--[3rd POV]--
"And time!" Lois announced as a final buzzer went off and the timer froze on the two-hour mark, "In just a minute, our Chefs will now present their appetizers to the judges, but before that, let us meet our guests of honor, responsible for deciding today's victor. First and foremost, we have our wonderful Mayor, Adam Wild West."
"It's a pleasure to be here, Lois," Mayor West replied, his lips barely visible underneath his glorious silver mustache, "I always look forward to seeing what the people of our humble little town are capable of."
Lois smiled back politely, "Inspiring as always, Mayor West. Moving our next judge is none other than Chief of Police Clancy Wiggums, responsible for keeping our town safe and sound."
Wiggums nodded absently with his eyes fixated on the plates of food that Ramon and Colette had set down just out of reach, "Y-yeah, how ya doing, can we get to the judging already? I'm starving over here."
Lois forced out a laugh, "In just a second, right after I introduce our last judge for today's event, Brian Lewis, Principal of Toon High, responsible for shaping the lives and futures of our most impressionable youth."
"That's me, baby!" Lewis cheered with a booming laugh before he shot Lois a look, "And you baby can come to me for lessons any time you want."
Physically suppressing the wave of disgust she felt from Lewis' advances, Lois quickly moved on, " Well, now that we've met our judges, chefs, you can now introduce your dishes."
Colette moved first, stepping up and setting down a small plate in front of each man. On top of the porcelain sat a single scallop with a perfectly golden seat, topped with dark dried strips, and surrounded by a moat of dark brown glaze.
"For my first dish, I present a fresh scallop poached in a yuzu and butter mixture, and seared using ten-year-old koshu sake. The scallop is garnished with dried kelp strips and paired with a savory miso reduction to balance the mollusk's natural sweetness. Please enjoy."
Colette stepped back as the judges dug in with knives and forks, cutting into the scallops that gave way like butter after the crisp crunch of the seared crust.
"Don't think I've ever had something like this before."
"Mhhhm"
"Ooh yeah, that's the shit right there!"
Piercing the soft white flesh with their forks, the judges eagerly dragged their bites through the miso reduction, slathering and smearing the scallop until it was drenched.
But there were only so many bites a single scallop could offer, and in the blink of an eye, the judges' plates were clean. Luckily for the judges, a second set of plates was quickly set in front of them as Ramon presented his appetizer.
"Today, I have my personal take on a classic bruschetta. While the dish is normally served chilled to bring out the freshness of the tomatoes and other herbs, I decided to aim for a warmer, sweeter flavor profile. I accomplished this by slowly caramelizing my tomatoes in a herb-infused oil, using the naturally present sugars to create a thick, spreadable jam. However, to balance out that sweetness, I used Parmesan crisps and a drizzle of traditional balsamic vinaigrette."
With glee, the judges put down their forks and knives in favor of their fingers, gingerly lifting the first piece of toast up to their mouths and biting down in near perfect unison. The collective crunch of perfectly golden toast was practically orgasmic, and contented hums and moans rose from the judges.
Not only did the taste of the bread, cheese, and tomatoes complement each other perfectly, but so did the textures. The tomato jam was thick and heavy, almost melting on the tongue, while the parmesan crisp shattered into fragments, and the bread provided a much-needed body to carry and preserve the flavors. Finishing their first piece of bruschetta, the judges happily moved on to the second, which they visibly savored, not wanting the experience to end.
"Alright, now that our judges have sampled both dishes, they'll vote among themselves and then announce the winner of the first round…right after this commercial break."
"And we're off! Live again in five!"
The camera dipped, and Lois let out a small sigh of relief as she felt a small kindling of hope flare inside her chest. 'I can't believe this is going so well; I might actually get something out of this crazy idea.'
"Is that your idea of food? Some warm tomatoes on a piece of glorified toast?!"
'And I spoke too soon.'
--[Ramon POV]--
"And what's wrong with tomatoes on toast?" I challenged, staring down Colette, who glared back at me, "And my idea of food is something that tastes good and gets people excited to eat."
Colette scoffed and threw her hand up into the air, "And you believe people are more excited over something they've tasted all their lives rather than something innovative and new?"
Ramon shrugged, "It's possible, maybe someone really likes tomatoes and wants to taste all the possible ways they can be cooked."
"Well, you should pray that one of the judges shares your fixation; otherwise, this competition is already over," Colette replied in a scathing tone, "Even for a small town cook, this is pathetic. Where is your creativity, your style, your art!? What do you want to be remembered for?!"
"This feels like it's about more than just cooking," I muttered, not knowing how to respond to Colette's intense interrogation.
"No, cooking is everything!" Colette stressed, throwing up her hand, "It should be the only lens you see the world through."
I paused for a moment and scratched my chin in thought, "Well then, I guess my lens is to cook a meal that I think people will enjoy, nothing more and nothing less."
Colette only shook her head at my answer, "You're a fool if you think that people won't grow tired of the same things day after day. Eventually, they'll want something new, people always do; they're never satisfied for long."
There was a flash of something in Colette's eyes, but it vanished before I could get a good look.
"Live in one! Everyone, back to their marks!"
"I hope you take my advice to heart, for your own sake," Colette muttered before she turned and walked away, leaving me to question what part of the picture I was missing
--[3rd Person]--
"Come on, you two, you're going to miss it!" Patty shouted from her spot on the couch, parked in front of the TV, just as the commercial segment ended and the cookoff came back on.
"Alright, we're coming! Relax!" Tricia shouted back as she and Megan returned from their trip to the kitchen with snacks in hand.
"We have to get him to make those tomato things for us!" Meagan insisted as she sat down next to Tricia in the middle of the coach and began passing out the snacks, "I don't think I've ever wanted to eat something so badly before."
"Well, I can think of one thing," Summer muttered in a flat tone, but a small smirk gave away the nature of her innuendo.
Megan rolled her eyes, "I was only talking about food, you pervert."
"Oh, don't mind her," Tricia interjected as she popped a chocolate into her mouth, "She's just mad that she hasn't gotten her favorite treat either."
Summer let out an unimpressed grunt, "No shit, you guys keep sneaking off with him at the restaurant while I'm left high and dry."
"Well then, we'll make sure you get first dibs during the weekend," Patty added helpfully.
"Speaking of this weekend, what do you guys think Ramon has planned?" Megan asked as she glanced between Tricia and Summer.
"My bet's on the beach," Tricia answered without pause, "I mean, he asked if I could sim and if I wanted money to go shopping for a new bikini."
Summer shook her head, "It can't be that simple, with his dramatic flair and all this secrecy, Ramon is building up for something. I also don't love the fact that he invited my mother."
Megan shrugged, "You're probably right, he does have a tendency for over-the-top theatrics and showing off for us. Also, don't feel awkward about your mother; mine is coming as well."
"Didn't Ramon knock up your mom?" Tricia asked.
"Yes, she is, which is exactly what I'm afraid of, no offense," Summer stressed, "My mom didn't exactly try and hide that she liked what she saw. Which is concerning, given the fact that she is married to my dad and that the best-case scenario is that she's just blatantly cheating on him."
"How does it get worse than that?" Tricia muttered.
"It's worse if he's in on it," Megan replied helpfully, making Summer groan, "Can we just move on, forget I said anything?"
"Forget I don't know, but everyone better be quiet because I think they're about to announce who won," Patty insisted, and the conversation instantly died as the girls turned to watch the TV.