Master Benno had spent the last few days holed up in his office. Which wasn't unusual. He often let Mark-san and Otto-san manage the store floor while he planned. Lutz tried not to feel too disappointed that Myne hadn't reached out after her conversation with Master Benno. Then again, even if he did see her, she'd probably just avoid the subject.
Lutz tried to keep himself busy. When business was slow, he'd listen in on customers. He'd squeeze out the most important bits of information and transcribe it in shorthand on his tablet.
But no matter how much he worked, the days dragged on.
Then, finally, something happened.
Lutz was heading to Mark-san's office for more practice when Master Benno caught him in the hallway. "Lutz! In my office. Now."
Lutz gulped. He didn't think he did anything wrong…but he wasn't eager to find out, either.
Master Benno wasn't in his chair when he arrived. He stalked behind his desk, his expression deep in thought. Lutz had learned that if you wanted to tell Master Benno's mood, don't look at his face—look at his office. Usually he had everything in place. Chairs tucked in. Desk piled with papers, carefully organized. Inkwell full with a fresh quill.
But today, his desk was scattered with papers, and—plants? Herbs, maybe? They smelled like the ones Myne cooked with.
Master Benno gestured at the chair. "Sit down."
Lutz did. He prepared for the worst.
"What does your family eat?
"Wha—? E-excuse me, sir?"
Master Benno huffed impatiently. "We're hiring cooks soon, and I need a recipe that is accessible, yet challenging. You come from a common background, correct? So, what meats does your family eat? And don't name a rodent."
Lutz frowned. Squirrels were great in stew.
"We…sometimes catch fish in the river."
"Any kid can stick a fish over a fire," Master Benno said. Lutz winced; he wasn't there when Myne roasted her first fish. "What else?"
"Um, we eat chicken when they stop laying eggs."
"That's it? Just chicken?"
"Well, and some pork during Pig Day."
"What about beef?"
"Sometimes, when a neighbor's cow gets too old."
Master Benno's gaze focused on Lutz. "How do you serve it?"
"In soup, usually. But sometimes Myne makes this thing, called 'hamburg steak,' that's really good."
Wrong thing to say. Master Benno's pace quickened. "More things she's not sharing with me. Wonderful." He sighed. "That doesn't help us. We can't give strangers access to Myne's recipes for nothing."
Lutz racked his brain. "It's been awhile, but last time, all of our mothers made this huge pan of beef."
"What, it was only meat?"
"Um, no. The meat's all ground up, and they added some old bread so it lasted longer."
Master Benno finally sat down, his fingers tapping the desk. "I remember my mother making something similar. A meatloaf, I think she called it." Lutz blinked, trying to imagine Master Benno as a child. …A very serious one.
It didn't work.
"Do you remember how to make it?" Master Benno asked, gaze sharpening. Lutz nodded. "Good. Write it down."
He handed him a piece of paper—real paper, not a slate—and a quill. Lutz was about to start writing, but hesitated. If Myne was here, she'd be asking for payment. But Master Benno could've asked any wife how to make meatloaf.
But they might not tell him for free.
But…he was already getting paid as Master Benno's employee, so wasn't this just an extension of his job?
But giving recipes wasn't in his contract, either.
UGH.
Master Benno must've seen the conflict on his face. He smirked, and slid five small silvers across the desk. "Consider it a bonus," he said.
Lutz didn't argue, quickly pocketing them. Make as much money as you can, when you can. Thankfully, he remembered the recipe easily. His brothers might've been too busy fighting or working to pay attention when their mother was cooking, but he'd always watched closely. Food was as sacred as the hearth.
Once he was done, Master Benno looked over the recipe. He was leaning back in his chair now, his posture more relaxed. "How do you keep the meat moist?"
"I think it's the breadcrumbs? Mom always coated the meat in them."
Master Benno hummed to himself. "This could work," he said after a moment. He laid the recipe on a stack of papers and shuffled them into a neat pile. "It's getting late. You should be going."
"Yes, sir."
Lutz had just reached the door when Master Benno called out. "And Lutz? If you stay up too late in Mark's office again, I'm locking you in. Don't look so surprised. It's been awhile since I've seen Mark-san polishing that tablet of his. Honestly, I'm surprised that Myne hasn't 'invented' one yet."
"Yes, sir," Lutz managed to say. He might've imagined it, but he thought he saw Master Benno smile as he closed the door.
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"Lutz, dust off your vest. We're heading out," declared Master Benno a day later. He cut his way through the store floor. Mark-san trailed behind him carrying a lidded platter.
"Y-yes, sir!" stuttered Lutz, almost dropping the broom he was holding. He shoved it into the hands of a nearby employee and grabbed his tablet. By the time he'd caught up with them, Master Benno had already climbed into the waiting carriage outside. Lutz scrambled in.
"Where are we going, Master?"
"The Eatery Guild," Master Benno answered, rapping his fist on the wall separating them and the driver. The carriage rattled into motion. Lutz dropped into his seat, his hand gripping the cushion. He'd never trust these things.
After awhile, the carriage clattered to a stop. They filed out. Lutz barely had time to take in the building—double Master Benno's size, dark woods, clean—before Master Benno strode through the heavy doors. Stepping inside was like taking a punch to the face.
If punches were nice.
Apfelsige, behelle, kove, pome—sweet, spicy, sour—dizzying.
His nose was flooded, and his eyes… He'd thought Freida's mansion was the richest thing he'd ever seen. But the Guildmaster had designed it with taste. Elegance. Restraint.
This restaurant was not that.
Thick curtains draped from every wall. Every table was covered in cloth that had never been stained. All that fabric—what a waste. His mom would've yelled at the seamstress. Still, he had to admire the woodwork. Even from the entrance, he could see that the legs of the tables were carved with such detail, such smooth edges. Even his dad would've been impressed.
"Benno!" a voice boomed. A short man wearing robes that flowed over his large belly tottered towards them.
"Edgar!" Master Benno's expression broke into a grin. His arms swooped around the other man. Lutz tried not to stare, glancing at Mark-san, but the leherl's expression never changed.
"It's been far, far too long, my friend," Edgar-san laughed. "What brings you all the way down here?"
"I heard of your dish, of course. Pasta with cheese, right?"
"And just a little something extra." He winked.
"Service with a surprise; a sentiment I have tried to replicate." Master Benno gestured to the platter that Mark-san was holding. "A gift, in exchange for your fine company."
"Ah, Benno. If that's the case, then you should've waited until my wife came home," he chuckled. "But never mind, I am sure it will make a delightful second course." He waved down a waiter to whisk the platter away, before ushering them to a round table—at the back of the restaurant, Lutz noticed. More private? Other customers—nobles, judging by their clothing—watched them out of the corner of their eyes as they passed.
Edgar-san and Master Benno sat first. Mark-san and Lutz positioned themselves along the walls, but Edgar-san looked straight at them. "You can't hide that easily, young sirs. Come, sit down. I must have as many opinions as I can get."
Lutz almost jumped, but Mark-san smiled and sat. Like he was expecting this. "Thank you, Edgar-sama."
"Th-thank you!" Lutz plunked down, then winced. Any other time, the chair would've scraped on the floor, but it was thickly carpeted, muffling any sounds. Small wins.
A server filled their glasses with wine. Lutz gulped. His mother would strip his hide if he touched it. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mark-san subtly slide a glass of water to him.
Master Benno, Mark-san, and Edgar-s—Edgar-sama passed small talk as they waited for the first course. Lutz scribbled in his notebook under the table.
Edgar - Eatery Guildmaster?
Hugging. Special greeting? Longtime friends? Business partner. Master Benno had as many friends as Zeke had manners.
Being nice - favor?
Soon, a serving girl arrived with plates for each of them. Lutz swallowed. The one nearest to him was a pasta dish. A brown crust coated the top like grains of sand, while a creamy sauce bubbled underneath.
"The secret is in the breadcrumbs." Edgar-sama winked at him from across the table. "Go on, boy! Eat!"
Lutz glanced at Master Benno first. He nodded, and Lutz wasted no time in taking a bite—and almost burnt his mouth. But he barely felt the pain. The sauce coated his tongue, richer than kafka and parue cakes and honeybugs combined. Three bites and he felt like he'd eaten a full dinner.
Edgar-sama laughed. "Well, how is it, boy?"
"It's—it's delicious, sir!"
"It better be! We've been working on it for days now." He turned to Master Benno and nudged his elbow. "Well, don't keep me in suspense, Benno! What do you think?"
His master dapped his mouth with a napkin. "The crispness of the bread crumbs complement the cream beautifully. Is it Lady Bertha's recipe?"
"My great-aunt Eunice's, actually! She'd cook it every Naming Ceremony, along with her infamous roasted chicken. Said it made the mother's milk richer. I don't know about that, but any babe from her had some extra fat on their bones." He took a swig of his wine. "I'm trying to finalize it for the great houses, but they have such...delicate tastes. I'm thinking of adding pome bisque to cut through the fat."
"That would add some complexity. Have you considered using peyers?"
Lutz tried to keep his eyebrows from rising. Benno-san wasn't the type to volunteer information for free. Peyers to cut through fat, he wrote. Then frowned, wondering how that'd be useful.
The dish was followed by a salad that helped wash away the cream. When asked his opinion of the dish, Mark-san noted its creaminess and variety of cheeses, while Lutz nodded along. Edgar-sama's eyes brightened like Myne's did when talking about books. He spoke louder, too.
"Have you heard of that pastry shop?" Master Benno began. "Apparently the Bakery Guild ruined it within the month."
Lutz perked up.
Food Guilds: 1) Eatery 2) Bakery 3) More?
Bakery bad?
"Not only that one, but another shop that made the most delectable nusfrut swirls!" said Edgar-sama. "No baker worth their flour can last longer than two weeks. All that's left are folks who don't know the difference between a ciabatta and a brioche."
"One succeeded, though," Master Benno noted over the rim of his glass. "Izrit's Bagels, I believe?"
Edgar-sama huffed. "They survived on a technicality, mind you. Stuffing their baked goods with meat and calling them sandwiches. Crafty, no one can argue that, but it shouldn't have been necessary."
Bakery Guild closed pastry. Not Izrit's Bagels—teknek—teknikality?
"It is a shame when innovation is stifled by those who only see profit," Master Benno said. Lutz almost sputtered on his water.
Common interests, gaining trust?
"If they're not under the Bakery Guild's jurisdiction, then I assume you have taken them under your wing?"
"Not getting ideas, are you, Benno?" Edgar-sama smiled, swishing his wine.
"What can I say? Food inspires creativity."
"Ha! I'll raise a glass to that!"
Their conversation paused as more food arrived. Lutz didn't think it could get better—until the pizza came. The staff must have warmed it in the oven. The pome and herbs wafted like Myne had just prepared it. He had no idea how he'd eat so much—but he'd give it his best shot!
Mark-san tapped his elbow before he could dive in. He glanced at Edgar-sama, who hadn't tried it yet. No one said a word, but all eyes had turned to him. The guildmaster copied Master Benno as he raised the slice to his lips and took a bite.
His eyes popped. "Benno, this is spectacular! I didn't know you could cook!"
Master Benno bowed his head modestly. "My sister has been endeavoring to make me more useful around the house. This is one of my very few successes."
"If the rest are like this, I'd hire you on the spot! What made you add mushrooms?"
"They're in season, so it seemed a judicious use of the ingredient. The toppings can vary, of course." More free information.
"Of course, of course. The variety adds to its desirability, too."
"Precisely. Your interest gives me great confidence, my friend." Master Benno sipped his wine, but kept his eyes level with Edgar-sama. "If you enjoyed this, I had more samples to offer you."
"I would welcome them." He leaned forward confidingly until his beard almost drooped into the sauce. "Although, I expect you already knew that."
"My goal is never to step on any toes," Master Benno said. "Yours, or any other guild's."
"Mm. A wise course of action." Edgar-sama leaned back. His gaze drifted past the food to the other customers seated nearby. "Let us finish our dessert before we retire to my office. Then you can tell me all about your other domestic experiments."
l*l*l*l
Soon after, they left with a contract longer than Lutz had ever seen (...although, come to think of it, he hadn't seen that many…). From what he could tell, it outlined an agreement for Master Benno to open a restaurant under Edgar-sama's Eatery Guild in exchange for a cut of the profit. Master Benno was practically humming on the carriage ride back.
They were a few streets away from the store when Lutz spoke. "Sir… We went to Edgar to avoid the Bakery Guild."
"That tablet's coming in handy." Master Benno spared a pleased glance at him. Yes, that's right. Restauranting is a competitive field. Fortunately, Edgar is one of the few souls who's in the business for the passion rather than the profit. We join him, we avoid the Bakery Guild's wrath, and show that we are no threat." He grinned wickedly. "To them, at least."
Lutz swallowed. He was grateful he was on Master Benno's side. "Master, does that mean we can start cooking now?"
"Not without chefs," Master Benno corrected. "We can't have Myne cook everything for us. Fortunately, Otto made himself useful for once and already scouted several promising cooks."
The carriage rolled to the front of the store. Mark-san and Master Benno got out first. Lutz was about to hop down, when Master Benno closed the door on him. "You're done for the day," Master Benno said. "Go to bed early tonight and be here first in the morning. You'll see firsthand what interviews are like."
l*l*l*l
References:
.edu/bitstream/handle/1/4774908/Blair_ ?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
humanities/medieval-world/medieval-book/using-medieval-book/a/medieval-notepads
wiki/Wax_tablet
/OptimoPrincipi/status/1180491523626094592/photo/1
. /exhibits/show/medieval-london-objects/stylus#:~:text=While%20Roman%20styli%20were%20usually,end%20of%20the%20bone%20shaft
/current-exhibitions/visual-history-of-the-pencil
technology/stylus-writing-implement
watch?v=9HXFs4lm0hg