Chapter Text
Buck loved the controlled chaos of his kitchen. The clanging of pots and pans, the sizzling and crackling of fire and oil hitting skillets, as his line cooks prepared various dishes for the customers out in the dining room. Yes, he owned House 118, but he wouldn’t be able to do it all without the endless support and hard work from his line cooks. He had hand-picked all ten of his line cooks, each varying in skill level, food interests and commitment to his vision. House 118 was his baby and he was damn proud of it.
As he was plating a perfect, medium-rare T-bone steak on the white plate, along with garlic and chive mashed potatoes, and asparagus, he was interrupted by one of his waiters.
“Chef Buck, your biggest fan is out in the dining room. He’s requesting one of your secret menu items…again.” Anthony, one of his best waiters on his staff announced.
Buck paused his plating as he lifted his head and lifted his brow at Anthony.
Is that so?
Pretty much his entire staff knew of this customer who has become his ‘biggest fan’. A few weeks ago, while he was out in the dining room mingling with a few of his regular diners and introducing himself to some newcomers,a man who was dressed to the nines had come into his restaurant by himself and sat at one of the smaller dining tables.
It wasn’t unusual that he had people come into his restaurant solo to dine for lunch or dinner, so he didn’t think much of it.
Making his way to introduce himself to the man, the man didn’t take his eyes off of Buck not once, which gave him a chill down his spine.
Is he a secret food critic to come and scrutinize my restaurant?
“Good afternoon sir, welcome to House 118. I’m Chef Buck, thank you for dining with us today. What will you be having for today?” Buck began as he introduced himself to the impeccably dressed man.
The man stared back at him with a look that he couldn’t really decipher. There was no smile, just an unreadable expression.
With a nod of his head in greeting, the man simply said, “Good afternoon, Evan. I’ll have dish Number 6 on your secret menu. Thank you.”
Buck widened his eyes in shock at the mention of his first name and the dish that the man just ordered.
Not many people knew of his secret menu as it was an exclusive dining experience with his most indulgent recipes and they are the most expensive to boot. In order to receive information on his secret menu, you have to reserve your spot on the website, in addition to paying an annual $5,000 non-refundable fee. The dish that the man was referring to was his most expensive dish on his secret menu; premium Bluefin Tuna that he imported from Japan that ranges from $200-$400 per pound.
He must be one of my exclusive members.
He doesn’t have many exclusive members, based on his website analytics, he has about 5 exclusive members that are signed up. The last exclusive member that came in was eight months ago and she was the CEO of some fashion company and he learned her name was Antoninette. She was extremely well-dressed, a tall woman at six feet,with gorgeous, long brunette hair. Her smile lit up the room and she was kind to everyone on his staff. From what he could remember, she ordered Number 3 on his secret menu, which included Wagyu. His exclusive members didn’t come into the restaurant often, so when one of them did come in, it was a shocking and rare occurrence.
Once he recovered from the initial shock, he addressed the man.
“Of course, sir. May I ask who I’ll be serving today?” Buck asked the man with a warm smile.
The man didn’t return his smile, but there was something in his eyes that left Buck off-kilter as he replied, “Julian. You can call me Julian.”
Without his smile dropping, he nodded his acknowledgement towards the man and replied, “Hi Julian, I’ll prepare your meal for you. I will have Anthony come over to get you a beverage and some light appetizers to start.”
Julian again didn’t say much as he simply nodded and turned his attention to the phone he pulled out of his breast pocket of his 3-piece tailored suit.
Interesting. A man of few words I see.
Turning around from the man, he found Anthony to inform him that an exclusive member his in the restaurant and to make sure that the man was attended to.
Heading towards the kitchen, he informed his line cooks that an exclusive member was in the restaurant for Number 6 on the secret menu. There were a few wide-eyed expressions from some of his line cooks and gasps from others.
They all knew about his secret menu and they also knew that for any exclusive members that came in, he was the only one that would prepare the dish as it was his most intricate creations that were important to him. All of his line cooks knew to stay out of his way in order for him to stay focused.
“Yes Chef” his line cooks chorused.
He took a moment to gather his bearings, then he got to work on making the dish for Julian.
The man was a mystery for sure. He wasn’t the type to pass judgment on anyone, but there was just something about Julian that left him unsettled to say the least.