before mixing it with some red and green bell peppers and a little bit of jalapeno to give it a little bit more kick." He said.
Antonio and Ray looked at each other wondering what the last one was before biting into it and their eyes widened, "Is this cabbage?!" they both shouted.
"I can see the purple cabbage inside it, but it has a completely different taste than what I'm used to!" Antonio said.
"I can also taste some kind of meat but it's very, very faint." Ray said as he ate another.
Luke laughed, "That one is actually bacon and cabbage. I barbequed some red cabbage which allowed some of the harsh acidity to be released from it before mixing it with a little bit of bacon to give it some salt and fat. It's a combination that is quite traditional in Germany although they add apples to it but since I have the sauces that gives it the tang that it needs." He said as his friends continued to devour the Lumpia that he had made, complimenting the flavors, and smiling at how good it was. This was what Luke happy, he loved seeing the pleased faces of the people who ate his food. One day he hoped to open his own restaurant where anyone could come, regardless of their station.
As his friends continued to eat Luke enjoyed the simple moments that he had but there was also a part of him that thought about how much he knows. Sure, the skills he had picked up from his family, his classes at school, and from his job on a food truck had given him an incredible repertoire in his cooking arsenal but he had no doubt that there was so much more he could learn, so many people he could meet, and so many more flavors that he could enjoy but what could he do? This city was all he knew.
Luke's thoughts were interrupted by a loud, gonging ring that reverberated throughout the entire school, signaling that the school day needed to begin. Luke gathered up the now empty containers that once held his lumpia and placed them in his backpack. His friends all got up along with him and they all traveled down the narrow hallways of their school until each got to their own, respective classes and separated until they would meet up again at lunch.
Food Wars
The first few classes of the day had flown by for Luke, he had the basics in the morning such as math, science, history which Luke loved, and of course weight training which helped him stay in shape. It was now the middle of the day and it was now Luke's favorite class, Home Ec. Home EC as you would expect was not the most popular class among the male students in the school but to Luke and his friend Davion it was their favorite and not just because of the numerous lovely girls that also attended the class. Luke and Davion walked into the class and set their bags down, once that was done, they placed black aprons around their waists while Luke kept the army cap on his head as a sort of trademark. Since the two friends had a lot more culinary experience that some of the other students, it was their job to make sure that everything in the class was in order so the teacher could get started on everything for the day's lessons. The classroom set up was pretty simple, there was about six tabletop workstations for each group of students while against the far wall were several gas grills, ovens, countertops, and even a few stand mixers when it was baking day.
Luke and Davion agreed everything was in order while the other female students in the class just watched them as they worked, somehow during the school year the two friends became known as the Home EC Studs. A name they both hated but apparently it made them very popular among the female student body. It really wasn't all that surprising to the two boys, they had a lot of confidence in how they looked but they weren't cocky about it since Davion had been working on farms since he was little and Luke had been practicing martial arts for years; all of which helped them both when they were in the kitchen.
Davion took off his hoodie and Luke took off his flannel shirt so they would be more comfortable, that was when their instructor had just arrived. Their chef instructor was a man named Anthony Rendon, a rather tall man at almost 7 ft and a fully bald head and a well-built body. A man at around 45 years old his face did start to show his age slightly with a few wrinkles, but he still held a youthful energy that was rather infective to his students. He was dressed in a pair of black chef coats and a traditional white chef coat.
Chef Rendon set his class binder down and clapped his hands, "Okay everyone let's settle down and get to business. Today is going to be a fun one because I am going to show you all how to make the perfect burger." He said getting excited cheers from everyone. Luke and Davion high-fived each other, this was something that the two of them had been doing since the moment they met. Grilling was one of their favorite past times on the weekends when they didn't work, and they also loved competing with each other. They both had high respect and love for each other, but they also loved beating one another.
Chef Rendon went through the basics of how to make a patty, how to make sure your grill was hot enough, and how to choose the right toppings. Luke and Davion pretty much already knew this so once the chef gave them free range of what they could do, the two friends quickly got to work on their own creations.
Davion pulled out a twenty-dollar bill, "I'll bet twenty my burger comes out better." He said to Luke.
Luke pulled out his own twenty, "You are so on bro." he said. The two friends shook on their deal and began their cooking. The other student and Chef Rendon quickly saw the work that the two friends were doing and became interested.
"Looks like the boys are at it again." One student said.
"I wonder what they'll come up with today." Another said.
"My money is on Luke."
"I'm all in for Davion."
The students quickly got into a sort of gambling battle to see who would create the best burger. Chef Rendon wasn't occupied with what his other students were talking about but was focused on what his top two students were doing. He knew their strengths and their skills and was always excited to see what they would come up with.
Davion quickly grabbed two pre-grinded portions of meat one which was a lighter color than the other. He quickly combined them and seasoned it with salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and a little bit of diced jalapeno. He mixed his burger patties and set it aside. He then took a large cast iron skillet and placed it over the fire that was on his station's grill, once the pan was hot enough, he added a few stripes of thick slab bacon and let those cook. While the bacon was cooking Davion made his other burger toppings, a spicy maple mustard with some Dijon mustard, maple syrup, oil, and some red pepper flakes. A slice of Roma tomato, some shredded iceberg lettuce, and some onions he was planning to use for a jam.
Over on Luke's station he was going the extra mile and was grinding his own meat on the spot. The meat mixture was a combination of sirloin, short rib, and chuck which give the burger the right amount of meat and fat. Once the meat was ground, Luke seasoned it with salt, pepper, onion powder, some fresh minced garlic, and just a pinch of red pepper flakes. After Luke finished seasoning his patties, he set them aside and started on his toppings as well. Like Davion, he cooked off some bacon, but he put them on a sheet pan with a grate over it and laid the bacon strips on it. He mixed up a quick mixture of maple syrup and Dijon mustard and spread the mixture over the bacon and baked the bacon in a 400-degree oven and basted the bacon on the other side with the syrup mixture after 15 minutes. Luke also went with some classic caramelized onions that had a twist to them, a nice piece of tomato, some crispy shoestring onions fried crispy, and a special sauce that he had made a while back that he knew would go great with his burger.
With everything ready for assembly, the two friends quickly shaped their burger patties from their prepared meat and prepared to cook them. Davion used the same pan that he cooked his bacon in and used the left-over bacon grease to cook his patties in while Luke used a cast iron pan as well but used some olive oil instead. Once their pans were hot enough and the oil and grease were at the right temp, they added their patties to their pans. The resounding sizzle from the pans echoed throughout the entire room and the scent of the cooking burgers wafted in the air making everyone salivate. Davion and Luke kept their eyes on the burgers, making sure that the burgers got the perfect crust on them. After a few moments, both Luke and Davion flipped their burgers at the same time, and they came out perfect. Each patty had a beautiful crust on the outside and the meat juices were locked inside the burgers cooking them to the perfect temperature.
The last few minutes, the two boys let their burgers finish cooking and let them rest so the juices that were inside them would stay. They also toasted their buns and started assembling, stacking their burgers up with all their toppings and making them look as perfect as they could. At the exact same time, both young chefs plate their burgers and presented them to their head chef.
"Bon Appetite chef!" Davion said with a toothy grin.
"Dozo, Oagari yo (Please, dig in)!" Luke said happily.
Davion rolled his eyes, "You still saying that weird catchphrase before you serve someone dude?" he asked.
Luke nodded, "Yeah, I am. Shut up." He said. All of Luke's friends knew about his love for Japanese culture and ever since his older brother got married to a Japanese woman, he started using a lot of Japanese phrases and words. Like the catchphrase of his favorite Japanese chef.
Chef Rendon grabbed a chair and sat down at the table where Luke and Davion worked and looked at their burgers.
The chef nodded, "So who wants to go first?" he said. All the other students had gathered around them and were starting to place even more bets on who would win the cookoff.
Davion looked at his friend who nodded and stepped forward, "I'll take the first leap Chef." Davion said.
Chef Rendon nodded, "Okay Davion, what have we got here?" he asked before looking at Davion's burger.
"I call this my D-lish burger. It's a fifty-fifty mixture of beef and pork with a little bit of jalapeno for a little heat, a spicy maple Mustard, shredded iceberg lettuce, Roma tomato, some thick slab bacon, and a bacon onion jam." He said happily. Chef Redon took a long look at the burger and sliced it down the middle, meat juices flowed from the sliced burger and it reveled to be the perfect medium well. Chef Rendon took one half of the burger and bit down it, the wild and savory flavors that made up the burger all combined in his mouth to create a harmonious flavor.
Chef Rendon swallowed, "Incredible, the burger itself is full of flavor and the combination of the beef and pork makes for the perfect savory flavor. The kick of jalapeno, the maple mustard, and the bacon add an all-around flavor and contrast that makes each bite even more enjoyable. But the real star of this burger has got to be that bacon jam!" he said taking another bite.
Davion smiled, "Yeah, that is something I'm very proud of. I took some bacon and chopped it into small pieces and cooked it over low heat to render the fat and get a nice amount of grease. After I removed the bacon from the pan, I added butter, some onions, shallots, balsamic vinegar, salt, and a pinch of sugar. In reduced the heat to low and let it simmer until it became a jam-like consistency. I wanted to use that bacon flavor and amplify it as much as I could so in addition to the jam there are also some crispy pieces of applewood smoked bacon and I cooked the patties themselves in the bacon grease as well." He said proudly.
Chef Rendon nodded, "I must say Davion, your skills have improved immensely. Be sure to invite me next time your family has a cookout." He said getting a laugh out of a few students which also made Davion smile. The chef pushed the rest of his burger away and motioned for Luke to come forward.
Chef Rendon clasped his hands, "So Luke, what have you made today?" he asked.
Luke thought for a moment, "I think I'll call this my Fusion Burger." He said displaying his burger to the Chef. Chef Rendon nodded and took a good look at the burger, visually it was very appealing, and it gave off an enticing smell but when it came down to it, the main factor was taste. Chef Rendon sliced the burger down the middle and revealed the perfect burger that was cooked to a beautiful medium rare.
Chef Rendon took one half of the burger and took a bite out of it. The minute he did, his taste buds exploded. The amount of flavor that Luke was able to pack into the burger was like nothing he would not have expected from his student. Chef Rendon took another bite and closed his eyes to savor the flavor, sweet, salty, spicy, umami, and just the perfect amount of acidity that rounded the entire flavor profile out. Chef Rendon swallowed and looked down to take another bite but to his shock, the rest of the burger was nowhere to be found.
"Wh-what happened to my burger?" he asked aloud.
Luke chuckled, "You were so into eating it that you didn't notice you already finished it. Guess you really liked it." He said happily.
Chef Rendon nodded, "I must say Luke that was not what I expected. What exactly was in that burger to make it so delicious?" he asked interested.
Luke nodded, "Well first I started with the patty itself, I used three different types of meat to create for the perfect amount of flavor and fat. I seasoned the burger with a special mix of seasonings and cooked it off in a cast iron with some butter. The bun is Brioche to give it a fluffy pillow when you bite down on it. For the toppings I used a special sauce that I made by mixing mayo, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco Chipotle sauce, some ground chipotle peppers, and some hickory smoked barbeque sauce. This sauce gives the burger an added level of flavor that compliments the meat itself. And as for the onions, they were caramelized in butter and oil then I deglazed the pan with some Worcestershire, I found out by doing this it actually adds a slight tanginess and acidity to the onions that complements their natural sweetness."
Chef Rendon nodded, "Incredible but you used onions, twice didn't you? How did the entire burger not become onion forward?" he asked.
Luke smirked, "That's because those aren't fried onion strings. Its baked Daikon." He said surprising a lot of the people in the class.
Chef Rendon looked at Luke with a surprised look, "Daikon? I must say I have never seen fried daikon before especially on a burger. The natural crisp and sweet flavor that comes from daikon accentuates the savory flavors in the burger along with the crisp texture and slightly spiced coating makes for an all-around well-balanced flavor profile. And then you come to this bacon, it has a sweet and tangy flavor that naturally goes with the bacons salty flavor." He said as he wiped his mouth.
Luke smiled, "Thank you Chef. The Daikon was made by soaking the shredded daikon pieces in water in water then patting them dry. I then baked the shredded daikon off in the oven so they could get crispy and once they were, I tossed them in salt and pepper. The bacon I covered in maple syrup and Dijon then baked it. The burger itself, the bun, and all the toppings are a combination of various flavors that I knew would work together. I wanted to create something that would have a unique combination of flavors and make the burger stand out more." He said with pride.
Chef Rendon nodded and closed his eyes, like the other times that Davion and Luke had competed against each other in the kitchen this was not going to be an easy decision for the chef to make. Both burgers were delicious and unique in their own way, but he knew these two boys wouldn't be satisfied unless he chose one of them as a winner. Chef Rendon took several moments before he looked to the boys with a serious look, Davion, and Luke both looked back at their chef and waited in anticipation as he announced the winner.
Chef Rendon sighed, "The winner of this match… is Luke." He said with the class cheering for Luke's victory.
Luke sighed but smiled at the announcement. "Thank you, chef." He said before turning to his best friend.
"Looks like I win this round bro." he said as he held his hand out to Davion.
Davion laughed before he clasped hands with Luke, "Yeah you did but trust me bro I'll win the next one." He said as he and Luke bro hugged and handed Luke the $20, he betted. After the two separated they went on to receive some kind words of encouragement from their classmates which always made them smile. The boys then decided to use the leftover ingredients they had on hand and made some burgers for their classmates but in slider form. Each person took one of each for themselves and had all agreed on Chef Rendon's decision. Even though Davion's burger was delicious the burger they wanted more of was Luke's. As everyone ate Luke smiled, this was one of the reasons he loved to cook. Seeing the smiles on the faces of the people he fed made all the hard work worth it. This was why he was going to work his hardest to get a place of his own one day, a place that no matter what path of life that a person walked they would always be welcomed if they were looking for a good meal and a warm atmosphere.
Food Wars
As the class went on things began to calm down and get more relaxed so Luke and Davion along with a few other in the class began to clean the classroom up. As they were finishing, the door to the class opened to reveal two people enter. The first was the school's principal Mr. Grey. He was a kind man that always looked after the school and its students, making sure that they both were okay. He was in his late 40s and was well built from his part time position as the athletic department director. He had salt and pepper hair with grey eyes and dressed in a black and grey collared shirt with grey pants and black dress shoes. The person next to him was an unfamiliar face. It was a young girl around Luke's age and was very attractive. She had long reddish-brown hair that fell to her shoulders, tanned skin, hazel colored eyes, and a nice figure with a generous bust that showed through the tight purple tank top she wore. Over the tank top she wore a blue jean jacket with white capri pants that looked designer made and a pair of black heeled boots. Her nails were painted a bright pink and she wore several rings and bracelets on her hands and arms along with a locket around her neck and designer sunglasses resting on her head. All in all, this girl looked like she came from money and was more than willing to flaunt it.
Mr. Grey showed the young girl the cooking room with a nervous smile, "And as you asked this is where our culinary course takes their classes." He said.
The girl looked around the room at both the students, Chef Rendon, and the equipment before she scoffed, "What this all looks incredibly drab but then again I wasn't really expecting much from a…public school." She said with a certain disgust in her voice when she said public school.
"Oh, this chick." Davion said before he moved forward but was held back by Luke. Luke gave his friend a quick head motion telling him to stay back. They both knew that any kind of violence or aggression showed right now with their principle in attendance would not look good on either of them.
The girl sighed in annoyance, "I mean seriously, if you want to make food that is even half decent then you need top of the line equipment and high-quality ingredients. That is the only way that anyone who can even make decent food. And this is the place where these, kids, can cook? I would feel bad for them if I didn't think this place was so sad." She said with the most condescending tone that anyone had ever heard.
Before anyone could even say anything or attack the girl, Luke stepped away from Davion and got right up in the girl's face.
"Leave. Now." He said with a cold fury in his gaze.
The girl appeared to be stunned but quickly shook it off, "How dare you speak to me like that? Do you know who I am? I'm Sofia Albergo, the heiress to the Albergo Pasta Dynasty. If you so much as look at me funny, I will have my father ruin your entire…" she ranted on.
Luke rolled his eyes and let out an annoyed groan cutting her off, "Oh shut up, you annoying bruha (Witch)," he said making her and the other Spanish speakers in class gasp, "Look, I don't give a damn who you are or who your family is. You come to my school, into my class, and do nothing but insult my friends and the place we learn. You claim to be a part of a culinary dynasty but if you ask me you don't deserve that title." He said making her flush in rage.
Luke continued, "A real chef does not judge another without seeing their skills and even then, they will still give the respect to the other. If you can't even do that then if you ask me, you don't even belong in a kitchen." He said with his eyes holding a furious gaze and his tone cold.
Sofia wanted to retort back but there was something deep within her that made her pause. Just being near him made her feel afraid.
'What is with this guy? He's just some nobody but the pressure that he's giving off…its almost like I'm staring down the jaws of a wild animal!' she said to herself. The image of Luke glaring down at her like a wild beast made her back up a step, once she was out of his space, she swallowed the fear that was building in her chest and cleared her throat.
"Don't think that this is over you punk." She stammered out before she brushed past Mr. Grey and left the classroom.
Mr. Grey sighed, "I don't know how that will affect us due to her family's clout but I'm grateful that you defended our school Luke." He said while Luke gave him a respectful nod. Davion came over and clapped his friend on the shoulder, Luke turned to him and saw that he had his other hand out for a clasp. Luke smiled and clasped hands with his friend and they did their usual handshake that ended with them crossing their arms over their chests. The two boys were big fans of the Black Panther movie, so they usually did the handshake from the movie as their own. The class went on to finishing cleaning, but Luke had a nagging feeling in the back of his mind. Why did that girl show up? And why did she have such a low view on him and the rest of the class?
Food Wars
The rest of the day went by without much of a hitch after the while Sofia incident, so Luke ended up saying goodbye to his friends for the day and got on his motorcycle. The drive home was like it usually was but what he did see was a lot of the local businesses near his home running their mid-day shifts. Being part of the neighborhood he lived in gave him a real pride of community. His neighborhood, Sundown Rivers, was a lovely place that had several ranch style houses along with family owned restaurants, barbershops, a few small markets, and some of Luke's favorite bakeries. Due to Luke's culinary skills there wasn't a single person in the area who didn't know him, and he loved a lot of his neighbors. Luke drove through his neighborhood until he got to his house. He didn't see his mother's car but that was normal since she left a few hours after he usually does in the morning but there was a black sports car that he had never seen before. This made Luke a little nervous, other than him and his mother there were very few people who had access to his home and as far as he knew those people weren't anywhere near his home.
Luke pulled into his driveway next to the black car and cut the engine. He took off his helmet and swung his leg off his bike and walked towards his front door before opening it. He didn't immediately see anyone in the living room, so he put his backpack down and walked towards the kitchen, that was where he saw a monster.
Well a man but he was as big as a monster. The man towered over Luke and held a gaze that just demanded respect. He had brown hair that was in a buzz cut with sharp eyes that were pinned on Luke and eyebrows that resembled sideways 'V's. He also wore a silver earing in his left ear. The man was dressed impeccably in a slick, brown suit with polished black shows, white shirt, and a black tie. Even through the suit he was wearing, Luke could tell that the man was jacked. He had a body-builders frame and from the looks of it, was incredibly proud of it.
Luke was shocked for a minute when he saw the man but quickly shook it off and entered a fighting stance, "Who the hell are you?!" he shouted angrily.
The man raised an eyebrow at Luke's reaction and released a low chuckle, "Impressive reflexes young man. But I assure you I am by no means here to harm you." He said with a calm voice that was accented. And by the accent he had, Luke could tell that he was Japanese.
Luke scoffed, "I find that hard to believe considering you are in my house!" he said keeping his guard up.
"Ah, Luke stop. Don't hurt Gin!" a female voice said. Luke turned his head and saw a Japanese woman heading his way with a frightened look on her face. The woman herself was beautiful despite her mature age with long pink that reached her shoulders and was tied at the end. Her eyes were a beautiful shade of grey-green and she was kept in incredible shape with generous curves and a large bust. She wore a simple button-up blouse with a black and red plaid skirt, black stockings, and simple black shoes. She wore a heart shape locket around her neck and a diamond wedding band on her left hand. Luke calmed down when he immediately saw the woman.
"Sonoka. What are you doing here? And who this guy?" he asked relaxing his stance.
Sonoka Anders, formerly Sonoka Kikuchi, nodded her head and quickly moved in front of him. Sonoka was Luke's sister in law who had been married to his older brother for about 10 years and were blessed with two amazing children. He only saw his sister in law a few times a month but she was a very big influence in his culinary skills as she taught him a lot of the more technical parts of cooking but he still loved her as if she were flesh and blood.
"I can understand why you acted like this, but I promise this man is not a bad person." She said trying to calm Luke down and diffuse the confusing situation.
Luke looked at his sister in law, "Well, if you say so. But who is he and again, why are you here?" he asked. He couldn't put his finger on it, but the large mountain of a man looked oddly familiar.
Sonoka cleared her throat, "Luke, allow me to introduce my seniorfrom Totsuki Academy and the head of Totsuki resort. Dojima Gin." She said motioning to Gin who in turn bowed to Luke.
Luke's eyes went wide, and his mouth dropped, "D-d-d-d-DOJIMA GIN!" he nearly shouted. Even in American Luke had heard of the famous Totsuki Academy in Japan. A world-renowned culinary academy that turned out some of the most famous and highly skilled chefs in the world. Sonoka had told Luke about the famous school when he was young and even regaled him with a few tales of her school days. From there, Luke researched as much as he could about the academy and some of their famous alumni which was how he found out about Yukihira Soma. A chef who came from humble beginnings and clawed his way through several challenges and battled so many other chefs to get to the top spot of Totsuki Academy. He was somewhat of a role model and an inspiration for Luke which is why he tends to use Soma's catchphrase when he serves a dish.
As such, Luke knew who Dojima Gin was and his reputation which somewhat made Luke nervous. He was literally in the presence of culinary greatness and he had nearly decked the guy in the face!
Luke quickly righted himself and tried to make himself look presentable, "Chef Dojima, I sincerely apologize for how I acted when I saw you. I did not recognize you at first and am deeply sorry for how I acted." He said giving the man a bow trying to save face.
Gin gave off a hearty chuckle, "Please no need to worry Luke. In all honesty, I was glad to see you react the way you did. That means you have good reflexes and a good sense for when something is wrong. Those are useful skills for being in the kitchen as well." He said with a smile.
Luke chuckled nervously, "Thank you Mr. Dojima. And again, sorry about all that, just seeing a man your size standing in my house kind of set off some red flags but I'm glad it's all settled now," he said with Gin nodding his head in understanding, "Oh right. If Sonoka is here, that means." Luke said smiling before he crouched down.
Gin raised an eyebrow at the odd movement, "Um Luke, what exactly are you doing?" he asked. Luke smiled at him for a minute before he heard feet running towards him.
"Uncle Luke!" two small voices shouted before Luke felt a large weight on his back. The young man laughed and raised back to his full height while he balanced the two children who had jumped onto his back.
"Ha ha, Rika, Hiroto, it's so good to see you guys!" Luke said happily as he let his niece and nephew off his back so they could stand in front of him. The two children were only a year apart, but they were inseparable and were quite the little monsters when they wanted to be. Hiroto was the oldest at 6 but short brown hair from his father but he had his mother's eyes. He was still on the short side as he came up to just about Luke's hip and had white skin that had a healthy tan. He was dressed in a pair of khaki pants with a short sleeve black Henley shirt, grey sneakers, and a worn truckers cap on his head. Hiroto always did like his father's fashion sense so he tended to dress like him at any time he could.
Rika was the younger one and looked like a shorter version of Sonoka with the same hair but in ponytail with two small bangs on the side of her forehead. She did have her father's blue-green eyes but her mother's skin tone and was just as energetic as her brother. She was dressed in a simple dress with a that went below her knees with white stockings black shoes that had small pink ribbons tied on the top along with a lightweight yellow sweater around her shoulders.
Luke smiled and ruffled the hair of his niece and nephew, "Well, don't you two look great. Did you get taller Hiroto?" he asked.
Hiroto grinned, "You bet! I'm a whole two inches taller than the last time you saw me." He said with a cocky tone in his voice which made Luke chuckle, he really was his father's son.
Luke then turned to Rika, "And Rika. Still as adorable as ever." He said making the younger girl blush.
Rika giggled, "Thank you Uncle." She said as she and Hiroto came over to hug Luke on his sides.
The young man chuckled, "Well I got to say that I am very happy to see you all but why are you here? And why isn't Aniki (Big Brother) with you?" Luke asked wondering about his older brother's whereabouts.
"Oh, Adam is busy with getting a few of his local connections together for a big meeting to go over a few new regulations for the hunting committee here in Arizona but we are here to actually ask for a favor." Sonoka said. Luke raised a curious eyebrow at his Sister-in-law before she reached into her pocket and pull out a flyer. Luke took it and looked it over. The flyer held information and pictures of several different stands all with a different kind of lettering from around the world.
Luke smiled, "Oh yeah, the Plate Around the World Festival. I go to this every year." The festival was a local even that happened in Arizona and was even more popular than the Arizona County fair. It was an event that featured global cuisine from all around Arizona. Every restaurant that specialized in some sort of international cuisine vied for a venue at the festival since it had so much exposure that nearly the entire state showed up to attend.
Sonoka nodded, "Yes, Gin and me, along with several of our fellow Totsuki alumni have been invited to attend and showcase some of our skills. The only problem is that Adam cannot attend until later in the day and we have no one to watch the kids. So, I was hoping that you could take the kids to the festival and look after them until Adam gets there." She asked hopefully.
Luke nodded, "Sure, I can do that. I was planning on going to the festival anyway so I can enjoy it and look after the kids at the same time." He said with the kids cheering.
Sonoka sighed, "Oh thank you Luke. We really appreciate it." She said.
Luke smiled, "No problem Sis," he said before he looked at the clock, "Oh sorry to cut this short but I need to get ready for work." Luke said before bidding a quick goodbye to his family members and gin before heading to his room.
"Well, that worked out easier than I expected, Sonoka." Gin said.
Sonoka nodded, "Yes, I'm just lucky Luke agreed on such short notice. The festival is tomorrow and finding someone to look after the kids was the number one thing on my mind." She said worriedly.
Hiroto grumbled, "Mama, we can look after ourselves!" he nearly shouted with Rika nodding along with him.
"I think you'll have to wait a few more years till your parents let you handle things on your own Hiroto." Luke said as he walked back into the living room. His work uniform was simple, so it didn't take him long to change. It was a long-sleeved white shirt with a black t-shirt over it that had a picture of a golden sun on the back of it with the name Solful Deliciousness over his heart with a pair of jeans and black shoes.
"But why?" the kids asked or yelled. Luke just smirked and tussled their hair again.
"Ask your parents why," he then turned to his sister-in-law and Gin, "Sonoka it was great to see you again. Chef Dojima, it was a pleasure to meet you as well. I hope we can meet again one day. Maybe you could taste some of my food and give me some pointers." He said.
Gin nodded, "I would like that very much, Luke." He said as he gave the younger man a bow.
Luke returned the gesture with one of his own, "Okay everyone I'll see you later." He said before he left the house.
"Have a good day at work!" Hiroto and Rika said as they waved their uncle off.
As Luke left on his motorcycle, Gin turned towards Sonoka.
"I must say, the fact that Luke's love for food is so apparent is quite a nice sight. Where exactly does he work?" he asked.
Hiroto turned to Gin, "Uncle Luke works for one of the best food trucks in the state!" he said happily.
Rika nodded her head, "The food truck used to just be a simple place in the city but when Uncle joined a year ago they were named the best food truck in Arizona six months later!" she said happily.
Sonoka chuckled at her children, "The kids are actually right. Luke has grown so much over the years and I can already tell that he will have a great future in the culinary industry. Even Adam is proud of him for all the hard work that he has done." She said recalling all the times when Luke and her husband would go out hunting or even cooking in their kitchen at home. Adam wasn't much of a cook, but he did have incredible skills at butchering, hunting, animal physiology, and knowledge of numerous cooking techniques for various animals. And all that knowledge he passed onto his younger brother and hopefully one day his son as well.
Gin crossed his arms and looked deep in thought, "Now I am very curious about what kind of cooking Anders-kun can put out." He said.
"Would you like to go see Gin?" Sonoka asked.
Gin looked at his junior with a surprised look, "You think we won't be bothering him?" he asked.
Sonoka shook her head, "I think if you see him now, you will see just what kind of chef he is." She said. Gin looked to his junior and became even more intrigued by what she was saying and became even more interested in seeing just what she meant when she talked about her brother in law.
Food Wars
Gin, Sonoka, and the kids were currently driving through downtown Phoenix towards the place where Luke's food truck was set up. While they were driving, Gin was becoming a bit suspicious of where they were. The surrounding area seemed a little run down and slightly shady for what he was expecting.
"Sonoka, are you sure this is the right area?" he asked as he drove, following the directions that she gave him.
Sonoka nodded, "Yes Gin, just trust me and you will be very surprised." She said. Gin was still a little suspicious of what she was saying but he trusted her, so he continued the way. After about a half hour of driving, Gin, and everyone else ended up in a rather run-down part of the city with numerous abandoned buildings, homeless people standing around fire pits, and trash littered the area in waves. Gin continued to drive until Sonoka told him to hang a right and at that moment he saw something incredible. In the middle of a large grassy field, a bright green and yellow food truck with various Aztec and Asian symbols decorated the outside with the name Dragon Al Pastor on the front and the sides that was on top of a shield. The surprising thing was that Gin could see Luke and what appeared to be several other of the food truck's employees milling around the area giving food, blankets, even a few different clothes to a few of the less fortunate that were around them. Luke and the other employees were welcoming to all the people who were coming to the truck and all had big smiles on their faces. Not the kind that someone would give because they had to show up for a scheduled visit, but one that was genuine. One that showed they not only cared about the people around them but that they wanted to do what they could to help.
"Every Friday, Luke and the other members of that food truck come down to this very spot and cook for all homeless that come near the truck. It was Luke that came up with the idea for this," Sonoka said getting Gin's attention, "Luke says that it doesn't matter what walk of life you come from. Everyone deserves to have a good meal." She said with a happy look on her face. Gin was very surprised by this only a handful of chefs would go to these lengths to feed people especially when they customers weren't paying. That was when Gin could tell the kind of chef that Luke was. One that would do whatever he could to make people happy with his food.
Gin turned to Sonoka with a smile, "Shall we go and taste?" he asked. Sonoka nodded her head and the kids cheered in agreement. Gin could tell that this would be an interesting experience.
Food Wars
Luke had just wrapped an older, homeless man in a blanket before he headed back to the truck. People like these were why he wanted to have a place of his own, everyone deserved to at least have a good meal when they could. And Luke would be damned if he was just going to sit around and let people starve when he could do something about it. Luke headed back to the truck and met up with the owners. Antonio and Carmen Perez were an older couple that had been together for almost 50 years and as far as Luke could tell, were still madly in love. They started the truck back when they were in their twenties to make ends meet and it became a very popular choice among the locals who knew where to find it. But over the years they haven't been able to keep up with a lot of the demand, so they feel out of popularity a bit but in recent years with their children and grandchildren getting that cooking bug they decided to bring the truck back into the limelight. But with the rising number of food trucks arriving in the city, they didn't have a whole lot of luck even with their family helping. Then Luke came in. Luke had met Antonio when he was working a line job at a local burger joint and the two bonded, getting to the point where Luke calls Antonio tio (Uncle) and Carmen tia(Aunt). Antonio would tell Luke about his adventures around the world when he was younger, and Carmen would introduce him to flavors of her native Mexico but with a bit more authenticity.
Luke had heard of their food truck and wanted to help them, so he gave them a few tips that would benefit them. He helped them expand their menu but keep true to their roots, how to brand themselves the correct way, and how to compete with the other big-name food trucks. Even though they were a bit apprehensive of introducing Luke's Asian flavors with their Mexican cuisine it turned out to be a great decision on their part and the truck flourished. The idea to serve the homeless was Luke's idea and the couple was all for it. Antonio was an older, slightly chubby Mexican man but he always had a jolly look on his face when he served people. His skin was a deep brown and he had brown eyes with short, combed black hair. Carmen was similar in stature and shape but her black hair was long that she often kept in a bun when she cooked with warm green eyes and an aura around her that just made you feel comfortable. They were both dressed in a similar outfit to Luke just minus the long sleeved.
"Looks like things are going well eh mijo?" Antonio asked Luke as he came back to the truck window.
Luke nodded, "Si tio. Always a great sight to see people enjoying a good meal." He said.
"Any room for a few more?" a voice asked. Luke turned to see Gin, Sonoka, and the kids coming up towards him which took him by surprise.
Luke waved to them as the kids came up and hugged him on his sides, "Hi guys, what brings you all here?" he asked.
Sonoka gestured to Gin with a smile, "Gin was curious about the kind of food that you made so we decided to stop by and show him in person. If that's alright with you." She said. Luke turned towards Antonio and Carmen, they both knew all of Luke's family and they had a rule of never turning away family when they were hungry.
Luke smiled, "No trouble at all Sonoka. Grab a seat anywhere that is free." He said gesturing to the few picnic tables that were around the truck. The group of four headed towards an empty table while Luke headed onto the truck with Carmen.
"I can handle mi familia's food tia." he said as he tightened the apron around his waist.
Carmen nodded, "I can understand that Mijo. But who is the man como una montaña (Like a mountain)?" she asked glancing at Gin.
Luke smiled, "He's a friend of my sister-in-law and a very well-known chef in Japan." He said getting the older woman's attention. She knew of Luke's dream to open his own restaurant and his admiration for a lot of the famous Japanese chefs, so this was a big opportunity for him. She allowed him to take over the food for his family while she took care of the others who came up to the truck. Luke smiled and got to work. He didn't want to add any favoritism to his family, so he decided to make one of the trucks specialties and add his own little twist to it. Luke grabbed a plastic bag from the reach in fridge on the truck and fired up a metal pan with a little bit of oil in it. The bag contained chicken thighs that had been marinating in a mix of soy sauce, gochujang, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, gochutgaru, pepper, hoisin, grated onion, and mirin. It was a marinade that was similarly used for a Korean dish called Dak Galbi but Luke had modified it slightly so that it wasn't overpoweringly spicy like it usually was.
Luke took the chicken and tossed it into the hot wok, as the chicken hit the hot surface it gave off a satisfying sizzle. Luke confidently tossed the meat in the wok to let the chicken cook through by flipping and tossing the chicken. He poured the excess marinade in the bag onto the cooking chicken so that it would get covered and get a nice caramelization from the natural sugars. While he tossed the chicken Luke also added some sliced cabbage and red and green bell peppers. The vegetables got tossed in the wok along with the chicken so they would get fully cooked yet still have a nice snap to them. He then tossed the chicken and veggies a few more times before seeing that the chicken was cooked through and fully glazed while the peppers were cooked yet still had a nice snap and the cabbage was slightly wilted. Luke took the mixture off the heat and then went over to the flat top and heated up some blue corn tortillas.
While those heated, Luke gathered tomatoes, onions, garlic, lime juice, cilantro, nopales, tuna fruit, jalapenos, and just a pinch of salt. He diced all the vegetables into an even dice and minced the stems of the cilantro because Carmen had taught him that the stems of cilantro held more flavor that the leaves. He gave that all a good mix before taking the tortillas off the grill. Luke took three tortillas per plate and first added a small amount of the truck made pipian sauce on the tortilla followed by the chicken and vegetable mixture and finally the nopales salsa. He garnished the tacos with some diced red onion, a sliced radish, and a sprinkle of queso fresco with a lime wedge on the side. The famous Dragon Al Pastor Dak Galbi Tacos. Luke smiled before he loaded up plates on a large tray with some chips and a few cups of Carmen's famous Passion Fruit and Pineapple Agua Fresca.
Luke picked up the tray and carried it out of the truck, he headed over to the table where his family members and Gin were sitting at and placed the tray down.
"Okay everyone, here we have our famous tacos with a few house made chips and our signature drink and don't worry the ones I made for the kids I was sure to turn the heat down so it wasn't as spicy for them." He said as he passed out the food to everyone.
Gin raised an eyebrow in interest at the serving of food, "Oh, what an interesting looking dish." He said as he closed his eyes and inhaled the wonderful aroma coming off from the tacos.
Luke smiled, "Enjoy guys." He said as he went over to help another employee.
Sonoka and the kids immediately dug in, all too familiar with the amazing flavors of Luke's food and didn't want to wait. Gin took a moment to observe the taco itself, everything was well balanced visually, but it all came down to taste in the end. Gin was sure to get the meat and the salsa in one go before he went in and took a bite. That one bite set off Gin's taste buds in a way he didn't expect.
'What Impact!' he shouted in his mind as his eyes widened.
'The tortilla itself is thin but remarkably well cooked so that it does not fall apart or become too dry. Then you get to the wonderful pipian sauce. The wonderful smokey and earthy taste is unexpected, but it contrasts the coming flavors so well.'
Gin continued to savor the flavors of his tacos when he bites into the moist chicken that gave him a surprising bite.
'Then there's the chicken itself, just by the initial flavor I could tell that it was the star of this taco. But that heat that comes from it works incredibly well with the natural sugars and acidity from the marinade itself.'
Gin continued to eat, sweet and spicy heat from the chicken coupled with the earthy flavors of the Pipian sauce made the all-around flavors exceptional. Then when he got to the slaw, it through the chef for a loop.
'What is this?! The flavors have completely changed on their head.' Gin then looked on top of the taco and saw that the pico de gallo wasn't a regular one. He could see the bright purple pieces of fruit along with green pieces that added a slightly saline taste that added an extra layer of flavor.
'Of course, the pico de gallo isn't a typical one. The small purple fruits and green pieces are the fruit and paddle of the cactus plant. The purple tuna fruits add a sweetness that amps up the natural sugars in the chicken marinade while the nopales paddles counteract that by adding a salty, saline flavor rounds out the freshness of the pico itself. And I can tell by the flavor he used the stems of the cilantro instead of the leaves.'
Gin continued to eat the taco and was just impressed by the amount of flavor and skill that the young man was able to put into a dish that is usually perceived as a simple dish and made something completely different that left him incredibly impressed.
Gin swallowed and grunted in happiness, "Delicious! This is not what I expected when I was about to bite into this." he said happily.
Sonoka smiled, "Oh yes, this dish was actually what Luke came up with when he got hired by the truck. It's what helped them win Best Food Truck Dish in Arizona." She said as she and the kids savored the rest of the food. To say Gin was impressed was an understatement, Luke was able to combine flavors of from two different cultures into a dish that would appeal to the masses. He had tremendous skill.
'I wonder if Yukihira would be interested in meeting this young man.' Gin thought with a smile.
Luke continued to serve the people in the park as well as do some light cleaning and giving a few of the other homeless in the are some more clothes and food, it was a very rewarding feeling for him to be able to feed the people around him and seeing them enjoy it. The night was going well until he saw a black Rolls Royce pull up onto the grass near the truck. Two men in suits with dark sunglasses on stepped out of the front seats and moved over to the back seats. They opened the doors and out stepped two men, the first was a shorter man dressed in a designer red suit with a white undershirt, black tie, and shiny black shoes. His bright red hair was slicked back with way too much hair gel and his brown eyes scanned over the crowd with a look of disgust. To emphasize his obvious displeasure of being around the numerous homeless in the area, the man took out a handkerchief from his suit pocket and held it to his nose and mouth.
The other man had a bit more respect for the surrounding area and kept his cool, he was dressed in a pair of designer black slacks and a black and gold polo shirt with black boots. His long blonde hair was pulled back into a short ponytail and his eyes were covered by a pair of dark sunglasses, but his head moved around the area with a purpose. Luke growled slightly at the new arrivals, the man with the red hair was Sampson Miles. He was a restaurant investor who was always looking for the next big thing to invest in and make serious money from. The only problem with that is that due to his methods he often cheated many family-owned and small businesses out of their businesses and livelihoods by tricking them into giving complete control of the restaurant rights to them. He had come to coerce the Perez family into expanding the food truck nationwide, but the family wasn't having any of it. Plus, when Luke had gotten a look at that contract, he gave them, he read through it cover to cover. No way was the family going to give in to the plans of this money hungry douche.
Luke quickly went over to David, the oldest Perez son who worked alongside his parents, and tapped his shoulder, "Hey primo (Cousin), look." He said motioning over to Sampson and the other man walking over to Antonio and Carmen.
David was not having any of it as a scowl crossed his face, "Oh hell no. Not again." He said as Luke nodded with him as the two went over to join the owners. At this point Gin, Sonoka, and the kids all looked over to the situation unfolding around Luke with a worried expression.
"Look Mr. Milles, we have told you once and we will tell you again. We have no intention of selling the truck to you." Antonio said firmly as Luke and David joined him.
Miles grinned, "Come now Mr. Perez, you know as well as I do that trucks like this will eventually get beaten out by other competition. It almost happened to you. You got lucky when you revamped your menu and your concept and now the whole state knows how great you are. Don't you want some help to relieve the oncoming pressure that you will eventually get with all your new popularity," he said as he motioned to the man beside him, "This is Carl Wright, he has worked at multiple Michelin starred restaurants all over the world. If you signed with me, he would be your new head chef while you and your wife can enjoy your time relaxing into retirement. Doesn't that sound like a good deal?" he said like a salesman. Unfortunately, since Antonio hadn't really had a lot of experience dealing with people like Sampson, he was under a lot of pressure with how he was going to reject him and didn't know what he was going to do. But Luke did.
Luke went over to Antonio and placed his hand on his shoulder giving him a reassuring nod he then looked towards Sampson and his chef who gave him a serious stare down.
"Mr. Miles, I do appreciate where you are coming and you are right, competition is something that all food trucks and even restaurants have to worry about. But as far as the so called help you claim you want to give us I know for a fact that it wouldn't help us at all," he said surprising the investor, "I read through that contract and in it, you stated that the rights of ownership and even the name of the truck would be put under your name and Carmen and Antonio would no longer have ownership any longer. And not only that, they wouldn't even be able to choose what kind of cuisine the truck would make." He said sizing up the investor.
"You claim that you want to help the food truck grow but, you just want to cheat the Perez family out of one of their prized possessions. Something they worked all their lives to build. So, unfortunately for you, we will not be giving this truck to you at all." He said firmly. The people around Luke were incredibly surprised, someone so young was dealing with an investor who had closed out so many of their businesses and wasn't even scared of how much pressure he was pushing onto the family.
Sampson growled in frustration and poked Luke's chest with his finger, "And who the hell are you to talk?! You are just some brat who works at a lowly food truck! I am here to give you a chance to make something from this damn truck, but you just come and mouth off to me. Me? You have no idea how much pull I have in the culinary world, I could destroy your career before it even starts." He said cockily. Luke kept his cool as he glared right back at the investor.
A few seconds later he smirked, "And I suppose that you're so called Michelin-Star chef is better than me in several ways, right?" he said as he crossed his arms.
Sampson looked over to his chef, "Oh he is better than you in every way." He said cockily. Carl looked over at Luke and gave him a cocky smirk, Luke knew this guy's type. Just because he worked at a few fancy places he thought he had the right to judge Luke before even seeing what kind of food he could put out.
"Well then let how about a little challenge?" Luke stated. Carl raised an eyebrow at that before he looked towards Sampson.
Luke held his hand to his chest as he looked Sampson in the eye, "If I can make a dish that makes Chef Wright here say delicious than you have to forget about this co called investment in the truck. If it doesn't, then we can revisit the offer and consider going with your deal. How does that sound?" he said.
Carl chuckled, "Well now, that sounds interesting. You have a deal." He said. Sampson turned towards him with a crazy look, but Carl quickly wrote it off. He assumed that Luke would never be able to create a dish that could satisfy his high classed palate, so he figured this was going to just be an easy way to kill some time. Luke gave him a smile before he turned back to get on the truck. Despite the afraid looks he was getting from his family and the other customers, Luke was confident. Thanks to all the training he had received from his sister-in-law, his teachers, and his older brother he knew he could make a dish that make this dude eat his words.
Luke stepped on the truck and went to the stock of ingredients that was on the truck and smiled, "Now, it's showtime."
Food Wars
"I don't freaking believe this!" Sampson yelled furiously at the top of his lungs. Carl had just been knocked out by the delicious dish that Luke had made. The Michelin-star chef was now on the ground with a pleased smile on his face after he took one bite of the dish Luke made.
Luke smiled as he crossed his arms, "I told you I could make a dish that would satisfy your chef." He said. Luke had made a panko crusted chicken ballotine stuffed with sauteed mushrooms, black beans, corn, and bacon and served it with a green chili cream sauce and a side of mashed, spiced plantains. The minute that Carl tasted it, his taste buds exploded with immense flavor. The dish was incredibly balanced and had incredible flavor that Carl was not expecting. The fact that someone who didn't work at a Michelin-starred restaurant or any kind of training in a gourmet restaurant could produce this kind of dish was incredible. It was so incredible in fact that Carl could not take the flavor and passed out happily.
Sampson yelled, "For the love of all that is great, I cannot believe that this damn food truck cook actually made something that my chef deemed delicious!" he yelled furiously.
Luke shrugged, "Guess you really underestimated me. And now that I made a meal your chef approves of; you now have to drop the proposal you were pitching us." He said.
Sampson growled, "Uh uh, no way. There is no way this dish is any kind of good." He said before he walked over to Luke's plate and took a bite of the chicken. Once he bit down on the delicious dish, his taste buds exploded.
'What the hell?! This can't be happening. Depth of flavor, different textures, and a filling that just adds to the overall flavor of the chicken. A goddamn food truck chef made this?!' he screamed in his mind as he went for another bite, but the plate was quickly taken away by Luke.
"Hey, what the hell are you doing?!" Sampson yelled as he reached for the plate.
Luke smirked, "You can have the rest of this if you promise to stop trying to buy out the truck and getting us to expand." He said. Sampson was in a bind, he didn't want to give up the chance to get in on something that was growing in popularity in the food scene and make some more money but the just being near Luke's food and remembering how delicious it was made him question his own judgement. It was as if the food itself was taking over his mind, like it was calling him.
Sampson could feel drool dripping from his mouth as the savory smell of the ballotine wafted over to his nostrils, fogging up his mind with the memory of how delicious it was.
Sampson growled, "Fine, I'll lay off your food truck. Now give me the rest of that food!" he practically yelled. Luke smirked and gave the plate back to Sampson. The man immediately dug into the dish in front of him. The rest of the truck employees all cheered and thanked Luke while his niece and nephew came up and hugged him.
Gin smiled at the joy everyone was feeling as he looked on at the young chef, "What an interesting young man." He said crossing his arms.
Sonoka giggled, "That he is. He does all this hard work so that he can become the best kind of chef he can to make his customers happy. He does what he does to make others happy, that's something he and his brother have in common. That's why I fell in love with Adam in the first place." She said as he stared lovingly at her wedding ring.
Gin glanced at Sonoka with a smile, happy that his junior had found someone that could make her happy. He then looked over to Luke who smiled at the joy everyone around him was feeling. The smile that he had on his face brought back memories of the times when he and his class at Totsuki clashed together to perfect their cuisines as well as the times when he watched the growth of his fellow juniors. This made Gin think, if this was how good Luke was in his hometown with his current skills how good would he become if he grew with the skills of Totsuki?
Food Wars
"Wow!" Rika and Hiroto exclaimed as their eyes shined with joy as they glanced around the festival. After the incident that happened with Sampson and the truck, the rest of the night went off without a hitch. The next day Luke went and picked up his niece and nephew and headed to the Plate Around the World Festival. The festival itself was a very large event that nearly everyone in Arizona came to and enjoyed, the entire premise of the festival was to feature the different flavors and cultures from around the world that were featured in Arizona that everyone could enjoy. It was also one of Luke's favorite events that happened in his home state.
Luke smiled at the joy his niece and nephew showed as they arrived. They didn't always get the chance to come to the festival due to their parents' busy schedule, so Luke wanted to make sure that they thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
Luke took the two children's hands as they looked up at their uncle with large smiles, "Let's get this show on the road!" Luke said happily.
"Yeah!" the kids shouted as they pulled their uncle forward to enjoy their day.
And enjoy it they did. The trio went to nearly every single food stand that was in the festival, trying to get every single kind of food in their bellies before they ended up sick. Luke was also being a very careful guardian over his younger family members, making sure that he always had his eyes on them and making sure that they didn't gorge themselves on too much food that they would get sick. They were able to stop by both Sonoka and Gin's stands and got an up close look at the skills of the former Totsuki Elite Ten members. Sonoka was incredibly, bringing the flavors that she had learned from her time perfecting Western Cuisine but using a few different Japanese ingredients. Although she did make Luke help her with a few things when he arrived which he was more than happy to oblige her with. After that, the trio ended up over at Gin's stand who was using every bit of knowledge he had in Japanese cuisine to show the people in attendance how they could make simple, delicious, and authentic Japanese food for their families and themselves. Along with Gin and Sonoka, there were several other Totsuki alumni who had decided to join the festivities, all who made Luke rather starstruck. There was Isshiki Satoshi and his wife Nene, demonstrating a beautiful dance of Japanese cuisine that impressed many. Mizuhara Fuyumi who was working alongside the famous Aldini Brothers showcasing their mastery of Italian cuisine. And Marui Zenji was showcasing his vast knowledge of food by demonstrating several classic techniques that he was able to make others understand so easily.
The number of incredible chefs that had come to the festival this year made Luke incredibly happy. The fact that they decided to come here and showcase their skills to everyone here was just amazing. Would he be able to become as skilled as they were? Luke's thoughts were interrupted when he noticed that Hiroto had stopped walking and headed over to small stand that seemed to be selling various types of hand carved accessories. This also caught Luke's attention as he and Rika followed the younger boy. The trio looked upon the different types of necklaces, bracelets, rings, and even a few different types of clothing that were adorned with stylized images of different mythical gods.
Luke looked towards his nephew, "You see something you like Hiroto?" he asked.
"Oh, sorry Uncle. I saw these necklaces and I was interested in what they were." He said. The owner of the stand, a heaty looking older man, smiled down at the younger boy.
"It's always nice to see some people interested in my work." The jolly old man said.
Luke took a glimpse at the items he was showcasing, "What exactly are all these?" he asked.
The man smiled, "Here at the festival, all the vendors do what they know to honor the types of cuisines they specialize in. I like to take that one step further and do what I can to help all the people who come to my stand remember the times when we would look above for what we had every day." He said.
"Because back in the days when most of the world was Polytheistic, we would often worship various Gods and Goddesses for blessings in our everyday lives." Luke stated.
The man snapped his fingers, "Correct. My accessories allow anyone who comes here to remember those days and possibly have some heavenly protection down the road." He said.
Luke nodded and glanced over the man's selection, he also took notice of how Hiroto and Rika were so interested in the many items the man had. A lot of the accessories were made of either metal or wood with various types of natural stones to help decorate them.
"Do you have anything inspired by the Norse Gods?" Luke asked. The man nodded and turned around quickly before returning with a selection of items that looked like they belonged in a Viking village. The selection of accessories made the kids smile and Luke was able to center in on two different necklaces that he knew the kids would like.
Luke pointed to the two he had his eye on, "Let me get those two." He said. The man nodded and pulled them off the display rack and handed them to Luke who paid the man.
"Only two? Not one for yourself?" he asked.
Luke smiled and reveled his wrist which was covered by a bracelet of obsidian and steel that depicted a savage wolf, "I'm covered." He said as the man nodded knowing full well what the bracelet was. Luke knelt to his niece and nephew who looked towards their uncle.
Luke held up the first necklace which displayed a warrior hunting, "Ullr, the Norse god of the hunt," he said placing the necklace around Hiroto's neck and then turned to Rika with the necklace of a graceful woman, "Gefjun, Norse goddess of Agriculture," he said placing the necklace around the young girl's neck, "I don't know if you guys know this but our family actually has Viking blood thanks to my mother's side of the family. Your father has always told you to be proud of your heritage, both sides of it. These crests will always help you remind of that. Whether you decide to go into the culinary field like me and your mom or decide to go a different route, always know that your family will always be behind you." He said with a smile. The kids looked at each before smiling.
"Thank You Uncle!" they yelled before jumping into the older boys' arms with a large hug. Luke laughed at the kid's energy and hugged them back as he picked them up. No matter where his life would go, he would always treasure his family.
After thanking the man, the trio of family members went around and observed several more stalls and cooking demos before sitting down on a nearby bench. Hiroto and Rika were munching on some yummy looking crepes while Luke indulged himself in a simple bottle of ice cold root beer. One of his weaknesses. As the family relaxed, Luke noticed a familiar figure coming towards the trio who turned out to be none other than Dojima Gin. Luke stood up and greeted the man.
"Chef Dojima, great to see you again. The demo you did earlier was really impressive." Luke said as he shook the man's hand.
Gin laughed heartily as he and Luke separated, "Thank you Luke. I see you and your family members are enjoying the festival." He said as Hiroto and Rika waved to the older man. Luke nodded in agreement before several people ran by him in a hurry.
Luke raised an eyebrow, "What's that all about?" he asked.
"Apparently the heiress to a popular Italian Pasta dynasty is at the festival showcasing some of her skills. She's quite popular from what I have heard." Gin informed Luke who immediately had a flashback of the girl who interrupted his culinary class at school. It was a definite possibility it was her and if it was, Luke wanted to see if she was all talk or if she could back up all that smack talk, she spat at him and his friends.
"Hiroto, Rika, come on guys. I need to check something out." He called out to his niece and nephew who swallowed the last of their crepes and followed their uncle. Gin raised an eyebrow at the odd display that the young man before him showed but he was more interested in what exactly was going to happen so he followed the trio to see what would happen.
Luke followed the people who were interested in seeing the pasta heiress' skills in person and he came to a large stage that was set up like an outdoor arena area for live cooking. Two different workstations were set up opposite each other while large ovens, flattop grills along with stovetop burners sat alongside each other, and a large pantry and industrial fridge were set alongside one of the farther areas that held multiple types of ingredients. And standing at one of the workstations was none other than Sofia Albergo in all her undesired glory. She had her hair up in a high ponytail and was dressed in a very flashy pink, white, and gold chef coat with tight black chef pants and high heeled boots. Her locket was still on and she looked like she was putting on a very good show for the people in the crowd and they were eating it up.
Sofia placed a healthy portion of sauce over what looked like Manicotti with a flashy flourish before she turned to the crowd and winked, getting a loud cheer from the crowd but an eye roll from Luke. He didn't mind putting on a show when the moment called for it but the way this girl was doing it made him think that she was just cooking to look good. A woman and a cameraman moved from the crowd and up a set of stairs towards Sofia.
The woman turned to the camera as the crowds cheering died down, "We are live here at the Plate Around the World Festival. I am Jane Aarons and here with me is the one and only Pasta Princess herself Sofia Albergo. Tell me Sofia, just what do you have to do to obtain skills like yours?" Jane asked as she held the microphone in her hands towards Sofia.
Sofia smirked, "Oh that's easy Jane, it's my training. I have been working on my skills in pasta and Italian cuisine since I was very young. All my family members taught me everything I know, and I have used all their lessons to become the best chef that I can be. All of the high class training my family has had over the years is within me and my food, as long as I use what they taught me I know for certain I can continue the Albergo legacy and make the business grow." She said with a large smile.
Jane brought the mic back to her, "Wow, such high ambitions for someone so young. So that is your goal then? To keep the legacy of your family going?"
"That's right. If I can keep making money and keep the family name known, then I have accomplished my goal as a chef. I mean, isn't that the goal of every chef? To make money for their business?" Sofia said crossing her arms. Luke's eyes widened at that and a spark of anger spread throughout his body at the statement Sofia said. Sure, all chefs get into the business itself so they can make a name for themselves and of course be successful but the fact that this woman thinks the only reason chefs go into the business was for profit made Luke angry. Luke cooked because he loved to see the joy on his customers faces when they ate his food, it filled him with an immense sense of joy that he could make a person happy with his food.
Luke knew this was against his better judgment, but he wasn't going to let what that woman said pass. He looked over and saw that Sonoka had come up to join them in the crowd.
"Sonoka, take the kids. I have something I need to take care of." Luke said as he left the group and headed to the stage.
"Oh, boy. This may be bad." Sonoka said as she pulled out her phone to call someone who needed to be with her in case Luke was in trouble.
Luke moved his way past a few more fans before he got near the stage, catching the attention of both Jane and Sofia, who immediately scowled once she saw him.
"What are you doing here?" she asked him with her hands on her hips. Luke ignored her and brushed past the girl to get the plate of Manicotti she had prepared. Luke grabbed a spare form and cut off a piece of the pasta dish before taking a bite. The pasta was cooked perfectly, and the filling had a lot of flavor from the ricotta, parmesan, and the spices that he detected. The hearty tomato sauce was full of acidity and flavor that complemented the filling well.
Luke nodded his head and looked towards Sofia, "Boring." He said putting the plate down.
Sofia gasped, "Excuse me?!" she practically yelled.
Luke walked towards her, "Your food is good, no doubt about that. If you were to serve this at your restaurant you would definitely make your customer happy and make a decent amount of cash from it," he said as he stopped right in front of her, "But your food is boring. It has no soul. There is no identity telling the customer anything about who you are as a chef. If the only reason you are cooking is so you can make money, then if you ask me you need to work on your skills." He said crossing his arms.
Sofia's face flushed with anger at the outrageous statement that Luke had just made, "And what the hell would you know about cooking?! You are a nobody! You have no right to judge me of my food when I bet the only kind of cooking you know is from that lousy cooking class you take. You wouldn't be able to handle the skills that I have." She said condescendingly.
Luke scoffed, "You do have a point. I don't have the so called high class training that you do. I'm just a simple food truck chef." He said.
Sofia smirked, "Exactly. You should know your place when you speak to me." She said.
"Then why don't we put our skills to the test?"
Sofia raised an eyebrow, "What are you going on about?"
Luke smiled, "Well, you say that I wouldn't be able to cook decent food because I don't have the skills, but I say that my skills can easily stack up against yours. So, in honor of our esteemed guests from Totsuki, why don't we settle this with the way that they did back in their school days?"
Sofia's eyes widened in realization, "You can't mean…"
Luke's smile widened, "Shokugeki." A collective gasp spread throughout the crowd, those that were in the culinary field knew just how big the deceleration of a Shokugeki was. Even for those that weren't students or even alumni of Totsuki knew how significant a Shokugeki challenge was.
Jane turned towards to the camera, "This just in folks, an unknown chef has come up to Ms. Sofia Albergo and challenged her to a Shokugeki. For those of you who don't know, a Shokugeki is a high stakes culinary dual that take place at Totsuki Academy. Each chef must state the terms for victory and the theme of what they wish to cook. The winner takes all. Let's see what happens." She says as she turns back to Sofia and Luke.
Sofia was taken back by the sudden declaration of the Shokugeki challenge but quickly righted herself, "And why on earth should I even consider accepting your challenge?"
Luke chuckled, "What's the matter princess? Afraid of getting knocked off your pedestal by a simple food truck chef?" he taunted the woman.
Sofia's face reddened with anger, no one in her life had ever irritated her more than Luke. She was the heiress of Albergo Pasta Dynasty, there is no one that would ever talk to her the way he did, and she would now prove just how superior she was.
Sofia walked up to Luke and poked his chest, "You want a challenge, you have one. But if I win then I don't want you anywhere near that food truck that you work at ever again." She said haughtily. Luke was taken back by this, if he lost this Shokugeki then he wouldn't be able to work at the truck again but there was no way that he would ever back down from a challenge like this. Not when it meant so much to him, he was going to show this princess just what being a chef means to him.
Luke smiled, "Okay I accept," he said shocking all of the people in attendance, "But if I win, then you have to work on the food truck and become an employee."
Sofia gasped, "Excuse me?!"
Luke shrugged, "Think of it as penance for insulting my skills. And to get some real world kitchen skills."
Sofia swallowed but stood strong, "Fine, you have a deal."
Luke clapped, "Whoo, sweet! Let's do this. All we need now are some judges."
"You can leave that to me, Luke."
Luke and Sofia looked towards the deep voice and saw Gin walking towards them with a warm smile.
"Hi Gin." Luke said. Sofia looked as if she was starstruck by the mere sight of Gin and was gaping like a fish and at how familiar Luke was acting with him.
"Since neither of you are Totsuki students, this will be an unofficial Shokugeki. But, with my authority as the head of the Totsuki Resort Group I will authorize this match so it will be a cooking battle with some Totsuki Authority. I will take care of the judges so all you need to decide on is a theme." He said.
Luke crossed his arms, "That's simple, pasta." He said which shocked Sofia. This guy thought he could beat her in pasta. He was either crazy or stupid.
Gin grunted in approval, "Very well, stand at your stations and get ready to cook." He said. Luke and Sofia glared at each other one more time before separating and heading towards the two separate cooking stations. Sofia looked prim and proper and she fixed up her hair to get ready to cook while Luke just made sure there that the station that he was in was well stocked and clean so that he can start cooking. This was going to be a rather difficult challenge; sure, Sofia had a mouth and an incredibly cocky attitude, but she did know how to cook, and her knowledge of pasta was incredibly vast. Luke would have to pull out a few tricks skills that he had under his belt to win this battle.
"Hey, looks like you are going to need a few things to win this battle huh baby bro?!" a masculine voice shouted out through the crowd. Luke went stiff and slowly turned towards the source of the voice and was shocked by who he saw. The man was taller than Luke by several inches and was built like a mountain. He was a solid 275 with only a little bit of fat on his ribs, his skin was white with a slight tan and blue green eyes and a thick full beard that was dark brown along with combed dark brown hair. He was dressed in a simple grey t-shirt with a dark blue flannel shirt over it and faded blue jeans with dark brown work boots. In his hand was a black attaché case and a Viking-styled silver necklace of a Lion around his neck. This was Adam Anders, Luke's older brother and Sonoka's husband.
Luke smiled at the sight of the tall man, "Aniki, what are you doing here?" Luke said as he walked towards the end of the stage to meet his brother.
Adam smiled, "Sonoka told me about the challenge that you got yourself into when I was on my way here, so I figured that you could use a little help to show your opponent you mean business." He said presenting the case to Luke. Luke took the case from his brother with a curious look. What exactly was in the case? It made him very curious.
Adam held his fist out, "Show this girl how the Anders' family takes care of business." He said with a smile. Luke knocked his fist against his brother and gave him a firm nod. If there was one thing that both he and his brother had in common, it was their standards. They never backed down when someone insulted their way of living and they sure as hell did not back down from any challenge. Adam walked back to his family and Luke placed the case on the ground in front of him, he clicked the latches and opened the case. The contents brought a huge smile to his face as he looked over to his brother. Adam nodded and gave Luke a 'rock-on' symbol, something that he had been doing since Luke was a child. It was his way of giving him encouragement.
"Luke, are you ready?" Gin called out to Luke. Luke smiled and looked towards the older chef.
"I am now." He said as he grabbed the case contents. The contents of the cases were something that Luke would always be using in the future. Inside was a long-sleeved black and red chef coat with lapels near the shoulders so the coat could become sleeveless. On the back of the coat was an image of a circular Viking shield with a stylized image of a wolf in the center. The same image was over the area over his heart while a more Aztec styled version of the image was on the sleeved over his biceps. Along with the coat was a stylish black fedora with a red band around it and something that really made Luke's day. It was a chef knife with a pitch black blade with a sturdy, textured carbon fiber grip. Luke smiled at the knife and spun it a few times in his hands and placed the fedora on his head. Now he really felt like he could take on the world.
Gin nodded, "Okay then, this unofficial Shokugeki shall now commence between Sofia Albergo and Luke Anders. The topic is pasta, you will each have 90 minutes to complete your dishes and present them. Let the Shokugeki Begin!" Gin shouted.
Luke Anders vs Sofia Albergo
Theme: Pasta
Luke and Sofia both began making their dishes by starting on their dough. Sofia sifted together semolina and all-purpose flour into a bowl and water, oil, and eggs in a separate bowl and whisked the wet ingredients together. She then poured out the dry ingredients onto a floured surface and formed a well in the middle, she then poured half of her egg mixture into the middle of the well and used a fork to slowly incorporate the egg mixture into the flour. Once everything was well incorporated and was formed into a manageable mass, Sofia turned the dough onto a floured surface and began kneading it until all the liquid was absorbed and a firm looking pasta dough ball was formed. She wrapped the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge.
Luke did a similar process but did something a bit simpler. He took flour, eggs that had been beaten, olive oil, a secret ingredient, and salt and placed them all into a bowl after they had been measured out. Luke then mixed all the ingredients together with his hands, this process may have been a little less flashy than what Sophia was doing but it still got the process done. Once the mixture had formed a shaggy dough, Luke turned it over onto a floured surface, kneaded it, wrapped it, and refrigerated it.
Jane spoke to the camera once more, "At this point the Shokugeki between Sofia Albergo and Luke Anders has only just begun. Both contestants have finished making their pasta dough and are giving it time to rest. Now it appears they will be working on the other aspects of their dishes." She said as the camera went back to the cooking battle.
Sofia was confident in her abilities, the high-class training that she had been given her whole life would no doubt blow Luke out of the water and she would be sure to show him just how much of a distance was between them. And she would do it with this dish. Sofia took a large stock pot and put it over heat. To the pot she added olive oil and let that heat up before adding in garlic cloves and letting them brown and get soft. Once they were she took the cloves out of the pot and set them aside. To the garlic infused oil she added a diced white onion and cooked that until it was translucent, she then added crushed San Marzano tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, granulated garlic, onion powder and crushed red pepper flakes before finishing it off with a little salt and pepper. Making sure to add a little flourish whenever she added a new ingredient.
Her actions made the crowd go crazy and she was enjoying every minute of. She wanted to make sure that she would not only show Luke up with not just her food but also her amazing presence. To her mixture she added the browned garlic cloves that she browned along with a spring of basil. She then covered the tomato sauce and let that simmer.
Jane came up to Sofia with her cameraman, "Ms. Sofia I must say that I am very impressed. You put that sauce together in no time flat. Have you made this recipe before?" she asked.
Sofia flicked her hair and nodded, "Of course, this was one of the first recipes that my incredible mother ever taught me. This tomato sauce is the pride and joy of the Albergo Pasta Dynasty and it is going to go great with the dish I have planned." She said emphasizing her point by walking over to the fridge and pulled out several different types of seafood that shocked everyone.
Hiroto gaped at the amount, "Huh?! She is planning on using all of that in her dish?" he exclaimed.
Rika was just as surprised, "Mussels, clams, squid, lobster, shrimp, and even prawns?! Will all of that even work?"
"Actually, it can," Sonoka said causing her kids to turn to her, "There are multiple dishes in Italian cuisine that incorporate multiple types of seafood so while the amount that she is using may seem like a lot it is rather traditional."
"Not to mention each of those types of seafood require different cooking methods and preparations. If she is able to cook each of them to the optimal temperature and the proper method than she could come create something delicious." Adam said crossing his arms. While he was not a professional chef he did know how to cook, especially when it came to fish and game. He always knew how long to cook them for and how to prepare them.
"Indeed, if she can create something cohesive with all those types of seafood, her dish will be rather impressive." A deep voice said. The family of four turned their heads to see two men walking towards them. The first was a handsome blonde haired man with deep blue eyes and slightly pale skin. He was fit with a slim build and he appeared to be in his early thirties and dressed in a white and orange chef coat with name Trattoria Aldini written in italics on his arm. The other man was about an inch shorter than the blonde man with black hair that was spiked outwards, he was rather husky with a jolly smile on his face and his eyes appeared to be closed. He was dressed the same way as the former with the same amount of age in his face.
Sonoka smiled at the duo, "Oh, Takumi, Isami, always good to see you two." She said with a smile.
"Likewise, Mrs. Sonoka." Takumi said.
"Greetings Sonoka. Did you come to present at the festival as well?" Isami asked.
Sonoka nodded, "Yes I did but I did not expect Luke to get caught up in a Shokugeki." She said slightly worried.
Adam laughed, "In all honesty, I'm not. Luke has always been someone to act first think later, at least when it comes to cooking. When that girl mentioned that the only reason that she wants to cook is so she can make money, that did not sit right with him." He said causing the Aldini brothers to look at each other. They had to admit they understood where Luke was coming from. They cooked because it was who they were and what the loved doing, making money was just an added benefit.
Takumi crossed his arms, "Well I can see where the young man is coming from, but I have to admit that I am quite concerned about his progress. All he seems to have done is his pasta dough." He said.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that Nii-chan." Isami informed his brother. Curious as to what his brother meant, Takumi's eyes widened, and the crowd gasped in surprise as Luke slammed an entire side of beef onto his table. Luke didn't pay them any mind as he went over to one of the sound technicians that was still on the stage. After exchanging a few words, the tech nodded and gave Luke a small Bluetooth speaker that he placed on the edge of his workstation.
Luke smiled before he reached up and grabbed the top part of his coat sleeves and pulled. The sleeves pulled off, making the jacket now sleeveless, some of the women that were Luke's age swooned at the sight of Luke's muscular arms while he flexed his arms. He tipped his hat down slightly and smirked, his own phone was connected to the speaker and he pulled it out and opened his own musical playlist.
"Now, it's Showtime!" Luke said happily as he pressed play.
(Insert Song: Lovumba by Daddy Yankee)
The minute the music began to play, Luke's body swayed and moved along to the beat. The upbeat, Latin lyrics set Luke's body ablaze setting him into a dance matching perfectly to the rhythm of the song and once the lyrics began, he stated singing along. The entire audience was shocked by what they were seeing but the way that Luke was enjoying himself it made them even more interested in what he was doing.
Takumi was dumbfounded by what he was seeing, "He is singing?! And dancing?! What is going on?" he said.
Adam laughed out loud, "Yeah, that is how Luke cooks. Growing up when he started getting into cooking he would always be in the kitchen whenever out grandmother was cooking, Due to our Hispanic blood, food and music became an instant love for him. Now whenever he cooks, he usually plays music to keep himself calm and enjoy the cooking process." He said as he watched his children dance along to the music. And soon enough a lot of the members in the audience began dancing as well but it looks like Sofia was not enjoying it as much as everyone else was.
"Are you mocking me?! You are not even taking this, seriously are you?!" she shouted as she watched Luke sing and dance, but he didn't even acknowledge her shouting at him.
Sofia growled as she continued cooking, "Fine do what you want. This just proves that you have no real skill." She taunted. She would have flung out more but when Luke grabbed his knife and spun it, she was rendered speechless at the sight. Luke moved along to the beat of the and trimmed the fat off the side of beef and sliced it into reasonable sized chunks before moving to the side of the cooking table where a meat grinder stood. Luke added the meat to the grinder, slowly and with small amounts of beef fat. Once the meat was fully ground Luke put it into a bowl and covered it with plastic. After that, he proceeded to slice up green peppers, red peppers, sweet chili peppers, tomatoes, onions, and garlic along with cilantro, Mexican coriander, salt, and pepper. Once everything was sliced, he proceeded to sauté everything in a pan with some oil, once everything was translucent, Luke transferred the entire mix into a food processor until it was a thick paste and added that to the ground up meat. Luke danced and swayed along to the beat of the music while he prepped and finished up prepping the meat, moving on to finish his sauce for the pasta. Luke prepped a large pot and heated oil in it over medium heat, he proceeded to add bacon to the pot and let the fat render. He then added onions, carrots and celery and cooked them, stirring until they were soft; then adding in garlic, salt, pepper, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, cinnamon, and nutmeg and cook, stirring, for about thirty seconds before adding in the meat mixture and cooked until there was just a little amount of pink left. He then added in tomato paste and cooked for 1 to 2 minutes. Once everything was well incorporated, Luke added in wine and deglazed the pan and remove any browned bits that were stuck to the bottom of the pan and waited until half of the liquid is evaporated.
Each ingredient Luke added in was a show, almost like he was doing a concert for the people in the audience, his dancing skills were incredible, and his singing was surprisingly good that even Sofia was impressed.
'I really want to beat him, but I can't help but be impressed by his performing. He is a really good singer, and it looks like he's having a lot of fun," Sofia thought to herself as she somehow became entranced at how Luke was cooking but there was also a feeling of slight fear from when Luke would look in her direction.
'Why do I feel so afraid of him? Sure, he's having a lot of fun cooking but it's also like he's bearing down me like a predator.' Sofia trembled slightly where she stood at the immense presence that Luke was giving off, but she shook it off almost immediately and continued with her cooking. She sautéed the shrimp she had in some oil, butter, and chili flakes, at the same time she cooked off ger squid and mussels along with the lobster that she poached in some butter. She already had some of the famous Albergo marinara sauce on her station but she decided to doctor it up with a little bit of dried cilantro, black pepper, and chili flakes to add some flavor and heat while adjusting it with salt.
Luke on his side was living it up, the music continued to play and Luke enjoyed every minute of it. Music and food are what hold the most important memories for us, that was what his grandmother would say whenever they cooked together and it was something that Luke took to heart every time he stood in the kitchen. Now in addition to the main sauce he was preparing, he added tomatoes and their juices, tomato sauce, beef broth, and sugar and brought everything to a boil. He reduced the heat to medium-low and simmered, stirring occasionally to keep the sauce from sticking to the bottom of the pan, until the sauce thickened and was full of flavor. He added cream, butter, and parsley, stir well, and simmered for about 2 minutes. He discarded the bay leaves and adjusted the seasoning, to taste. Once he was happy with the taste, he took it off the heat and covered it to keep warm until it was time to serve.
"With both contestants' sauces finished, both Luke and Sofia have gone into the possibly one of the most important moment when making a pasta dish; cooking the pasta itself." Jane said to the camera. Takumi had a concerned look on his face. When cooking pasta there were a multitude of factors that could throw the whole cooking process out of proportion. Making sure your water was at the right temperature and salted properly, having your pasta dough at the right texture so it didn't dissolve in the water, and having cooked your pasta to the proper al dente so it can be perfect to soak up all the sauce you accompany with it.
"This moment will decide the victor." Takumi stated with his brother agreeing.
Adam clenched his fist around his arm in slight worry, "Come one Luke, you got this."
Sofia and Luke took out their pasta, Sofia making it into raviolis with a mixture of various seafood as the filling while Luke rhythmically and swiftly sliced his pasta into Tagliatelle. They both placed their pasta into boiling water and they both cooked them to the perfect al dente texture.
"Time is winding down; this is going to be a tight race. Will both finish, or will one fail to make the cut?" Jane said as she and the rest of the crowd watched Luke and Sofia finish up their pasta dishes. The tension throughout everyone was tense as they all watched the two different competitors finish up with vastly different styles. Sofia was more graceful and precise with her dishes while Luke grooved along to the music as it neared its end and the crowd began to count down.
"5…4…3…2…1…," the timer let off a loud buzz and both Sofia and Luke finished up their dishes.
"Time's up! Stop cooking!" Gin shouted making the two young chefs step back from their food.
(End Song)
Luke paused his song and smiled, the match he just had was probably the best cooking match that he had in a long time. He had always had a competitive spirit growing up in a sport loving household and this was just another way for him to be him.
"Now that the Shokugeki has completed, let's bring up the judges who will determine the outcome of this match." Gin said as he stepped off to the side to make way for three men who made both Luke and Sofia jaw drop. Takumi was the first, which made both chefs nervous as he was one of the foremost authorities on Italian food in the world. The second was a tall man with unruly brownish-black hair that hung around his face with red eyes that seemed to have bags underneath them. He had a well-built body that shown through the sleeveless, Chinese style, black chef coat and black pants with matching boots. Around his wrist was a red bandanna with a flame pattern on it. He appeared to be in the same age range as Takumi but seemed to have a lazy look about him like he didn't want to be where he was.
The other man was someone that Luke had least expected but just as shocking. He was slightly shorter that the red haired man but still had a relatively well built body with dark red hair that was spiked outward. His golden eyes shined brightly and the large smile on his face said that he was looking forward to what was going to happen. He was dressed in a simple long-sleeved blue shirt, black pants, and brown shoes with a scar over his eyebrow and a white bandanna tied around his wrist.
Luke swallowed hard the minute he saw all three men, "Holy Hera, Takumi Aldini, Kurokiba Ryo, and Yukihira Soma. In the flesh and standing in front of me." He said with awe in his voice. These three men were some of the greatest chefs in the world and were chefs that Luke looked up to. Especially Soma. He was someone who came from humble beginnings and through pure skill and training had managed to climb the ranks of Totsuki Academy to become their First Seat. From there he made a name for himself by travelling around the world perfecting his skills in all manners of cuisine before returning to Japan and marrying his wife Erina. Now he ran one of the most popular restaurants in Japan and has become one of the most popular chefs around the world. And now Luke was going to serve his food to him? Along with Soma's former classmates?
Luke smiled at the thought, "So these guys are going to judge my food," he said to himself which led to a hearty laugh, "This is going to be awesome!"
Sofia just looked at him like he was crazy, did he not know how serious it was for men of this caliber to judge their food? One word could destroy the dish they worked on.
Soma chuckled, "I like this kid! He knows how to have fun in the kitchen." He said crossing his arms.
Takumi nodded, "That performance he gave did while he cooked showed just how much fun he was having."
"But does all that dancing put out good food?" Ryo asked aloud.
Soma grinned, "I guess we'll just have to see won't we, Kurokiba?" he said playfully.
"Yep." Was all Ryo said before he and the other men took seats at a table that had been set up by Gin.
Gin nodded, "Now that out judges have arrived, we shall commence with the judging. Albergo-kun, present your dish." He said.
Sofia shook off her initial shock and nodded, "Yes chef." She said before she took the plates that she had set up and balanced them on her arms. She walked over to the three men who waited for her before placing her pasta dish in front of them. The dish was a beautifully plated ravioli dish that was smothered in a mountain of marinara sauce and garnished with some chiffonade basil.
"I give you my special Ravioli al Cartoccio, buon appetito." She said with a bow.
Ryo raised an eyebrow, "Cartoccio huh? Quite an interesting take on the dish itself."
Takumi nodded, "Typically the pasta version of al Cartoccio is pasta that is wrapped in foil that is then baked. It seems young Sofia has taken that idea and used ravioli instead to wrap the filling."
Soma raised an eyebrow, "How interesting! Well, no time like the present, let's see how it tastes guys!" he said as the other nodded. They each grabbed a fork and stabbed it into one of the raviolis. They then each took a bite and their eyes widened.
'These raviolis are… a flavor bomb!' Soma exclaimed in his mind as he chewed on his ravioli.
"The minute you bite into the perfectly cooked pasta, the smell of the sea wafts into your nostrils. Then you get to the filling inside." Takumi stated.
Ryo grunted, "Multiple types of seafood all mixed together and cooked to the optimal temperature and texture so that none overpower the other. The flavor permeates throughout my entire mouth and fills it with the taste of incredible seafood."
"But the real star is this sauce," Soma exclaimed as he inhaled another ravioli that was covered with sauce, "Its tangy, sweet, slightly spicy, and matches perfectly with the taste of the ravioli."
Sofia smirked, "Of course it does. That is the signature sauce of my family that has won us many awards and competitions. It is something that I am very proud of." She said.
Ryo nodded, "I got to say, that is a damn good plate of pasta. But nothing I haven't seen before."
This shocked Sofia and a lot of the other members of the crowd, "Excuse me?! I'm sorry Chef but I don't understand."
Takumi wiped his mouth and crossed his arms, "You crossed all the boxes in how to make great pasta. Pasta was cooked perfectly, fillings weren't too much, and the sauce complemented the entire dish very well however, the taste of the whole dish was something that I have tasted before when professional chefs have made Spaghetti Al Cartoccio the original way but what you have made is just a different variation of the original. Not to mention that the sauce you made while incredibly satisfying, takes over the entire dish completely dominating the pasta itself."
Soma nodded in agreement before turning to Sofia, "You made a delicious dish, and it was very interesting the way you made a classic into a more modern version but this is so technical and perfect that its almost boring. Heck, I'm pretty sure Takumi has made something that was just like this a few months ago." He said. Sofia was shocked, she used every bit of skill and technique that she had been taught to create a dish she knew would work but the chefs in front of her said that it didn't measure up to winning the match or even satisfying the judges. What had she done wrong?
"You put too much faith in your own skill and the training you have received. While that is not a bad thing, if you are too afraid to step out of the box of your current self then you will never improve your skills." Ryo said.
Jane spoke to the camera again, "The judges have just tasted Sofia Albergo's dish and have given her some harsh feedback. Now, let's see if Luke Anders' dish can make the cut." She said as the cameraman focused on the second part of the judging.
Luke walked forward with the plates of his pasta balanced on his arms, he approached the table with the judges with a large smile on his face as he placed his dish in front of the three judges.
"Gentleman, a pleasure to meet you all. I present to you my special Wild Soul Pasta Bolognese. Dozo Oagari yo." He said with a bow.
Soma smirked with a cocky look on his face, "Oh, looks like my catchphrase is still in use today huh?" he said.
Luke blushed slightly and rubbed the back of his head, "Umm… yeah. I have been following your career for a long time Chef Yukihira and I have to say you are one of my favorite chefs. I have been using your line ever since I started seriously getting into cooking."
Soma laughed, "Well its nice that some of my style hasn't gone out of trend with how the times change." He said with a happy smile.
Takumi sighed, "Lets just hope that he has a better attitude than you did back at that age Yukihira."
"What do you mean by that Takumi?!"
"He means you were one crazy dude back in the day." Ryo added in his own thoughts.
"Me?! Crazy?!"
The three chefs started reminiscing about how they all were during their school days and somehow seemed to ignore the current match that was going on which shocked Luke and the others in attendance. This went on for some time and Luke was about to remind them that his dish still needed to be judged but Gin seemed to beat him to the punch.
"HEY MORONS! HAVE SOME RESPECT FOR YOURSELVES AND THE PEOPLE HERE! YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE JUDGES NOW ACT LIKE IT!" he shouted at the top of his lungs which instantly calmed the three chefs down. Luke was impressed, a few words uttered by Chef Gin put the veteran chefs of the culinary world in their place immediately.
Takumi cleared his throat, "Well I believe we should get back to judging." He said with the others agreeing. They all grabbed a fork and carefully spun an amount of pasta around their form. Luke's dish looked rather simple compared to Sofia's with pasta on the bottom, Bolognese sauce covering the top of it, with small crunchy bits and some parmesan to top it all off. The three chefs all placed the pasta they spun around their forks, which was luckily still warm, into their mouth and bite down. The minute they all tasted it, they immediately froze.
This act made a few of the people in the crowd confused as they didn't understand why the three professional chefs had acted like they did. The three chefs swallowed before eyeing the pasta in front of them once more.
"Delicious!" they all shouted before they started shoveling large forkfuls of pasta into their mouths. Taking everyone by surprise.
Sofia was the most shocked at this, "What how?!"
"The pasta is cooked perfectly and acts as the perfect vehicle to slurp up all of the sauce that covers it." Takumi stated.
"The Bolognese sauce isn't your standard one. It has a full bodied flavor from all the spices that are added into it along with the richness of the tomatoes. But there is something different in the sauce itself that I cannot focus on." Ryo said as he ate.
Soma stopped eating as a realization came over him, "Its elk! The meat that he used for the Bolognese sauce is elk meat!" he said. The audience members were shocked by this as most of them had never really heard of someone taking a wild game ingredient like elk to make a classic Italian sauce like Bolognese.
Luke smirked, "That's right. I took an entire side of elk and broke it down before turning it into ground meat. From there, I added a special onion and pepper mixture called Sofrito to bring out some of the elk's natural sweetness. The meat mixture complemented the sauce itself by bringing in a different kind of taste you wouldn't normally experience with a classic Bolognese sauce."
Takumi kept eating as he noticed something that raised the flavor of the pasta dish even more, "I am also tasting a slight salty, cheese note coming from the pasta as well." He stated.
"Oh yeah, when I was making my pasta dough I added a little bit of parmesan cheese to it. Its actually a trick I learned from you Chef Aldini. I wanted to add something to the dough itself that would make it a bit more interesting that just regular pasta. The small, crunchy bits on top are fried shoestring pieces of Yukon Gold potatoes to add a fun texture." Luke explained. As the chefs ate and acknowledged the deliciousness of the pasta dish in front of them they all came to a realization.
"The pasta…"
"The Meat sauce…"
"And the potatoes on top…"
Soma slapped his hands on the table, "Its Hachis Parmentier! You made a pasta version of Hachis Parmentier!" he shouted. Luke smile and nodded, confirming Soma's suspicions.
Takumi nodded, "Of course, this dish is reminiscent of both a classic Bolognese but with the way the pasta dough is made and the addition of the crispy potatoes on top give it an homage to the classic French dish."
"And the ingredients that he has on here aren't just accompaniments or mere garnishes, they all serve a purpose that brings the dish to a whole new level. I haven't seen anything like this before." Ryo stated as he just about finished his pasta.
Sofia stood there flabbergasted, there is no way that someone could come up with a dish like that on the fly.
She stomped over to Luke, "Just how in the world did you think of something like this? All these different flavors and ingredients should never come together and yet you some how made it all work? How?!"
Luke smirked before he pinned her with a serious glare, sending a shiver up the young girl's spine, "I have been doing stuff like this since I started cooking."
"What?" Sofia asked.
"I grew up in a multicultural household where different flavors and dishes would fly by me every single day. I know that in the world of food people can sometimes get bored with the same kind of dish they have had repeatedly, so I created my style from the combinations of cultures that went and came through my home. I created a style of cooking that combines all the wonderful flavors that I have come to know about during my years since I started cooking." He said.
"Elk meat, Bolognese sauce, Sofrito, fried potatoes, Tagliatelle pasta, and the flavors of Hachis Parmentier. This is one of the dishes I have created using my style of cooking; Fusion Cooking." Luke said proudly. Sofia couldn't believe what she was hearing. The boy in front of her based his style of cooking on the multiple types of dishes. No one should be able to combine flavors that are completely different from each other to make a cohesive dish.
Luke held a plate of pasta in front of Sofia, "You said that I shouldn't be able to cook good food because I don't have the training you do but maybe you should see for yourself, just where my skills have gotten me." He said. Sofia looked at the plate of food in front of her and against her better judgement she took it from his hands. The scent wafting off the pasta made her mouth salivate and her stomach rumble. She couldn't wait anymore and took a forkful of pasta and stuffed it in her mouth. The minute the dish touched her tongue, her taste buds lit up like fireworks. Never in her life had she ever tasted a pasta like this, so many flavors were being thrown at her in ways she couldn't have imagined. She began shoveling down more and more forkfuls of pasta like it was going to be taken away from her.
How could someone with no high class training make something this incredible? She had been trained her whole life to create the best kind of pasta she could with all the skills her family had taught her but what she was tasting now was something she would have never come up with. Is what Luke and the chefs said be true? Could the training she had received restricted her own creativity to where all she could rely on was the skills she was taught? These thoughts ran throughout her head as she continued to enjoy the plate of pasta in front of her. She began shoveling down more and more until her plate was nearly empty. An immense feeling of pleasure shook her entire body as she swallowed another large amount of pasta. Her feeling of satisfaction became too much for her to keep quiet and she released a loud yell of pleasure which brought a smile to Luke's face knowing he had pleased someone with his food.
Ryo, Takumi, and Soma all looked at each other before turning to Gin, telling him that they had all made their decision for the victor. He heard their decision and picked up the microphone.
"The judges have made their decision and the winner of this unofficial Shokugeki is… Luke Anders!" he stated loudly. The entire crowd, especially Luke's family, shouted at the top of their lungs.
Luke smiled and grabbed his hat off his head and threw it into the air, he spun on his heels and caught his hat in his hands as it fell before placing it back on his head with a flourish, "Eien ni, gracias (Eternally, thank you)!" Luke said as he snapped his fingers. His family rushed onto the stage where his niece and nephew were ecstatic and animated as they talked about how he cooked and how he danced. Sonoka kissed his cheek and said how she was proud of the way he cooked and of how far he had come. When it came to his brother, they simply clasped hands and bro hugged.
"I knew you had it in you baby bro." Adam said as they separated.
Luke held his fist out, "Never back down bro." he said as his brother chuckled and the knocked their fists against each other.
Sofia was still in shock about her loss and of how the match made her see things a bit differently. Would she really be able to change how she cooked? Would she be able to be a better chef? Could she actually enjoy cooking like Luke did?
A hand clasped her shoulder which made her turn her head to see Gin giving her a kind smile, "Defeats and failures are a way of life for chefs. What really shows the strength you have is how you will be able to bounce back from the defeat you have suffered. Will you stay in a slump or will you use this defeat to better yourself? Only you can answer that question, young Sofia." He said. Sofia took Gin's words to heart as she thought about where she was going to go from here. Now that she had lost, she was going to honor her word and work on the truck that Luke did. And she was going to use every skill that she would pick up from her time working their to better her skills and broaden her views on food. And one day she would beat Luke.
As Luke and his family celebrated his victory, Soma came over and smiled at the young chef, "Well I have to say I was not expecting a match quite like that one. But you really took things to a new level! Taking different flavors and ingredients from all over to create something new, that's just incredible!" he said happily.
Luke's face reddened at the praise, "W-well thank you Chef. Hearing that from you makes it all worth it. I'm really happy that you and the other chefs enjoyed my meal."
Soma nodded, "Oh we did and we were also impressed by your creativity and the rather, interesting way you cook with music," he said making Luke feel embarrassed again, "And we feel that you could do a lot more if you had a place to grow your skills."
Luke looked at Soma with a curious look, "What do you mean Chef?" he asked.
"How would you like to attend Totsuki Academy?" Soma asked with grin.
Luke was stunned, "What, m-me?! At Totsuki?!" he stated surprised. Luke didn't really know what he was going to do. This was a chance for him to go to the school of his dreams and cook amongst the best of the best that were his age. He really did not want to pass this chance up and he wasn't going to.
"Chef Soma, it would be my honor to attend Totsuki." He said causing everyone around him to cheer.
Soma grinned as well, "Awesome but before you can actually attend you have to take the exam to become a transfer student. If you can pass that, you will be accepted into the school."
Luke smiled and punched his open palm, "I look forward to it." He said. This was the starting line that would start Luke's dream. Now he was on his way to becoming an even better chef that he was now. This was going to be an interesting ride.