My Lady Chef
Chapter 64: Neo

Ely's POV:

Almost 2 weeks later....

"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 village as a waiter.

For some unknown reason, he had quit the royal kitchens and went back to his village 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 village 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 flavors that it has which was why he left the Palace 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.

The lad 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 ala 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 place the sponge cake out of the cake tin and place it on a baking sheet.

I demonstrated how to make the final product by layering the whipped cream with a spatula 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 place 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 acceptable 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 plate 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 flawed the teaching system at his old workplace 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!" he laughed as he followed me back inside the kitchen.

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 basic. They use a piece of crude equipment similar to a whisk to mix stuff and big variations of spoon ladies and forks for cooking.

I did not see a single spatula, 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 plans to ask Pierce to craft a few more industrial-sized cooking tools once the cafe becomes 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 placing 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 meal later."

"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 replaces 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.