Yuri strolled through the cold winter city streets as she headed to work early in order to prepare for tonight's dinner service. This particular district was a little more secluded and quiet compared with the rest of the downtown core, which is why she loved it. Passing by the convenience stores and bistros she finally arrived at a flower shop to pick up some special ingredients for the evening.

The black-haired chef let out a kind greeting to the older woman, who was at the counter watching the 24-hour news station on a small and retro looking television.

“Hi I’m here to pick-up a special order of lavender flower petals please,” stated the new customer.

“Ah yes." she sifted through her papers,"The special culinary kind right?”

"Right."

She told Yuri to smell the floral displays while she headed to the storage room to grab her goods. Coming back after a few minutes, the owner found Yuri examining some of the sweeter flowers that were also commonly used for cooking. The clerk had been interested with the tall and beautiful girl who had placed the unique order.

"You know, normally girls like buying and receiving roses, I don’t see many of them just paying for a little ingredient."

"I like my beautiful flowers too," responded Yuri as she examined a beautiful yellow Tulip. "This order's for work though."

"Ah, so you are a chef?”

Yuri grinned and said, "Yup. I work at the 'Ici' just down the block.

“e-cee?”

“Yeah, but it’s i-c-i. It’s French for ‘here’”

"Oh that's impressive. Glad to see that people are starting to appreciate flowers for something other than beauty. How much is it for a meal there?"

"$100 a seat for a 4-course meal."

The owner nearly fell off her chair from Yuri's response.

After paying for her purchase, Yuri kindly left the store with the surprised owner and quickly checked her watch to make sure she was still on schedule. Anyone responsible for the desserts had to come-in early to get everything prepared ahead of time. Yuri didn't mind, she probably would've shown up to work 30 minutes early anyways. The black-haired beauty loved being in the kitchen.

Walking another city block she finally arrived in front of the 'Ici', a humble French restaurant that had very humble beginnings. It had been regularly reviewed as one of the best dining spots in the city and it was spearheaded by one of the city's best chefs. Yuri appreciated the beautiful and luxurious storefront that made her proud to work at the place.

On the outside it gave a classy and stylish look but a large window gave a real view into the heart of the restaurant, which emphasized an interior that was much cozier and less pretentious than what people would expect. The décor, while classy, emitted a sense of comfort. She felt a connection to the store because it sort of resembled herself in a way.

She walked to the back of the restaurant where she saw some of her fellow chefs smoking. They stared at the youthful female chef who arrived right on time, and gave her a kind nod.

"Want a cigarette?" offered one of the younger junior chefs in the kitchen.

"Thanks but I don't smoke." Yuri had learned that most chefs in the industry did smoke but refused to pick up the unhealthy habit. She found the smell repulsive.

"You don’t smoke now. Just wait till you work enough years in the biz.”

“Not if I’m still working here. I’ll just stare at your yellow teeth and listen to your cackling coughs to make me remember why I avoid the stuff.”

The group of chefs let out a genuine laugh.

"I tell you, you’re one sassy girl. You’ll be a great chef,” said one of the older chefs of the group. Yuri couldn’t quite remember his name. She had only been working there for a week.

“Thanks”

“Good luck tonight."

Waving farewell, the girl headed inside and was happy to see the welcoming sight of the kitchen where she worked. The metallic equipment contrasted with the porcelain white tiled walls, despite both surfaces being sparkling clean. Appreciating it now, Yuri could understand why her boss Gustav, was a rough and brutish captain to his crew. All you had to do was look at his beautiful ship.

Making her way between the narrow spaces that separated the expensive culinary equipment, she reached the corner where the small female change room resided. She and the waitresses would occasionally chat here before service and it was a place to get away from all the testosterone of the kitchen. 

Walking in, she smelled the perfume of the female staffers from yesterday night, still lingering in the air. Changing into her chef's whites in a flash, she safely stored her personal belonging in her own little employee locker and headed to her next stop.

The walk-in refrigerator.

Arriving in front of huge heavy stainless steel door she unlocked it and forcefully pulled it open. Stepping into the cold room she saw the shelves of fresh supplies, seafood’s and meats that the restaurant received fresh from local farms and fisherman on a weekly basis. Heading to the dairy rack she grabbed all the important ingredients that would be required for her two sinfully sweet dishes, which included cream and thickened cream, butter, and eggs.

Yuri knew that if she made any mistakes tonight her stay at the restaurant would be over. These next couple of hours would be crucial, as mistakes in the preparation stage of desserts could cause disaster. She double-checked all the ingredients to make sure they were the right and headed to the pantry to grab more necessities. Upon entering the little corner she was met by a familiar voice.

"Yuri babe. If you need any help just ask. I'll be here all night."

The female chef turned to the voice and acknowledged the flamboyant Paulo, who was there to sort and keep inventory of the pantry. He was jotting down important notes in a pink notepad, ensuring everything was in the right place.

Paulo was considered short in the outside world, but fit in quite well with the kitchen hands. His short curly dark brown hair, tanned and well-kept skin made him the ‘prettiest’ man in the kitchen. He was normally responsible for providing customers with desserts and was considered the 'queen of sweets’. A title that he relished with pride.

"Thanks Paulo, I think I'll be fine. I'll ask for your help when I need it."

"Are you planning anything special my dear?" asked Paulo

The dessert chef for the day gave him a cheeky grin.

"I'll show you later."

Yuri was used to working around males, since the culinary industry was rather 'masculine'. She had experienced the gender segregation and ism first-hand a couple of times already in her short career. The 'Ici' was different though, the employees were all amazingly kind and accepting. Head Chef Gustav, who had a young daughter himself, refused to let any of those 'shenanigans' happen in his kitchen. He treated everyone like family and as such expected nothing less than the very best from them in return. Yuri remembered his kindness during her first week. She was the first female chef to come under his wing.

Working away she began to mix the batter for the 'Fine Feuille De Chocolat' which was essentially a very extravagant way to name a Chocolate Ganache based dessert.

The chef had given her creative liberty over the small 'dessert' menu for tonight. She wanted to put a different spin on the recipe by making a Ganache tart. She had been toying around with the idea in her school days. Yuri wanted to utilize the sweet and tanginess of the raspberry and pair it with a special lavender flavored cream that would go on top of the ganache, to give it a unique and light flavor. She knew that the menu would have to be re-written, but Gustav encouraged her to be original last night.

Her secret weapons were the lavender petals.

Flowers were becoming popular in food because of their ability to provide a natural sweetness to dishes while adding to the presentation. She wanted to impress Gustav with her modern approach. Some of the petals would be mixed into the heavy cream that topped the dish, while others would be sprinkled on as an edible decoration. Yuri carefully took out the delicate purple flowers petals that she had purchased out of her own pocket. She knew that it would go delightfully with the rich chocolate of the ganache.

The kitchen started getting busy as Yuri finished her first dessert preparation which included creating the tart pastries.

Next she started on the restaurant's set of 3 'Crême Brulée' mixtures. She needed to prepare a trio of small tasting portions for a fun dessert plate that was a regular favourite of patrons. This dish was simple-and-straight forward, so she handled it well. Yuri was poised to do well today.

Adding the finishing touches to the strawberry, vanilla and caramel mixtures she neatly poured them into the little circular porcelain containers called ramekins and set them aside in the cooling fridge for later. They would be baked-to-order when customers arrived.

Tasting her two dessert plates in the 'raw' stages gave her a satisfied smile. Of course the finished product would probably have a much richer and full bodied taste since heat did some pretty magical things, but she was happy with it. Calling Paulo over to inspect her dessert preparation, the man gave her a round of applause for what he considered to be ‘perfect work’.

She offered him a sample of her special lavender cream on a small tasting spoon, which he quickly consumed.

"Good?" asked the aspiring chef.

He moved the floral cream around his tongue and gave the girl a big hug in excitement. Jumping up and down rather merrily.

"It's fabulous. It'll go really well with the ganache. The customers will love it Yuri." The inexperienced chef cheerfully grinned and cleaned up her station.

Wanting to keep herself busy she began to help the prep-chefs cut vegetables and garnishes for dinner service. Yuri didn't mind doing some of the more menial tasks. As she cut into a cucumber she was instantly reminded of her phone conversation before work.

'Jessica… What are you planning?'

The girl had called her back shortly after she had hung up. Yuri wasn't quite ready to see her face-to-face.

Why did she want to meet me all of a sudden?

The chef felt a little guilty for sending her-ex the 'busy tone' but felt like she had to distance herself for now. In the long run she could see them as friends again, but right now she had too much stuff on her plate to even worry about the blonde.

However another important blonde had just entered the kitchen

It was Gustav, her boss. The tall, broad and handsome man had an intimidating presence about him, but underneath it all he was a gentle giant. That is until dinner service started.

He had a big smile on his face, happy to be in his kitchen. The man had worked hard to get here. Seeing Yuri cutting some cucumbers, he couldn't help but walk over to the fresh face.

"Yuri, it's good to see you."

Thinking back about her scolding last night, she apologized, "Hello Chef Gustav. I'm sorry about last night."

"Sorry? No need to apologize, I was happy docking $50 from your pay."

Yuri nodded. Gustav gave Yuri a firm pat on the shoulder.

"Don't worry about last night. That was yesterday. Today is a new day."

Yuri couldn’t help but ask the family man, "How are the kids?"

"Childish"

"The wife?"

"Childish"

They both let out a laugh, as the experience chef headed around the kitchen to greet the rest of his staff. Yuri hoped that she could run a kitchen like he did in the future.

"Paulo!" He watched as the two men merrily greeted each other with a manly chest bump that she didn’t think the queen was capable of.

Yuri continued cutting through cucumbers and found herself thinking about Jessica. She gave an odd little smile as she held the girl's kryptonite in her hands. She had remembered how petrified the girl was of the long and green fruit.

She had a pleasant flashback.

…...

Yuri was visiting Jessica’s all-female dorm after a late cooking class. She had remembered knocking on the door rather late in the evening, hoping she could crash with her overnight.

“Who is it?”

“It’s Yuri let me in.”

“You have to say the password first.”

“…Jessica-YAH, are you being serious right now?”

She remembered hearing her giggle.

“Come on you know what it is.”

“I brought some food that I made for us to share.”

“Password.”

Yuri remembered how she reluctantly tried to talk her way into the room but to no avail. Finally she caved in.

“I love you…” she whispered under her breath.

“What?”

“I love you." This time it had more conviction.

“You’ll have to speak up.”

Tired of the game Yuri yelled, “I love you!”

Jessica opened the door to greet a fully blushing Yuri who was now getting stares from some of the girls that were hanging about in the halls of the college dorm.

“That’s better.”

Jessica pulled her into the room and abruptly closed the door behind her.

“So what’d you bring?”

Yuri had been peeved and upset from the little embarrassing moment outside. She was still a little shy when it came to displaying affection for another girl, especially in public. Jessica didn’t want her to be.

They were face-to-face and standing very close.

“You didn’t have to embarrass me like that you know?”

“What’s embarrassing about sharing your feelings?”

“That’s not what I meant. You know how I feel about stuff like that.”

The blonde put her hand on Yuri’s hip and leaned forward for a kiss, but the rosey-cheeked girl would have none of it. Jessica was disappointed.

Yuri reached into her bag and took out a container of food that they had made in her culinary class. Before she even opened it, Jessica sniffed the air as she usually did when Yuri brought food, and gave her a repulsive look.

“Did you…use cucumbers?!”

She sniffed the air again to verify.

“Yeah, are you allergic?”

Jessica’s face had completely changed from needy to being on the verge of throwing up.  She darted away from Yuri clinging to the farthest wall away from Yuri in her room. She was looking at the white styrofoam tray like it was a ticking bomb.

“Yuri go throw that out right now!”

“What?”

“I absolutely HATE cucumbers,” said Jessica making sure to emphasize the verb.

Yuri pleaded, “But it’s really good. Give it a chance! I made it after all.”

“No. No way. Not ever. Not even if we were married.”

Yuri felt odd when she said the marriage word. She also noticed that as she walked closer, Jessica would reflexively back away and squirm. In her mind she couldn’t help but feel like it was time for revenge.

The chef-in-training reached into her large black leather handbag and pulled out a grocery bag that was filled with cucumbers. Jessica had a horrified face.

Taking one of the long green fruits in her hand she brandished it like a weapon.

“Well, well. It looks like the tables have turned.”

“Yuri,” her voiced cracked, “just what are you doing?!”

She replied with a wide grin, “Learning from the master.”

Yuri listed her demands, “I want you to scream at the top of your lungs how much you love and care about me to your whole floor. I’ll toss away the vegetables when you do.”

Jessica gave in immediately. She quickly ran past Yuri who was by the door and ran into the hallway screaming with her loudest voice that she was in love with Yuri Kwon and cared for her more than anyone else in the world. In the end the chef felt a little more embarrassed than the screamer. Maybe it was because Jessica only had fear in her mind.

“Hmm…I don’t think that was enough.” Yuri charged at her, waving the fruit in her hand causing Jessica to dart down the hallway with unprecedented speed. She continued to chase the girl with the green stick, forcing her to run all around the floor in a daze. The same girls who were giving Yuri weird looks earlier, were now laughing rowdily at the sight of Jessica running away from a girl with a cucumber.

“Yuri I can’t believe you’re doing this!”

..............

“Earth to Yuri?” asked Gustav, breaking her little day dream.

Yuri stared at her head chefs turquoise blue eyes that were searching for her consciousness. She had realized that she had gotten a little too distracted by the past. The memory had given her a warm feeling, but also a wall of sadness for remembering the girl that had broken her heart.

“Paulo tells me you prepared a special dessert for the menu tonight. Would you like to fill me in?”

Yuri quickly explained her Raspberry Lavender Ganache Tart to Gustav who appeared to be very satisfied with the concept and her initiative to buy and use flowers.

“I’ll tell the waitresses to inform the diners of the special dessert tonight.”

“Thanks a lot chef.” replied the newbie.

“If there’s anything troubling you, Yuri, anything at all, don’t hesitate to come talk to me about it. I don’t want you to drift away into your own thoughts during service.”

“Yes Chef!”

He quickly exited the room and entered the dining area to inform the maître d’ (or head waiter).

Yuri stared at the clock. It was getting closer to service. She briskly chopped the rest of the remaining vegetables and helped the other chefs set up their stations.

As usual, the dinner rush passed by quickly, with Gustav bellowing out orders and instructions. The crew of his ship was well-trained and executed the familiar menu with ease. After all the appetizers and entrees, it was up to her to deliver a great round of desserts. She prepared several orders of the 'Crême Brulée' trio and a surprisingly large amount of orders for her special lavender tart. Thankfully, Paulo was there to help her with the hectic workload.

Gustav was now hounding them, pushing them to get the desserts out to the diners with good speed.

After what seemed like an eternity, Yuri finally plated her last Raspberry Lavender Ganache Tart and smiled at the beautiful presentation.

The small lightly browned tart provided the base for the smooth and velvety chocolate ganache mixture. The thick and and rich lavender cream was smothered on top to provide support for a bed of raspberries which were lightly dusted with some caster sugar. Some lavender leaves were sprinkled to finish off the dessert.

It was truly a dish worthy of the restaurant.

With the last plate being sent out, the wild service was over. Yuri and Paulo gave each other a congratulatory high-five. Not a single dish had been returned the whole night, and judging by the stack of orders it was another fully booked evening.

Gustav had a huge smile on his face, and shared a few kind words.

“Men…and Yuri," he said, acknowledging the presence of his new hire.

"We did our job tonight. Hold your heads up high. Let's continue to have great nights like this.”

The maître d’ walked in and whispered something into the grinning head chef’s ears. Hearing the words he nodded in acknowledgement and looked straight at the only girl in the Kitchen.

“Yuri."

The female chef perked up when she heard her name, as did everyone else in the kitchen.

"Marco tells me that your dessert was a big hit tonight. Apparently the diners raved about it, and you even got your first fan. A beautiful woman wants to thank you personally in the dining room.”

The chefs in the kitchen gave the girl a round of applause as she was overwhelmed with emotion. Normally she would’ve been more modest with her reaction, but after yesterday’s failure in the appetizer section, she was all smiles and on the verge of crying happy tears. It was an amazing feeling.

“Follow me Yuri” said Marco as he guided the young chef out the doors of the kitchen and into the sacred dining area that he ruled over. Most of the patrons had left, but the head waiter led her to a small table where a girl sat alone, enjoying a cup of tea, with her smartphone by her side.

“Ms. Kim, this is Yuri the chef that made the lavender raspberry ganache tart.”

The star of the night was surprised to see a youthful and pretty woman eating at such a nice restaurant by herself. As a diner, the guest was also amazed to see such an attractive female chef.

“Yuri, I just wanted to tell you that this was one of the best tasting desserts I’ve ever had. Not to mention it was eye-catching and a little sad to take apart.”

Yuri nodded kindly, “Thank you so much for the kind words. I’m glad you enjoyed your meal, Ms. Kim.”

The youthful girl beamed.

“Call me Taeyeon. I guess I’m a fan of your work now. I look forward to eating more of your food in the future.” She gave a rather womanly chuckle. “You made me really happy with your dessert.”

“Thanks Taeyeon.”

Yuri watched as the girl reached into her wallet and offered her a  crisp$50 bill as tip. Yuri refused to accept it, despite the diner's insistance.

“Just come back again, and I’ll be happy enough. You don’t need to do anything like this. I don’t do it for the money.”

The girl gave Taeyeon a satisfying answer, as she got up from her seat to leave, revealing her rather short height. The pretty strawberry blonde had looked like she had just gotten off work in what appeared to be business attire.

“Well then, I guess I’ll be seeing you around Yuri.”

"I look forward to cooking for you again."

They exchanged pleasant goodbyes as she left the Ici.

Relieved, Yuri turned around, only to see all the chefs standing awkwardly at the bar, pretending not to listen in. Her boss, Gustav, had an even bigger smile on his face than before. He was happy to see Yuri succeed. As she arrived to greet the bunch, the boss insisted that they celebrate with a few drinks before everyone packed up for the night.

After the little bonding moment, everyone went their separate ways. Yuri went back to the small woman's change room and packed for home, talking briefly with another waitress. Just as she was about to leave she saw Gustav standing at the exit, blocking the backdoor. Moving past him, he stopped her with his commanding voice.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?”

The head chef reached into his jacket pocket and took out a a white envelope which he handed to the girl. It was her pay for the day. Since she wasn’t a full-timer yet, he paid her under the table in cash. Yuri counted the money and was surprised to see an additional $50 dollars of pay.

“What’s this for?” asked the surprised girl.

“It’s for your amazing night. I saw what you did when that girl offered you the tip. Most of the chefs in this restaurant would’ve taken it, but you did something that only a true chef would do. You told her to comeback and enjoy another meal.”

Gustav gave Yuri a proud stare and a friendly pat on the shoulder.

"See," he said with a proud tone. "I told you not to worry about last night."