God of Cooking

Chapter 187: Chapter 187: The Return of the Legend (1)

The LA cooking competition.

The applicants had to be those who worked at a restaurant in LA. The scale seemed small compared to international competitions, but that wasn’t actually the case.

LA, it was a place known for its delicious and diverse foods. California was famous as a place where many different races resided, and LA was no exception.

There wasn’t a dish that one couldn’t find in LA. People from all over the world lived there, and there were restaurants for everything. Of course, they had all the dishes possible. The only other place that provided such diverse flavors was Hong Kong.

For that reason, the LA cooking competition was limited in the region, but one could make any food they wanted. Considering the fact that it was hard for a restaurant to survive in the competitive LA… the level of the contestants was naturally higher. So it was no wonder Havier’s face looked stiff.

“… Sigh. I’m nervous.”

“Don’t be nervous. The other contestants are probably nervous because of us. We’re from Rose Island.”

“Are we getting a lot of attention?”

“It’s not even that surprising. Wouldn’t it weird if we weren’t?”

Cho Min Joon answered in a calm voice. The fame of Rose Island, Rachel’s return, the fame of Cho Min Joon and Anderson. With all things considered, it was no wonder they had all the attention. Havier stared at Cho Min Joon as if he was impressed.

“You don’t even look nervous.”

“Why should I be? We practiced lots, and our recipe is perfect. All that’s left is for us to do our jobs.”

“It’s hard to have that trust.”

Havier spoke with a shrug. Cho Min Joon smirked and squeezed Havier’s shoulder.

“Straighten your shoulders. We’re better chefs than we think. I trust you guys as much as I trust myself. That’s why I’m not nervous.”

“Be honest. Do you go to some speech academy? You’re too good at talking.”

“Honest words always sound good to the ears.”

“That sounds good, too.”

Havier closed his eyes and mumbled what Cho Min Joon just said. Anderson, who was listening to their conversation, looked back at Janet. She was in the middle of praying. Anderson watched Janet and talked to her when she opened her eyes.

“Are you nervous? I’m surprised.”

Janet didn’t answer right away. Her glare contained Anderson in its reflection. Her eyes were cold as always. She slowly opened her mouth. Her response was short compared to the long pause.

“Why?”

“Huh?”

“Why are you surprised?”

“I thought you were kind of like me. You’re confident and kind of arrogant. Was I wrong?”

“Yeah.”

Janet stopped there. She didn’t bother explaining anything. And that bothered Anderson even more.

“What was I wrong about?”

“Why should I explain that to you?”

“… Because we’re colleagues.”

Janet couldn’t help but laugh at that as well. For someone with such a cold face, his words were immature. Was that why? Janet said something that she normally wouldn’t have said.

“All I can do is be nervous. If I’m not nervous… I never got a great education, and I don’t have a perfect palate like Min Joon. What’s easy for you is hard for me. So…”

“It’s never been easy for me either.”

Anderson cut Janet off. Janet opened her eyes wide with surprise before nodding.

“… Yeah. I’m sure. Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“No need to apologize. Stop being so serious.”

Anderson answered with an embarrassed face. The vibe was a little strange. Anderson coughed. He looked over at Cho Min Joon and gave him an awkward face.

“… Why are you staring at me like that?”

“No reason.”

Cho Min Joon smirked. He felt insulted. Anderson turned his eyes away and opened his mouth.

“Is Kaya coming today?”

“Probably.”

“Will she cheer for you or her own restaurant?”

Instead of answering, Cho Min Joon scanned the seats on the 2nd level. He couldn’t tell if Kaya was there or not. There were too many people. They said that if a person loved someone, they were all that person could see… But that only applied to when one could actually see.

The reason why Kaya was going to be in the audience when her restaurant was competing was simple. She was the head chef. Kaya’s role was to come up with recipes and show her face to customers. After all, since the restaurant was an event for Grand Chef, what customers wanted the most was to see Kaya Reuters’ face.

Cho Min Joon looked at the hall where the contestants stood. Not many of them looked like head chefs. Issac said that it all started when Rose Island began winning with a team of just demi chefs.

Since the demi chefs were in the front lines, they had to step up. That was a sound argument. On top of that, since they won with just demi chefs, those who used sous chefs and head chefs just tainted their own reputations.

But that didn’t mean no head chefs participated at all. If the restaurant had the head chef in the front lines, it made sense. The same went for restaurants with few staff.

‘They were influential enough to change the competition…’

Cho Min Joon’s eyes glared. He felt his heart pounding. It was up to his hands whether they would become a thing of the past, or they would reincarnate. By the time his eyes grew wide again, they were filled with fighting spirit. And at that moment, his eyes met with…

‘… What’s that?’

Cho Min Joon paused and stared. It was an Asian man who looked to be around his age. His face was round, and due to his dark eyebrows and double eyelids, he had a strong presence. And that man walked toward Cho Min Joon.

“Hello, Chef Cho Min Joon.”

Cho Min Joon was startled. His voice was smooth compared to his face, and he spoke in Korean, not English. Cho Min Joon shook his hand with a shocked face.

“Oh, hello.”

“Sorry if I was random. I really wanted to meet you.”

That was when Cho Min Joon realized that his eyes were sparkling. The hand Cho Min Joon was holding was shaking. The man bit down on his dry lip and opened his mouth.

“Let me introduce myself. I’m Lee Tae Hoon. I manage a small Korean restaurant in Koreatown.”

“I’m Cho Min Joon. Your restaurant is in Koreatown?”

“Yes. I enjoyed watching you on your show. Thanks to your Korean dishes on the show, our sales went up. Same goes for other restaurants in Koreatown. They’re all thankful to you.”

“Oh… really? I’m glad I could be of help.”

Cho Min Joon answered with a surprised face. He never thought his TV appearance could help Korean restaurants. After all, the results were never good. In the case of Kimbap, he named it Norimaki, but that gave off a strong vibe as well.

“Please visit Koreatown sometime. You’ll be welcomed like a celebrity. Also… I respect you. Your pioneering mindset… was a big shock to me.”

“Thank you.”

Lee Tae Hoon smiled and returned to his seat. The other demi chefs stared back at Cho Min Joon. Anderson opened his mouth.

“I forget sometimes that you’re Korean.”

“What did you talk about?”

“Nothing much. He said I’m popular in Koreatown.”

“That’s not surprising. You’re one of them.”

Anderson nodded with understanding. Cho Min Joon opened his mouth to Anderson.

“Well, you’re from LA. Does that mean you’re popular here?”

“I’m not sure…”

Anderson glanced to the side. Amelia, Fabio, and the demi chefs of Glutto glanced at Anderson before turning away. Anderson shrugged.

“My family treats me like I’m a traitor.”

“You don’t have it easy, do you?”

Cho Min Joon smirked. At that moment, people began to whisper. Cho Min Joon looked to his side. A man and a woman was entering the hall. One of them was the famous food critic, Matthew Cummings, and the woman…

“I can see why Chloe Chung is called the sexiest chef….”

Havier spoke in a blank voice. Cho Min Joon always thought of her as cute rather than sexy… But he agreed today. Was it because it was an event? She was really pretty. Her hair flowed long, and her makeup was just right. Her confident gaze and the smile on her lips made her look like a celebrity.

‘… Well, she is a celebrity.’

It was possible Chloe made more money than Kaya. When he thought about the money he made on Hunger Trip… he had an idea. Chloe was now so famous that she was hosting a competition like this.

The reporters used their flash. Meanwhile, Matthew raised his voice.

“Welcome. The LA cooking competition is already in its 53rd year. I’m the host, Matthew Cummings.”

“I’m celebrity chef and mascot, Chloe Chung.”

Laughter broke out. Chloe smiled. She looked around at the people before her eyes stopped in one spot. She saw Cho Min Joon. She got more excited after seeing his soft smile. Chloe opened her mouth with a brighter voice.

“Some of you have been here many times before, and for others, it’s your first time. I’m sure some of you have held trophies before while others are legends.”

It was clear she was talking about Rose Island. Cho Min Joon stared at Chloe. Chloe met eyes with Cho Min Joon as she smiled and continued, “We will see one of two results today. We’ll either see a new talent, or legends will keep their reputation. It’s also possible… that we might see both.”

“Chloe, are you cheering for anyone in particular?”

“Come on. Hosts shouldn’t take sides.”

“But isn’t it exciting to break rules?”

“I’m not sure. I’d rather not have to pay the fines.”

Chloe answered with a smile. Matthew smirked and looked at the contestants.

“Before we begin, let’s introduce each restaurant. First… I’m sure everybody has noticed this team. I’ve always wanted to call their name here.”

Matthew took a deep breath.

“Rose Island!”

At that moment, clapping and cheering filled the hall. The people in the audience, reporters, as well as fellow chefs all clapped. They had to.

The presence of Rose Island completely changed the meaning of the LA cooking competition. After all, some restaurants didn’t even try out for the last 10 years because of their absence.

Cho Min Joon’s face flushed. He knew they were clapping for Rose Island, not him… But he felt excited. Matthew opened his mouth.

“Rose Island, they won year after year up until 10 years ago when Rachel Rose retired. I’m sure many of you are competing just to defeat them.”

“Yes. I’m not from LA, but I’ve heard a lot about Rose Island. Everybody who’s interested in food knows about them. So I’m extra excited.”

“Standing here as a host was on my bucket list. Sadly, they closed their doors after my debut… But I get to see my dream come true after 10 years.”

Matthew’s eyes were filled with excitement and joy. Chloe and Matthew walked up to Rose Island’s cooking station and opened their mouths.

“I’m sure you’re very nervous. After all, Rose Island’s legend is in your hands. How do you feel?”

The four of them looked at each other in response to Matthew’s question. But there was only one person who could step up. Cho Min Joon opened his mouth.

“We prepared lots. Rachel’s recipe was perfect, and we practiced enough. So we’re not confident.”

At that moment, everybody looked dazed. Matthew asked in a shocked voice, “Why aren’t you confident when the recipe is perfect and you practiced lots?”

Cho Min Joon grinned.

“We’re not confident that we’ll lose.”