Chapter 64: Neo
Ely''s POV:
Almost 2 weekster....
"Neo. Have you gotten used to the kitchen?" I asked the young man who was cleaning his station with
efficient movements.
"Yes, chef. I am honored that you reached out to me." he put away the cloth he was using and began
taking out the ingredients I asked him to assemble.
Through Pierce''s help, I was able to track down Neo who was helping out at a local tavern in his vige
as a waiter.
For some unknown reason, he had quit the royal kitchens and went back to his vige but when I
offered him a position at the new cafe as a chef. He jumped on the offer without even asking about his
wages.
A strange young man but from the steady mana energy emanating from him was strong. His mana
spirit will soon be strong enough to manifest soon...
I did a small interview before taking him under my wing. He was an amiable fellow with a thirst for
knowledge which was all I needed to know.
Neo hails from a mountain vige which a bit far from the capital and is the sole male breadwinner of
the family. He has 4 siblings and all were females. The other breadwinner was his elder sister who
works as a guard and a hunter at times.
He told me that he was captivated by my food and the myriad of vors that it has which was why he
left the Pce to think about what he really wanted.
He said that he was happy that we managed to meet again because he decided that he wanted to
learn from me.
Thed even begged me to take him in as my apprentice.
So now I am teaching him to make easy desserts that will be served as an carte sweet at the new
cafe.
A Swiss Roll plus Jam Bread.
First I taught him how to mix the ingredients together and even taught him that separating egg yolks
and whites and then folding them in would result in a fluffier sponge cake.
He watched as I whipped cream with the mixer that I was able to power using mana stones. It was a
new tool
I asked Pierce to craft for me as well as other cooking and baking tools that I remember using on Earth.
"Whoa. The cream has stiff peaks and it took a few minutes. Incredible." he saw me take out the mixer.
"After this what next?"
"The sponge cake is now cooled so we ce the sponge cake out of the cake tin and ce it on a
baking sheet.
I demonstrated how to make the final product byyering the whipped cream with a spat before
rolling it with the help of the baking sheet.
" It...it really became a round cake. Does it taste good chef?"
"We will taste one in a while so for now. Let me ce it in a cooling rack and show me how you roll the
cake." I said as he took the bowl of whipped cream and prepared to replicate what I did.
His attempt was a little clumsy and he pressed it too much that the extra whipped cream came out on
both sides but it was eptable after a little cleaning.
Finally, after cleaning up everything and sitting outside the table, I gave him a slice of the roll cake I
made and took a slice from the one he made.
When he took a bite of mine. His eyes sparkled as his eyes closed in bliss as he ate another and then
another....
Until the te was empty.
While I took my time and ate his creation. It was not bad but the whipped cream was all but smooshed
so it had a lesser amount which affects the sponge to cream ratio.
"You need some self-control and remember that desserts and sweets can be delicate to make. Your
first attempt at a roll cake is not bad but you need to improve more. Is that clear?"
"Yes, chef! Uhm...I just want to say that it is an honor to learn under you. This has been the most
enjoyable time of my cooking career." He blushed when I looked surprised. "Do not be so surprised
Your Grace. Your teaching method is very ideal. Most chefs do not like teaching the lower cooks and
expect them to learn from just watching which is why sometimes one needs to be alert to even get the
most minute detail on a dish. We are only able to learn properly if the chef actually opens his mouth to
teach us which is not very often."
"That is a horrible way to teach."
"But that is the method being widely practiced." he sighed. "Royal chefs are proud men who keep their
secret methods to themselves. At the most, we learn simple cooking techniques from them but that was
all..."
My heart went out to him as I realized how wed the teaching system at his old workce was.
"Well, I will pound the techniques into your head Neo so prepare yourself." I finished my cake slice. "Let
us move to another dish I aim to sell to the female workers."
"Yes chef!" heughed as he followed me back inside the kitchen.
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I noticed that my new apprentice was fascinated by the tools that I use like the hand mixer and the
rolling pin even the big mana-powered industrial sizes mixer I just had delivered.
Now that I think of it. The Royal Kitchen was very modern and spacious but the tool they use was very
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basic. They use a piece of crude equipment simr to a whisk to mix stuff and big variations of spoon
I did not see a single spat, different piping nozzles, tongs, mixer machine, or even a mandoline in
sight.
All of those tools are in my kitchen because of my husband''s connections to the best tool smiths and I
even have ns to ask Pierce to craft a few more industrial-sized cooking tools once the cafe bes
operational.
Neo was a natural at making bread, the reason was that he had to help out at the local baker as a kid.
But I had to guide him on the correct measurements and tools to create nice fluffy-looking bread since
the usual way of making great here in the capital is merely eyeballing the amount.
After cing the dough in a cool area to rest. He was full of questions as to why I don''t just bake the
bread right away.
"Because the yeast we put in has not risen yet."
"Risen? What do you mean?"
"The yeast is a microorganism that helps keep the dough airy. To to do so; it needs time to rest and
double in size."
"I have never heard of such a method before." Neo looked intrigued as he helped me make strawberry
jam.
"You will see. Now then we will stir the pot until the fruit turns into a nice mushy texture."
"Are we making candied fruits chef?"
"No. Jam. A sweet concoction that goes well with bread. But we are putting this inside the bread."
Once again, my suggestion made the young man so eager that he practically stirred the jam for me
until it was just the way I like it.
"You may take your noontime meal with the other staff at the main house kitchen. Ask anyone and they
would direct you there. I will wrap this up and go for my noontime mealter."
"But chef, I am your apprentice. You should be ordering me around to do these tedious things for you."
He has a point. Since he was enthusiastic about learning more. I taught him how to properly store the
jam in the cooling area.
When he left to eat. I let out a small stream of water mana to cool the jam down faster and make it cold
as its temperature lowers down.
Sylph''s owner has a bright soul.
She always was attracted to humans like those.
Undine and Igneus often speak in my mind now as my mana skill rose with every time I cook.
They even filled me in on so many interesting things regarding how mana works here.
Mana Spirits often finds a master and stays with them until they pass away. They are also able to link
their powers with a person''s special ability and gain strength from it.
An example was how they are able to grow strong is due to me cooking different types of dishes. They
said that if this continues; they may also take up a corporeal form which can make my mana control
more precise
We were not able to feed him when we first met him. Maybe we can do that now. Undine suggested to
me.
"We will. This Jam Bread is a favorite of mine and I am sure he would love it." I assured them as I
locked the kitchen and went for a noon-time meal.