CW : NARRATIVE ESSAY

Write a story of a small town girl who worked hard to become a successful chef.
Begin you story with :
“She had used the last of her savings to get to the cooking competition in the big
city and …”

She had used the last of her savings to get to the cooking competition in the
big city and she did not wish to disappoint Roland, not after getting this far. She
would never forget Roland's sacrifices for her. He had done so much for her, and she
wanted to repay his kindness as a symbol of her gratitude.

She was an orphan, living on the streets when Roland took her in. She was
scraping by on donations from kind strangers and sometimes, when food was scarce,
she would go dumpster diving, usually at the dumping sites behind restaurants after
closing time because this establishments wood throw out perfectly good food just
because no one wanted to buy the food. That was where she met Roland, who was a
manager at an outlet of a famous fast food chain.

Roland was a man with Grey hair and a receding hairline. He looked at least 70,
and he looked out of place in a place like that, with bright lights and cheery red signs
and boisterous kids looking to order a Fun Meal. In fact, at that age, he should be
watching television on a recliner at home, laughing at his grand children's antics. But
Maya was not one to judge, being poor herself. Roland sympathized with her
predicament and took her home to live with him.

She was taken to a dilapidated house in a crime-infested part of town. Roland

explained apologetically that he could not afford a better place to live. He lived alone
as his wife and daughter had left him 10 years before. Roland had a soft spot for
Maya because he said Maya reminder him of his daughter, who was also nineteen. He
often told her fairy tales and folklore. Some nights, if he was feeling up to it he
would tell stories of his youth.

One chilly December night, over steaming mugs of hot chocolate, he began to
recount stories of his life before his daughter and his wife left him. In his heyday,
he was a renowned chef. He once owned a restaurant which was awarded with a
Michelin star, and customers flocked to his restaurant. There was a very long waiting
list to eat there. His restaurant was commended buy food critics and A-list
celebrities alike. His eyes lit up as he told Maya this, his hands gesturing animatedly.
 His tone grew somber as he delved deeper into the story. His career was
destroyed because his competitor, Martino, accused him of bribing food critics to
write favourable reviews of his restaurant. His name was soiled, his assets seized,
and he was forced to retreat to the quaint town of Tulsa to preserve anonymity.
Because of the scandal, his wife ask for a divorce and remarried, taking their
daughter with her. His wife cut-off all ties with him and to this day he has no clue of
where his daughter is.

As no reminisced, he suddenly sat up, "Say, would you like me to teach you to
cook my signature dishes?" Maya nodded eagerly. Over the next few months, Roland
taught her how to cook an entire four-course meal, from mouthwatering appetizers
to desserts that melt in your mouth such as creme brulee. He also taught her how to
cook steamed lobster with a special sauce prepared with 15 ingredients which had to
be measured painstakingly down to the last drop. He spent his paycheck buying
ingredients for the dish. "This dish used to be the crowd's favourite," he told Maya
with a faraway look in his eyes. Then he snapped back into reality. "Let's cook!" He
cried enthusiastically.

It was that same dish that Maya decided to cook at the cooking competition in
New York. She waited anxiously for the results, tapping her foot restlessly. The
winner was to be announced shortly. "And the grand prize of a full scholarship to Le
Cordon Bleu, a prestigious culinary academy, goes to Maya James!" The host of the
show said. The audience erupted in thunderous applause. "Would you like to say
anything as the celebrity judge for today?" The host asked chef Ramsay, who was an
acclaimed chef. "Your dish was delicious, Maya. In fact it reminded me of what my
old friend, chef Barnes, used to cook." Maya gasped. "You mean Roland Barnes?"

Chef Ramsay did not have time to answer her question before Roland tapped his
shoulder. They had a tearful reunion, both men talking a mile a minute.

Maya closed her eyes and smiled. It was funny that all of this happened when
she was 19. Now she is 48, and she has opened several restaurants of her own, which
have been met with critical acclaim buy New York food critics. Some of her dishes
paid homage to the late chef Roland Barnes' dishes, whose name was cleared shortly
after she won the cooking competition.