‘And you run your own business currently?’
‘I’m a partner in a business, yes. But it originated with my business partner, so I wouldn’t say it was mine. That’s why Iwant to do well in this competition. I want to develop my own reputation.’
‘And before that you worked at La Emporium as a sous chef,’ Philip said.
‘Yes, as I mentioned the other week, Louis was the head chef when I worked there.’
Philip pursed his lips, a look of distaste on his face at the mention of the disgraced judge.
‘If you don’t mind me giving you some advice?’ Angela asked.
‘Not at all,’ Jay replied. ‘Advice from you would be most welcome.’
‘The success of a restaurant isn’t all about the food. That has to be excellent, of course, but it’s also about numbers, and I don’t just mean bums on seats. It’s about profit and loss, managing your overheads, as well as your staff. You’re already an excellent chef, and I have no doubt that people would love your food, but I suspect that managing a whole concern, alone, will be where you might need to gain some experience.’
Jay nodded and thanked Angela for her advice.
* * *
Two days later, Jay was still contemplating Angela’s words as he cooked. What she had said was spot on. At La Emporium, his focus had been solely on the food. Even though he did more menu design and costing of dishes with Liz, she was the one who hired staff and did the accounts and most of the marketing. And while she was still going to be involved during her maternity leave, Jay wanted to do whatever he could to lighten her load, especially during the early days of motherhood, which he understood could be overwhelming. And it would be win-win if it gave him the opportunity to gain some much-needed experience. As soon as the competition was over, he would speakto Liz, and use the time to learn as much as he could from her before the baby was born.
Liz burst through the kitchen door and interrupted his thoughts.
‘Hello, you,’ he said. ‘I wasn’t expecting to see you today.’
‘I thought that we could have a catch-up as you’re not at the competition.’
‘Good idea,’ Jay said. ‘Can I get you a coffee?’
‘No, thanks,’ Liz replied. ‘Even the thought of coffee makes me want to heave.’
‘Still feeling rough, then?’
‘Not too bad. It’s just certain things that set me off.’ She reached for a glass and turned on the water tap. ‘I’ll just stick to the hard stuff.’
Jay laughed. ‘I’ve nearly finished the prep for tonight, then I’m all yours.’
‘I’ll give you a hand.’ Liz took off her jacket and lifted an apron from the hook on the wall. ‘What can I do?’
‘Coriander needs chopping and the ginger needs grating. Those smells don’t get to you, do they?’
‘No, that’s fine.’ She reached for a large Sabatier knife and began chopping the coriander. ‘I didn’t realise just how debilitating being pregnant would be. I naively assumed I would sail through to the last month when I was too big to work comfortably.’
‘You’ve had a rough time of it,’ Jay said. ‘But hopefully you’re entering an easier stage now.’
‘Here’s hoping. I’m just sorry it’s put more pressure on everyone else.’
‘It hasn’t helped that I’ve been tied up with the competition either,’ Jay said. ‘Are you going to be okay next week? I’m afraid I’m going to be away for most of it.’
‘Yes, I’ve got it covered. We haven’t got a great deal on, just a couple of functions at Diva’s.’
‘And talking of Diva’s, how’s Tia?’
‘Not too bad. She seems to have calmed down a bit since we’ve been using this kitchen more, but I still think something’s niggling her, so I tend to mostly keep out of her way.’
‘I don’t blame you. And what about Alex? Did he know anything about a charge for rent?’
‘No. He knew she was obsessing about us using the kitchen, but he wasn’t aware of her threat to charge us rent. He wasn’t happy about that and I gather Roberto isn’t either. They’ve decided they want to have a meeting with her to discuss a strategy for the future, but she’s being elusive.’
