The Love of Cooking

Lisa Delviri sat in the dimly-lit restaurant, looking over the menu, although food wasn’t what was on her mind. As her eyes bounced from appetizers to entrees, she thought about her greatest dilemma. Lisa had recently graduated culinary school, and with hope in her heart, she had moved to New York City to fulfill her dream of opening a restaurant, but little did she know how hard it would be. Her father had died only a few months before, and with her mother back in her hometown, New Orleans, Lisa was struggling to make ends meet with her needs on her own. 

“Excuse me, ma’am, have you decided what you would like to order?” Lisa was suddenly stolen from her thoughts by the waiter’s voice. “Um,” Lisa said, awakening as she lowered her menu. “Yes. May I get the Jambalaya?” “Yes ma’am. I’ll have that right out,” said the waiter, as he took her menu and left Lisa alone with her thoughts. “I need something to remind me of home…” Lisa thought, watching the waiter leave. Lisa’s eyes wandered the restaurant, scanning the room for something of interest to her. 

As her gaze made its way to the front entrance, Lisa was surprised to see an official looking woman enter the room. The woman was wearing a charcoal colored business suit, glasses that sat on the tip of her nose, and her brown hair fell elegantly over her shoulders. The restaurant was a local, casual place, so Lisa was a little bit puzzled over why such an important looking person would be dining here. As Lisa kept observing the woman, she realized that the woman had turned her head, and was watching Lisa. When she noticed this, Lisa quickly averted her eyes from the woman. Her mother had taught her not to stare at people. Lisa was even more befuddled as she saw the woman make her way to Lisa’s table, with a small, but comforting smile across her neat and symmetrical face. Only now did Lisa realize that the woman had mismatched eyes. Her left eye was a dark blue, and her right eye was a bright and burning hazel color. “Hello.” The woman said. 

“Uh… Hello!” Lisa said, slightly nervous. “I’m sorry, I’m not sure if I know your name. “I didn’t expect you to. My apologies for the intrusion. I’m Claire Sharpe. I saw you through the window, and I recognized your face. Do you like to cook? Real, delicious food?” The woman said as she sat down at the table. Lisa took a moment to register what was happening before saying, “Yes, I love to! I just graduated culinary school not too long ago. ”The woman replied. “I saw you working in that bleak sandwich shop last tuesday. But I don’t think you came all the way to New York to put expired ham on cheap bread. Did you?” Lisa couldn’t contain her shock. “How did you know that I wasn’t from New York?” She said, quickly trying (and failing) to cover up her initial surprise. “Your accent, the way you walked, and the way you were surprised to see me in this restaurant.” “What do you mean?” Lisa said, taking a sip of water. The woman smiled.“I’m very well-known around here. If you live in New York, you know who I am. And when I walked in through that door, you stared at me as if I had three eyes and fish legs. Now, what I came over here to say is that I have a good feeling about you. I’m going to change your life for the better.” 

Lisa was stunned. “What did you just say?” “I said that I was going to change your life for the better, because I think you're talented. And if I learned one thing in business, it's when to trust my gut. Call me if you're interested.” Claire Sharpe stood up, smiling. It was a nice smile, comforting. “Here’s my card.” She said, as she put it on the table. Lisa watched Claire walk to the front door, turn back, and smile one more time before leaving Lisa alone with the piece of paper that had given Lisa the best opportunity she had ever received. 

As Lisa read the card, the waiter came with her food. “Here you are ma’am.” The waiter said, setting the plate down in front of Lisa. ”Now, I didn’t mean to spy, but I saw that you were talking to one of the most famous CEOs in New York city. Is she a personal friend of yours?” “Oh, no. I hardly know who she is. I’m not from around here,” Lisa said. Was it normal for waiters to have conversations with their customers in this place? “Really? Wow. Well, just so you know, that woman was Claire Sharpe, the CEO of a popular restaurant chain. Boy, I would love to work in one of her establishments, but I’m afraid they may be too elegant and high-end for me.” The waiter smiled at the thought, before walking away, back into the kitchen to deliver food for another hungry stomach. “Well. If she likes me, and she owns paradise for chefs, then I guess that’s a better job than making sandwiches.” Lisa thought, smiling to herself. 

Lisa’s car pulled up on the curb in front of her apartment building. As she unlocked the door to apartment B5, she was practically giggling with excitement. As she was taking off her coat, she eyed her cat, Cheese, in the corner, licking himself clean. “Hey, Cheese. I’m going to be able to buy you a new cat tower,” she said, rubbing the purring cat under the chin, tickling his orange colored fur. Sitting down on the couch, Cheese jumping up on her lap, Lisa picked up her phone charger, plugged in her phone, and eagerly waited for it to be charged enough for her to make the most important phone call of her entire life. When it was finally ready, she quickly dialed the phone number into the keypad and anxiously tapped her finger on her knee as she listened to the rings. Then, a voice on the other end spoke. “Hello?” Said the familiar voice of Claire Sharpe. Lisa could barely respond. “When can I start?” she said, barely able to contain her enthusiasm. Though Lisa couldn’t see Claire, she knew she was smiling. “You can start tomorrow. Get ready for the best day of your new life.”