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She kept reading:
Major mistake and career ruined;
Doors shut on famous Lavapond;
Band girl, Powder Puffs hospitalised with food poisoning;
Chef under investigation.
Ouch. The media had savaged him and his restaurant after the incident. Fuelled by the Powder Puffs who were the unfortunate recipients of the bad prawns. Her stomach churned at the gross detail and photos the quintet posted. Too much info! And despite Caleb’s massive following and staunch supporters, the girl band generated greater negative commentary.
Shit. No one liked to have a lovely evening at a renowned restaurant end badly with off food. Every chef’s worst nightmare she imagined. As she trolled through the comments on both social media and in the news, her coffee roiled in her stomach.
But then, she was hit with a new wave of enthusiasm. She, Bridie Finch would turn this around. Starting with their own small community.
7
‘You know there are rules about what food is served in the tuckshop?’
‘Really?’ Sybella responded.
‘Uh, huh. You’re supposed to eat, I can’t quite remember, foods in the green category first and then purple foods sometimes and never the pink because they are evil,’ Caleb said.
‘Sounds weird. Pink food?’
‘Well, the colours might be wrong, but the concept is right. Healthy foods are best and others in moderation.’
‘Sounds ‘bout right. I can work with that,’ Sybella pulled a serious, concentrating face.
‘I think this is the most marvellous idea you’ve ever had,’ he told her.
‘You don’t know any of my other ideas!’ Sybella giggled.
They sat together at the small, round table in the kitchen. Sybella drank a glass of milk and ate chocolate chip cookies. ‘Can we sell these?’ Caleb asked and bit into a biscuit.
‘We should because they’re so yummy,’ Sybella agreed and chomped.
‘Ah, but that’s the problem. We need a menu filled with delicious but nutritious food.’
‘What’s nutritious mean?’ she asked. Sometimes when Sybella spoke she had the slightest lisp.
Caleb explained.
Sybella said both teachers and students loved his new food at the tuckshop. Mrs Bingham only heated up frozen sausage rolls and pizza and made stale white-bread sandwiches. But now, it was fabulous she said.
Okay, he’d completely bombed in the five-star restaurant stakes but succeeded in the school canteen. At the moment, he’d take the praise.
Sybella said everyone would love him if he kept up his stellar performance (his words) because they already thought he was a complete dish (her teacher’s words). And everyone would benefit because the kids were well-fed. And be one less job for someone else.
Lesson number five: the kid was smart. But he wasn’t sure the convenor of the Bite Right Inn would agree with her summation.
‘Okay, what should be on the menu?’
She shouted out some of her most-loved foods.
‘Can you write a list?’
‘I’m just learning my letters, Uncle Caleb, I’m only in prep you know.’
