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‘Alright, let’s get started, Naomi.’ He clapped his hands enthusiastically. ‘I will walk you through each pizza to make, and then you can give them a go.’ He gave me a smile, and I could’ve sworn his eyes lit up when they caught mine.
I nodded.God, I’m so nervous. Get it together, Naomi.I turned around to see Trish back in full head-chef mode, monitoring the kitchen to make sure everything was going smoothly.
‘Didn’t anyone show you where to put your bag?’ he asked with eyes squinted.
I shook my head and peered down at my brown bucket bag, tucked snuggly under my arm.
‘Come with me. I’ll give you a quick tour.’ He gestured with his hand for me to follow.
‘But isn’t service about to start?’ I looked around at all of the chefs chopping away and stirring things on the stoves.
‘Trish has got it covered.’ He winked his reassurance.
‘Sure.’
Patrick walked past the pizza oven and continued until we reached the back door, which was next to the main sink. The dishy looked exhausted as he sprayed and scrubbed the pots and pans with a speedy hand. They were stacked up in the biggest pile of dishes I’d ever seen in my life. Poor guy.
‘Uh. Is the dishy okay? There is a lot there.’ I gave the dishy a sympathetic look, but he was too busy to notice.
‘He’s fine. We call him “Rocket” because he’s so quick.’
Patrick opened the door and turned left into a room lined with lockers. I unzipped my bag and quickly put on my stripy apron and hat.
‘I’ll just put your bag in the spare locker for the time being,’ he said as I passed him my brown bucket bag.
‘Thanks, Patrick.’ I smiled in appreciation.
He secured my bag inside the locker and turned back to me. His eyes twinkled. ‘I think we’ll have fun during service. But I must warn you, we’re fully booked.’
‘Well, I guess that’s to be expected with your reputation.’ I blushed and wanted to put my hand over my mouth to muffle my words, but it was too late.Dammit.
‘Been reading about me, hey?’ He smiled, and his eyes revealed a spark of interest.
‘No, Deb told me all about your restaurants, and I’m going to shut up now.’ I instantly regretted blurting that out.What is wrong with me this morning?
He laughed and held open the door, and we walked back over to the pizza section. I noticed the dishy was indeed a rocket as the stack had visibly decreased in the few minutes we were outside.
Why did this trial feel so overwhelming?
The words Patrick said at Gerado’s ran through my mind:We’re fully booked every night. That’s why I’m trialling you at lunch service because it’s less busy.
Uh, yeah, sure, Patrick, less busy … It’s peak hour, and you’re fully booked. Oh God.I sucked in a deep breath as he crouched down and pulled the dough balls from the fridge underneath the bench.
As the service bell rang nonstop, waitstaff paced in and out of the kitchen, balancing plates on each forearm and palm. The pasta dishes seemed to be the favourites as I caught a glimpse of the seafood linguini and beef ragu.
Patrick sprinkled flour across the bench, then flattened a dough ball with his palm. He dipped the dough into a coating of flour, then put it back on the bench. I couldn’t help but notice the way his perfectly arched brows drew together in a frown of concentration as he dimpled the dough in the middle, making sure it stayed flat while the outer edge was slightly raised.
‘Is this how you do it, Naomi?’ He flipped the pizza back and forth on his hands, and I watched as it stretched out into a perfectly round pizza base.
I cleared my throat.Focus.‘No, I usually just flatten the dough and round it with my hands, then roll it out with a rolling pin.’
He nodded. ‘Well, this is how we do it here because it’s the traditional way. Did you notice how I’m not flattening the outer edge? That’s because you get a lot of natural bubbles from the fermentation.’
I nodded and watched him closely.Got it.
‘Another tip is when you’re making a Vitello Margherita pizza, don’t overdo the cheese. The sauce is the main hero. Do you think you can manage what I just showed you?’
I swallowed hard, picked up a dough ball, and began manoeuvring it while thinking about what he had just shown me. His teaching was playing in my mind like a movie as I worked with the dough. I glanced behind me to check if he was watching me. He wasn’t.Phew.He had grabbed a pizza rack from the slots and was busying himself preparing another base.
