My Lady Chef
Chapter 67: A Successful Venture

Pierce's POV:

The day of the "soft" opening was unusually well received by the senior port master and the tenured dockworkers and their families.

I had my doubts that Lady Alaina's protege could handle more than 30 people all at once but oddly he was able to pull off tonight's service.

Everyone was "over the moon" over the food and are enjoying their set meals and their wives and kids are also loving the various dishes they ordered.

The Duchess had taken off her chef's jacket and re-dressed in a simple, free-flowing dress and was casually interacting with the people who were full of questions on the set meals she conceived.

I was impressed at how she comfortably interacts with people who were a class beneath her. She did say that she values competence over pedigree once but to see her talking to a dockmaster's wife as if she were an equal made me inordinately proud to serve her.

She was a breath of fresh air and the people seem to be in love with her.

"Milady, How did you make the sauce for this dish. I love it!" A dock worker's wife gushed over it.

"It is a cafe secret but I will tell you that the sauce is always made from scratch every single day," she answered with a smile.

"This baked chicken is simply delicious milady! I can not get enough of it!" one burly worker said as he ordered more.

The kids were all over her and were over the moon with her sweets. I can see that unlike other ladies who seem at lost at how to handle children; she was all smiles as she even gave the kids an extra dessert plate.

"Mr. Pierce. A moment please." one of the senior dock workers whispered to me as he stole a look at the duchess before he lowered his voice as we walked outside the cafe. "I had expected stew and bread...maybe even a beefsteak with boiled greens but the food that my family tasted in Her Grace's new cafe is nothing short of a shock. I have sampled food at a merchant's party and they were nowhere near as good as that! The workers were all saying that if their food were as good as this every day. They would work harder."

The one asking me this was Master Yarrow, a veteran dockmaster who has known the duke since he was a strapping young lad and he was still with us till now.

"Is that not good news?" I smiled at Yarrow who was wearing a bear-like smirk.

"It is. This place will be swamped with workers every day and I saw the price. Does each set meal cost 5-7 copper drachmas? That is more than fair considering the usual stew and bread costs 4 copper drachmas."

"It is only fair since all meals come with a dessert and a drink," I told him.

"This seems too good to be true. Such good food...for that little price. Is the duchess paying for the extra ingredients from her own money?" Yarrow cannot seem to believe that this type of food was only made of everyday spices and seasonings.

"All the ingredients and seasonings have been taken into account. The duchess and I did the costing, found wholesale sellers and the final calculation of the meal price based on the suppliers we went with. 5- 7 drachmas each meal is more than enough to cover the price. Cafe Terra will run smoothly...as long she has customers, of course."

The senior dock master looks really impressed.

"Well, this cafe will have more than just customers...I and the others will spread the word. My wife has been eyeing one of those roll cakes that was on the window display. Is that expensive?"

"It costs 1 silver drachma but you can buy half a cake and it will cost you 5 copper drachmas."

I took a deep breath after a while as Yarrow went back in, maybe he was going to tell his wife about buying a cake.

The cafe was bustling and the service was running smoothly thanks to the duchess' guidance.

Only time will tell if the cafe succeeds.

2 months later...

I don't believe it.

I had visited the cafe one day during my free time, half expecting a mild amount of customers but I was wrong.

As I walked inside the noisy but boisterous lunch crowd of workers eating there; The pleasant cacophony of male laughs and female chatter was rampant in the air as servers maneuvered between tables to serve their meals.

Chef Neo was only able to greet me momentarily before handing in the report of the profits for this month before ducking back to the kitchen to make the next batch of orders.

I looked the presentation of the food and they still look very well done and rustic as the servers brought them out of the window counter by the drink station.

Feeling rather peckish; I ordered my usual Hamburg Steak and even bought a half roll cake for dinner before going back home to check the report filled in by the head chef in my cozy study.

The sales report for Cafe Terra has been consistently high. The demand for the set meals was very popular that more servers had to be hired and Chef Neo's gravy and soup pots are empty every meal times. Even the local girls and women frequent the cafe's take out counter to buy single items like the fluffy jam bread and the roll cakes in droves.

There was even a demand for more meal variations and sweetbreads since these cakes and jam bread sells out every day.

The duke's other shops earn steadily due to the patronage of several high-class nobles and rich merchants who needed to appease their wives or daughters but the workers and the lower classes go to the duchess' cafe for the good tasting food.

No...not only that.

I have heard rumors of how courteous and friendly the servers and the chef are to the customers.

The service and smiles they give with it is also an attractive factor.

And the fact that the cafe was started by the Duchess Aisenburg, a high-class lady who made this concept for them was also enough to make any peasant or worker want to try the food out.

Not only that but the way she tailored the several common ingredients that can be used over and over and turned into several set meals was nothing short of genius. It speaks of a sharp innovative mind and creativeness that captures the public's mind and their appetite.

It is that certain factor that the duke lacks but it seems like it is something the duchess has in abundance.

I prepared to a letter to the Duke. He had told me to support and cover his wife's losses should the cafe idea fail but he would happy to know that the venture is actually thriving.

And that it is set to bring him a hefty profit in the future, thanks to the duchess' food ideas.[