TWO

Piper and Paige arrived at the set of the show on Monday morning. It was much larger than Paige had imagined. There were to be twenty chefs initially in the contest and each had their own kitchen area to work in. Wesley met them and introduced them around.

"Piper, this is Clara," said Wesley, introducing a young woman about Piper's age. "She'll be your Souse Chef for the duration."

"Souse Chef?" questioned Paige.

"That's the chef that does all the preparation work," explained Clara. "They do all the cutting, measuring, everything the chef needs to actually prepare the meal."

"Oh, okay," said Paige.

"And this is Calvin, your personal assistant," said Wesley, introducing a boy about eighteen. "He'll run errands or whatever else you need done to free you up to do the actual cooking."

"Well, I'm sure they'll both be out of a job quite soon," said a man about Piper's age walking over to them.

The man stood better than six feet. He wore a very expensive suit and a class ring with the Harvard logo on it. The smile on his face was more of a smirk.

"Harry Pettigrew," said Piper, recognition and contempt in her voice.

"Pepper, isn't it?" Pettigrew asked sarcastically. "Pepper Halibut."

"You know good and well what my name is, Hank," said Piper sarcastically.

"Harry," corrected Pettigrew. "Harrison William Pettigrew IV. But then, you know that all ready, don't you?"

"You two know each other?" asked Wesley.

"Yeah,' said Piper. "We worked together at Quake for a while."

"Well, at least you'll have a friend here," said Wesley.

"I wouldn't exactly call him a friend," said Piper.

"Certainly not," said Pettigrew. "Although she is a fair cook. I might consider allowing her to be a Souse Chef in my new restaurant once I win."

"In your dreams," said Piper.

"And once this is finished, too," Pettigrew smirked. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a prize winning dish to prepare."

"What a snob," said Paige as Pettigrew walked away.

"He always was," said Piper. "He comes from old money. He thinks anyone not in his financial bracket is beneath him."

"He's also one of the top chefs in San Francisco," said Wesley.

"So, if he's worth so much money," asked Paige, "why is he a chef?"

"He likes to cook," said Piper. "And to show off, which he does every chance he gets."

"I see Wesley's prize contestant has arrived," said a man walking up to the group.

The man appeared to be in his late forties and was wearing a suit and tie, unlike most everyone else. He had jet-black hair and Piper noticed his nails were immaculate and his shoes were highly polished.

"Ah, Gui," said Wesley. "Ladies, may I introduce Gui Smiley. He's going to be the host for the show. This is Piper Halliwell and her sister, Paige Matthews.""

"Gui," said Smiley, "spelled G U I."

"Gui Smiley?" Paige questioned.

"An obvious stage name, granted," said Smiley, "but no one wants a host named Mortimer Carbuncle."

"I see your point," said Paige.

"I just wanted to introduce myself and let you know today's meal is American,' said Smiley. "That means all dishes in the meal have to have originated in the United States. Tomorrow will be French and Wednesday will be German. After that we'll just play it by ear. So get to it and let's see what all the fuss Wesley has made about you is."

"He's certainly a chipper one," said Piper as Smiley walked to the next table.

"He's always like that," said Wesley. "Now, you know the rules. All dishes for each meal have to originate in that country. You have to be finished by three and then the judges will sample each meal. After that the studio audience gets to sample them. Then they all vote. The chef with the lowest score each day is eliminated. Tomorrow we all do it over again with a meal from a different country. Any questions?"

"None that I can think of right now," said Piper.

"Great," said Wesley. "Now, get in there and show everyone why I used to eat at Quake so often. Paige, I'm afraid you'll have to leave. Contestants and staff only from here on out."

"No problem," said Paige. "I'll see you at home tonight, Piper."

"Okay," said Piper.

As Paige headed for the door Piper began to consider which meal to prepare for the day's competition.