Lights! Camera! Cook!

by Diane Muldrow

  Amanda was just about to reply, but Natasha spoke up quickly and said, “Usually a client wants dinner for several nights. So we have to make food that can easily be reheated, that will stretch for a few days. We’ll often roast a chicken, or make lasagna, or a pasta sauce...sometimes all three!”

  Ms. Miller looked over at Peichi kindly, a sign that she was encouraging her to talk.

  “Whuh—”

  Peichi felt her throat close up, so she just nodded and smiled brightly.

  “...And we always make a homemade dessert!” Amanda added perkily. Ms. Miller laughed appreciatively. “Wonderful!” she said, and quipped, “Do you deliver to Manhattan, where I live?”

  “We don’t drive yet,” replied Amanda, smiling at Ms. Millers little joke. Whew, she thought, I got something in—and it was even funny!

  Ms. Miller looked at the camera and said, “We’re going to take a short break, and then the Chef Girls are going to cook for us! We’ll be right back.”

  “You have two minutes,” Eric told Ms. Miller and the girls, “to get to the kitchen set, put on your chef’s hats, and be ready to go.”

  “Okay, girls, let’s go!” said Ms. Miller. As the group hurried over to the gleaming white-and-steel kitchen set, Ms. Miller said, “You girls did a wonderful job on my bridal shower. Thank you! I really loved those popovers, by the way!”

  “She’s so nice!” Natasha whispered to Amanda. “And look at this kitchen! Cool, huh!”

  “It’s almost as fancy as Ms. Dupree’s,” giggled Amanda.

  Ms. Dupree and Todd were waiting for the girls.

  “Here are your chefs hats,” said Ms. Dupree as Todd handed one to each girl. “What are they really called? I know there’s a French word.”

  “Toques,” replied Natasha. “Oh, look! They say Good Day, America on them!”

  “Daphne, you think of everything!” exclaimed Ms. Miller as Todd helped the girls put them on. “That’s such a nice touch. The girls look great!”

  The Chef Girls blushed at all the attention.

  “And you can keep them,” Daphne told the girls. “Now, is everyone settled? Does everyone know what they’re going to talk to Maris about here?”

  The girls nodded.

  “Remember, girls, look into the cameras with a nice smile as Maris does your introduction, so that the viewers can see your faces,” Ms. Dupree reminded them. “Since there’s more than one camera, always look into the camera with the bright red light.”

  Meanwhile, the oven was on, with the lasagna and the other chicken warming up inside. The cake that Shawn had baked yesterday was sitting off to the side, waiting to be shown off at the end.

  “Camera, three, two—”said Eric, pointing to the camera.

  “I’m back with the Chef Girls!” said Ms. Miller enthusiastically as the girls drew in near her and smiled into the camera. Ms. Miller draped her arms over Amanda’s and Natasha’s shoulders and said, “Natasha, you’re making lasagna. That’s a good choice because you can make it ahead, right?”

  “Right!” said Natasha, as she placed another layer of noodles on the cheese. For some reason, she wasn’t nervous at all! “And you can freeze it, too. We’re using a homemade sauce here, but you don’t have to. There are lots of good bottled sauces out there, and it saves time. But you know, it’s nice to make a homemade sauce on a Sunday when you have time.”

  “It sure is,” said Ms. Miller. “You’re a real chef, Natasha! Now, Amanda, what are you doing with this chicken?”

  “I’m rubbing a mixture of olive oil and herbs under the skin.”

  “That’ll lock in the flavor. Can I try?” asked Ms. Miller.

  “Sure,” said Amanda. “Just do it like this.”

  “...And Molly and Peichi are looking very professional as they prepare to make pesto sauce,” Ms. Miller went on. “Peichi, is pesto something you make often for Dish?”

  Peichi froze. She’d been crushing a garlic clove with a large knife. Suddenly, she feared that she would cut herself in front of millions of people if she used the knife while talking.

  She stopped and nodded slowly, looking blankly into the camera. Then she saw Daphne, off to the side, pointing to Ms. Miller.

  Whoops! Look at Ms. Miller! she told herself, so she quickly did, still nodding.

  But Molly had jumped in. “Pesto is so easy, you just make it in the blender,” she told Ms. Miller as she expertly tore some big stems off the basil leaves.

  CRASH!

  Molly’s audio pack had just fallen off and clattered to the floor. Startled, Molly shifted and felt her foot crush a pointy thing—Ms. Miller’s shoe!

  Whoops! Molly thought. I’m such a dork! She looked up apologetically at Ms. Miller.

  “That’s true, it is easy,” noted Ms. Miller, not missing a beat but with her eyes twinkling at Molly as if to say, Don’t worry about it! “It’s so good on pasta,” she added. “Shawn, what are you making?”

  “Texas sheet cake. Whoops! I just dropped an egg.”

  “There it goes,” said Ms. Miller, looking under the table. “Crack!”

  Shawn knew Ms. Dupree would want her to just keep going, so she just smiled and stirred the chocolate mixture on the stove. “Anyway, this feeds a lot of people, so it’s good for Dish, and picnics or parties. It’s my Crandma Ruthie’s recipe, so it’s special to me.”

  “And she’s not feeling so well these days, right?”

  “That’s right. She’s in the hospital, so we’d all like to say—”

  “Hi, Grandma Ruthie!” cried all the girls and Ms. Miller, waving at the camera.

  Crandma Ruthie clapped her hands over her mouth and said, “Oh, I just can’t believe it. Did you hear my little baby doll!” She waved back at the TV in her room, then turned and grinned at Sonia and Jamal—who couldn’t believe their little Shawn was on TV like it was no big deal!

  “Aha! Thacher is coming over,” said Ms. Miller. “I knew you couldn’t resist, Thacher.”

  “This lasagna looks perfectly done,” declared Mr. Hurley as Natasha proudly brought the pan out of the oven. “I can’t wait to try some! Good job, Natasha.”

  “Mmmm!” said Ms. Miller, taking a bite of the cake. “This is delicious! And look at that gorgeous chicken. Thanks, Chef Girls! Now over to you, Bill, for today’s weather!”

  Eric smiled at all the girls and said, “Great job, girls! I’m gonna rush you back to the greenroom. Quickly, quickly...”

  Wow, is that it? wondered Molly.

  I barely remember what I said, thought Natasha.

  I hope I didn’t say anything stupid, fretted Shawn.

  All that work and now it’s over already? thought Amanda.

  Wait! I didn’t get to say anything yet! thought Peichi.

  Maris and Thacher waved good-bye to the girls, saying, “Thanks again, girls!”

  “Oh! You were terrific!” chorused the moms when the girls arrived.

  “Yay, it’s over!” said Peichi as she hugged Mrs. Cheng. “It was fun, except when I couldn’t talk!”

  “I never thought I’d see that happen,” Mrs. Cheng teased her.

  Just then, Ms. Dupree rushed into the greenroom, followed by Ben.

  “Congratulations, girls! It went so well!” she exclaimed. “You’re some of the best guests we’ve ever had on the show! Gotta run. Ben’s here to help you remove those audio packs. Congratulations, girls, and thanks again! I’ll call you the next time I need some cooking help!”

  Natasha watched Ms. Dupree hurry off. She longed to 1 say something to her...Being on this show taught me so much. Now I know for sure what I want to be when I grow up.

  But it was too late. Ms. Dupree was out the door.

  Then the most amazing thing happened. Ms. Dupree had dropped a little piece of paper. It fluttered to the floor as she disappeared down the hall.

  “Be right back!” Natasha told the group, and rushed over to the note. She quickly picked it up and caught up to Ms. Dupree.

  “Ms. D
upree, you dropped this!” called Natasha.

  Ms. Dupree turned around. “Oh, thanks!”

  “Um, it was so cool to be here today.” Natasha began, her face reddening. “To see how things are done on TV, and to see all that goes into one segment. And to meet Maris Miller!”

  “I’m glad you got so much out of it, Natasha,” said Ms. Dupree happily. “You were wonderful on camera. So relaxed and sure of yourself!”

  “I want to be a television journalist someday.” There. Natasha had said it.

  Ms. Dupree nodded. “When you’re in college, maybe you can work here as a summer intern and get some experience.

  “What’s an intern?”

  “An intern works here during the summer, usually for free, to gain experience.

  “But that’s still a long way away,” said Natasha wistfully.

  Daphne cocked her head and gazed at Natasha. “Tell you what. I’ll bring you here for Bring a Child to Work Day. That’s not too far off. I’ll show you the entire studio, and you can meet everyone from the camera crew to the news anchors, attend meetings, and see how an entire show is produced!” She unclipped a pen from a pad of paper. “Write your name and phone number here, quickly please—and Todd will call you to set it up!”

  “Thank you so much, Ms. Dupree! This has been the most amazing day of my life!”

  Natasha practically flew back to the greenroom.

  “I’m coming back here on Bring a Child to Work Day!” she announced.

  “Wow!” said the girls.

  Mrs. Ross beamed at Natasha. “You’ve become such a go-getter, Natasha! I’m so proud.”

  I’m proud, too, thought Natasha happily. For speaking up!

  Chapter 11

  “Uh-oh!” said Peichi suddenly, looking around the greenroom. “Where’s my backpack?”

  “I don’t have it,” said Mrs. Cheng. “Did you leave it in the makeup room?”

  Peichi exhaled. “Oh, right.”

  Just then, Pam walked by. “Excuse me, Pam?” said Mrs. Cheng. “Would you please take my daughter to the makeup room? She left her bag there.”

  “Sure,” said Pam. Then she smiled and winked at the girls. “Why don’t all of you girls come? Ladies, they’ll meet you in the lobby.”

  “See you downstairs,” said Mrs. Cheng. The women picked up their purses and headed for the elevator.

  The girls looked at one another. Did Pam have something up her sleeve? Like a Serena thing?

  “I’m glad we got to say good-bye to that cute Stephano,” giggled Peichi a few minutes later as the girls followed Pam out of the makeup room.

  “I wish we could say hello to Serena!” hinted Molly, looking up at Pam. “Maybe she’s down here right now!”

  Pam smiled knowingly. “This might be your lucky day! Let’s see.”

  “Really?” cried the girls. They began to whisper excitedly among themselves.

  The group turned a corner, and then another, where they came upon a burly man standing near a door.

  Pam slowed down. “That’s Serena’s bodyguard,” she said in a low voice. “Why don’t you ask him if he’ll let you in to meet her?”

  The girls stopped short.

  “Can’t you ask him?” Peichi whispered.

  “You may have better luck if you ask him,” said Pam encouragingly. “How can he turn down a kid?”

  “Come on! Let’s do it!” urged Molly. She and Peichi hurried down the hall together, giggling, toward the bodyguard.

  He didn’t look very friendly, but that didn’t stop Peichi and Molly. “Can we meet Serena?” they asked. “Please?”

  “She’s busy,” said the bodyguard. “Sorry.”

  You sure don’t look sorry, thought Molly.

  “It’s okay,” said Peichi, trying to sound casual. “We were just on the show.”

  That just about cracked everybody up!

  Just then, a young woman’s voice called out from the dressing room, “Oh, let them come in, Bobby.”

  It was Serena’s voice!

  The girls tried to stifle their shrieks as the big bodyguard smiled in spite of himself and let them in.

  Molly led the way. At first, all she saw was a big TV with President Carter on, talking to Thacher Hurley. Then she saw in the mirror a reflection of a woman with long, dark, curly hair. She turned around. There was the real Serena, smiling at her!

  “It’s the Chef Girls!” said Serena as the girls filed in. “Hi! I just saw your segment. You did so well! Did you save me a piece of that Texas sheet cake?”

  The girls gasped. Serena was seated in front of her personal makeup artist, a young blond guy. Serena wore a pink-and-white striped velour sweatsuit, and her feet were bare. Her nails were painted a glimmery, pale lavender. She looked smaller in real life. Even without makeup, she was prettier in real life, too.

  That was when Amanda began to cry. “Oh,” she said, “sorry. This is too much!”

  Everyone laughed.

  “Tell me your names, said Serena. ”This is Ken, by the way.”

  “Oh, you made me goof, clucked Ken as he lost Serena from his grasp. ”Stop moving around, Serena.”

  “I’m Peichi!” said Peichi, waving.

  “Hi. I’m Molly.”

  “And I’m Amanda!”

  “Hi, Serena, I’m Shawn.”

  “And I’m Natasha.”

  “It’s nice to meet you all. I just got up. so I’m a little sleepy,” said Serena. “So, you have your own cooking business! Do any of you want to grow up to be chefs?”

  Molly smiled and motioned toward Amanda. “We want to have our own restaurant someday.”

  “That’s a great idea!” said Serena. “I own a restaurant here in New York. I love to cook, myself. What’s your favorite thing to make?”

  Here the girls were with one of the biggest stars ever, and she was interested in them!

  Amanda was the first to recover from being starstruck. “Dessert,” she quipped. Serena threw back her head and laughed. Even her laughter sounded musical.

  “I love dessert, too! And candy. I make candy for my nephews and nieces.”

  “Come back, Serena,” scolded Ken. He checked his watch. “We don’t have much time, you know.”

  “Joanne,” Serena called to a young woman across the room, “don’t we still have a few freebies lying around?”

  The girls turned to look at Joanne, who was sitting in the corner with long hair, dyed black. Unlike Serena, she was wearing lots of makeup, including deep-crimson lipstick.

  “I’m on it,” replied Joanne with a grin. She began to root around in a big tote bag.

  “Are you Serena’s assistant?” asked Peichi.

  “I’m actually her publicist!” Joanne pulled a big box out of the bag. “How would you girls like Serena’s brand-new CD and some signed photos? Now where’d I put that permanent marker? Here you go, Serena.”

  As Serena quickly signed the stuff for the girls, Pam—who’d been waiting near the door—cleared her throat and said, “Time to go, girls.”

  “Thank you so much, Serena!” cried the girls. “‘Bye!”

  “’Bye!” said Serena, standing up to hug each girl. “Take care and good luck with Dish!”

  “Ohmygosh!” all the girls chattered as Pam led them to the lobby. “Can you even believe it!”

  “She even hugged us!”

  “She’s so pretty!”

  “She’s so nice!”

  As the girls approached their moms, Mrs. Moore said, “Hi! We were beginning to wonder what happened to you!”

  “You won’t believe it, Mom!” cried Molly.

  “This has been the most amazing day of our lives!” Amanda chimed in.

  The girls told the moms all about meeting Serena.

  Mrs. Moore looked at Mrs. Ross and Mrs. Cheng, who were just as surprised as she was. “What a day! I think we should do something special.”

  Mrs. Ross nodded. “Let’s all go out for breakfast,” she suggested. “I know
a great little place right near Rockefeller Center!”

  Natasha couldn’t believe this was her mom speaking. “Really, Mom?” she asked.

  “We don’t have to go right to school?” asked Peichi, looking hopefully at her mom.

  “A day like today doesn’t happen often,” said Mrs. Cheng. “Come on, let’s celebrate! New York City, make way for the famous Chef Girls!”

  Chapter 12

  Later, in the limo on the way back to Brooklyn, everyone was still hyped up.

  “I can’t believe I stepped on Maris Miller’s toe!” exclaimed Molly. “I felt like such a geek.”

  “And I can’t believe I dropped an egg on the floor!” groaned Shawn.

  “That was funny,” said Peichi. “At least Maris made a joke out of it!”

  “Natasha, you were so comfortable on camera,” said Mrs. Moore. “Who knew you could talk so much? You’re always so quiet at our house!”

  Molly gasped. “Natasha! Remember at your birthday party, what the fortune-teller said? That you’d be a TV star? Well, you were!”

  “Wow!” exclaimed the girls.

  “Meanwhile, I’m the actress and hardly said a word,” groaned Amanda.

  “No—I hardly said a word, remember?” chuckled Peichi.

  “Oh! I almost forgot,” said Natasha, reaching into her bag. “Look, it’s a card that Elizabeth made to wish us luck. Pass it around.”

  “She’s really nice,” said Molly.

  Natasha nodded happily. “Yeah, she’s great.”

  “Do you think she’d like to be in Dish?” asked Peichi.

  “I was going to bring that up to you,” Natasha replied, looking around at her friends. “Should we ask her?”

  “Sure,” said Shawn quickly. She’d worried that Elizabeth didn’t like her as much since Angie had been mean to her.

  “Sure!” agreed the other girls.

  “She’d be a real help while I’m in China,” said Peichi. “Oh, that sounded so la-de-da, like I go there every day!” She giggled at herself and said in a mock grown-up voice, “I’m so glamorous! First I’m on TV, and then I’m off to China!”