“Alright.” I tapped my finger lightly against the counter, thinking through it like a strategy instead of a recipe. “We’re going to do four cheeses.”
“Okay.”
“First, Gruyère. That’s the backbone.”
She wrote that down.
“It melts like silk. And I want a lot so that when Reo lifts the fork, it stretches like it’s refusing to let go.”
Chef Bunzo gave a soft hum of approval without looking up.
Miles Davis’s trumpet slid low through the air as if agreeing with me too.
Behind me, the compact man with the tattooed forearms had finished his reduction. He was tasting it now — one small spoon, eyes closed, completely still. Like a man in prayer.
The herb woman hadn't stopped moving once.
I looked back at Aya. “Second will of course be sharp cheddar.”
Nodding, Aya scribbled that.
“This is the bite, and the part that will make him stop chewing for a second because it will hit the back of his tongue and demand attention.” I held up my finger and recited what my grandmother would always say to me. “Grate it. Fine. I don’t want clumps. It’s supposed to melt into everything else.”
“Got it.”
“Third, fontina.”
“Interesting.” Chef Bunzo looked up at me.
“Is it too much?”
“Oh no. The Roar loves indulgence.”
“Good because. . .I want him to feel hugged from the inside.”
Some of the sous chefs chuckled near their stations.
Chef Bunzo returned to his work. “I’ll have to steal this idea from you. Adding the fontina will definitely make it decadent and keep the dish from being dry.”
The bass line ofKind of Bluerolled in steady, while the trumpet danced over it.
“Last, Parmigiano-Reggiano.”
Chef Bunzo nodded again. “Excellent.”
Aya wrote that down. “Will that go in the sauce?”
“Exactly.” I bobbed my head. “We can put some on the top too to give it a crust that cracks just slightly when the fork goes through it.”
“By the end of this dish, Reo will beyourRoar.” Chef Bunzo winked.
I smiled.
This dude is funny.
It was nice to be around someone who was thoroughly enjoying their day and excited. It was the perfect escape I needed out of the grief of Hiroko’s loss.
“I’ll get everything and start working on it.” Aya headed off to the pantry. “I should have samples in a few hours.”
