“Thanks for agreeing to come in a bit earlier. Brooke is starting a new dance class today.”
“No problem. How was lunch? Was it busy?” Emma glanced around the nearly empty dining room, which wasn’t really a good indicator as it was in between lunch and dinner.
“It actually wasn’t too bad. We had a bit of a rush earlier. Gary experimented with putting a sign outside listing the day’s specials. So it may have been that, or just warmer than usual weather. You never know, right?” Mandy left a moment later, and Emma poked her head in the kitchen to say hello to Paul.
“I heard your lunch specials were a big hit,” Emma said as she helped herself to a roll and butter.
“We’ll see how they do tonight. That will be the real test.” Paul said, but he was smiling and Emma could tell he was pleased. “We’re also adding a butternut squash tortelloni with toasted walnuts, prosciutto and a cream sauce with a little gorgonzola.”
“Yum.” Emma bit into her roll and then her stomach did a giddy dance as Paul pushed a small dish of the pasta special towards her.
“I really shouldn’t,” she protested lamely as her fork dug into the creamy sauce. As anticipated, the contrast of flavors and textures was delicious.
“Now you can sell it to the customers.”
And she did. Emma loved when she was asked what was good and what she’d recommend. She didn’t hesitate to give her honest opinion. If there was a dish she loved, she raved about it. If there was one she was less crazy about such as the surf and turf, which in her opinion had a too small and thin steak, she’d truthfully say something like, “It’s an excellent steak, but if you’re very hungry, it’s not an oversized portion. You might enjoy the New York strip instead.”
As it happened, she said exactly that when Mandy’s consultant came in again and insisted on ordering the surf and turf anyway, along with the steak she did recommend and the pasta special. By now most of the employees knew he was some kind of consultant and since no one knew what he was likely to suggest changing, they all still treated him as if he were a food critic, walking on eggshells to make sure everything went as smoothly as it possibly could. He stayed for several hours, didn’t bother to take his leftovers home and, after eating, spent a bit of time in the kitchen, observing quietly and browsing through the walk-in refrigerator and oversized pantry area.
He finished up with a draft beer at the bar and must have written at least a dozen or so pages of notes. Emma knew he was there to help them, but she still couldn’t help feeling a bit nervous herself, especially if one of his suggestions was to trim the staff. She wanted to make sure that the positive work environment that Grams had been so proud of stayed intact.
At the end of the night, when most of the staff had left, Emma joined Gary and Paul at the bar for an after-shift drink. Talk turned to the consultant as both Gary and Paul were curious about him.
“What did he think of the food?” Paul asked.
“He seemed to like everything, but I think he liked the pasta the best. It was the only meal he finished.”
Paul smiled. “That’s good to hear.”
Gary’s phone buzzed, and he glanced down at a text message and frowned.
“I have to run. Maria needs me to stop at the store on the way home. I’ll catch up with you both later.” He took a big sip of his beer, then dumped the rest of it in the sink and headed out.
Paul sipped his Jack and Coke and looked at Emma thoughtfully.
“So, how is it going? This has to be a huge change for all of you.”
Emma nodded. “It is. It’s probably the most challenging for Jill, as she still has her business going in New York and is trying to juggle that during the day. For Mandy and me, it’s actually a godsend. We both needed something new. I love the fast pace. And during the day, I can still do some of my photography.”
“I didn’t know you were into photography? Did you do that full-time?”
“No. I was a teacher in Arizona. I always did photography on the side. I actually had an idea for how I might be able to tie it into the restaurant.” She told him about her website and food blog. “What do you think of me taking some pictures of you and your signature dishes and maybe sharing a recipe or two on the blog? I could link it to social media like Instagram and Facebook. It might be a way to help get the word out.”
Paul looked intrigued. “I like it. Let me think of what might be a good dish to start with and you can pop by to take some pictures. Do you like to cook too?”