An Important Win

Excitement rushed through me as I approached the famous restaurant, Scopa. Today was the day I’d be competing for the newest chef position. When I arrived I saw my best friend, Eleni. She was the chef I would be competing against! I wanted Eleni to win, but I wanted to win, too. We went into the kitchen and got on our chef’s hat and apron.

“Using the ingredients in the kitchen, cook an Italian dish that would be a great addition to our menu,” said the restaurant manager. “I’ll leave the kitchen so I am surprised and will return in two hours.”

As soon as the manager left, we ran for the fridge. I grabbed some carrots, potatoes, and onions, chopped them up, and tossed them in a pot with some olive oil. As I threw in some parsley, Eleni preheated the oven and got to work dicing up eggplants...

Not long after, the oven chimed, telling Eleni it was ready. She became distracted and turned toward the ding. Suddenly Eleni screamed, “Owwwwwww!” She dropped the knife onto the cutting board and applied pressure to the finger she had just cut.

Ha! I thought. I’ll definitely win now!

After that, Eleni sat down in too much pain to continue cooking. Seeing my friend hurt bothered me. I left my dish and went to Eleni. “Let me help you bandage that up,” I said, reaching for the first aid kit. “What do you have left to do?” After she told me, I quickly finished her recipe and left mine on the stove. I didn’t have time to work on both and I wanted my best friend to know she was important to me.

Soon the manager returned. He tasted each of our dishes and said, “I liked both of your dishes but, Cara, your tasted a little bit burnt. Eleni,” he continued, “well done!” He cleared his throat and said, “The winner is Eleni!” I clapped, then hugged her.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

As we exited the kitchen, I thought that helping felt even better than winning.