Daring Dreamers Club #2

by Erin Soderberg

  Piper nodded, but she couldn’t help wondering what she’d been thinking when she’d sent in her audition video. Then she took a deep breath and forced herself to focus on Lydia’s advice, which aligned perfectly with Ms. Bancroft’s wise words from the previous afternoon. She had to remember to have fun while she was here. It wasn’t only about winning; it was about the experience.

  Surely she could learn a few things from her competitors. She smiled as another thought popped into her head: maybe her competitors could learn a few things from her, too. “Yep,” she told Lydia, her smile widening. “I’m ready to have some serious fun.”

  Piper

  I’m not gonna lie: Stepping onto The Future of Food set was terrifying. There were so many people, lights, and cameras (cooking on TV is nothing like working in my lab). It was super scary at first, but I knew I couldn’t let the situation freak me out. I put in a lot of hard work to get a spot on the show, and I definitely deserved to be there just as much as any of the other contestants. They wouldn’t have picked me if they didn’t think I stood a decent chance of winning, right?

  Sure, I had to go up against a famous YouTuber and an even more famous chef’s son. So what? I’ve faced bigger challenges than that. Tiana didn’t let the Shadow Man scare her, so I wasn’t about to let a couple of kids intimidate me. Tiana figured out how to deal with the obstacles she was up against, and she won in the end. Just like I’ve figured out the best ways to deal with my dyslexia and my math challenges…with tons of hard work, patience, focus, and help.

  Part of what I love about science is dealing with curveballs. It’s all about overcoming obstacles big and small. In the lab, I can’t control everything (just like in life, I guess?), and it’s important to work with whatever challenges are thrown my way.

  Speaking of hard work and fighting through challenges…Mr. Mohan let me take a makeup math quiz, and I got an 87 percent! That’s pretty close to perfect, if I do say so myself. I think Mr. Mohan was a little surprised, but I reminded him that Piper Andelman doesn’t go down without a fight. I’m a lot of things (friend, sister, chef, scientist, inventor) but something I’m not? A quitter!

  After spending most of the morning looking over her workstation and checking out all the tools that would be at her disposal during the competition, Piper felt totally comfortable in the space. She had rearranged everything so the knives were to the left of her cutting boards (her workstation had been set up for a right-handed person, which would do her no good at all). She also took a few minutes to make sure all her equipment was working correctly and attempted to memorize the whereabouts of supplies in the pantry and fridges.

  Around noon, Lydia told her it was time to clear out of her workstation so the production people could do a sound and lighting check. Piper, Frankie, and Jack were all ushered into a special waiting room filled with snacks and sandwiches and fancy sodas. She gobbled down a sandwich and tried to chat with the other two kids while some guy covered her face in makeup and powder (“So you don’t look sickly on camera,” Lydia had explained, when Piper protested).

  During lunch, she also got to meet that day’s guest judge, a friendly guy named Muneet Bakshi. Mr. Bakshi owned an ice cream company, which sounded like one of the best jobs ever. Piper asked him a million questions about how he developed new flavors and how he’d gotten his business started. Mr. Bakshi told her about all the testing and experimenting that happens before a product ever makes it to the grocery store, and then he invited her to visit his product-development lab, to see how it all worked. She couldn’t wait!

  Piper barely had time to scarf down a brownie before Lydia rushed her and the other chefs back to the set. She hadn’t gotten much time to chat with either Frankie or Jack, since both of them had been busy with makeup, too. But from what Piper could tell, they both seemed pretty nice. Jack was a little standoffish and mostly spent the lunch break with his dad. Frankie had confessed to Piper that she was nervous, too. Knowing she wasn’t the only one who felt that way had made Piper feel a whole lot better.

  The Kitchen Wizard stopped to say hello and wish them all luck. The show’s host seemed really warm and friendly in person, even though she usually came across as super serious (and even slightly scary) during competitions. She was much shorter than Piper had expected, but her sleek black bob and dark-framed glasses looked just like they did on TV. Piper didn’t get to say much more than hello, before Arlo VanDries pulled the Kitchen Wizard aside to talk business and refused to let anyone else get a word in.

  Once the show’s host had made her way onto the set, the three contestants were told to wait behind a low black wall until she called them out. As soon as the cameras were rolling, they would each enter and introduce themselves.

  “Two minutes!” someone warned. Piper’s whole body was practically buzzing with excitement. Or shaking with nerves…she couldn’t quite tell which.

  Just as a producer called for quiet on the set, Arlo VanDries grabbed his son’s shoulders. “Win this,” he told Jack in a low, firm voice. “Don’t disappoint me.”

  Jack nodded, but Piper thought he looked like he was going to be sick. Piper and Frankie exchanged a look. Poor Jack, Piper thought. Much as she wanted to win, she knew her friends and family would be proud of her, no matter what the outcome.

  “Welcome to The Future of Food!” The Kitchen Wizard’s steely voice echoed through the studio. “On today’s show,” she said, “we’ve brought together three budding kitchen wizards to see if they have what it takes to shape the future of food. Let’s bring out our contestants and learn a little more about who’s playing my game! First, we have Frankie Catapano, a creative young pastry chef who has earned more than one million YouTube subscribers with her clever cupcake design videos! Welcome, Frankie!”

  Piper watched as a production assistant nudged Frankie out from behind the wall. “Hey!” Frankie said, waving. The live audience clapped.

  “What makes you a kitchen wizard, Frankie?”

  “I started playing around with food design when I was about four. I’ve always loved art, and I love sweets! There’s nothing more fun than combining two of my favorite things!”

  “We look forward to seeing some of your artistic vision today,” the Kitchen Wizard said. “Next up, we have Jack VanDries.”

  “Bonjour!” Jack said as he stepped out from behind the wall. Piper giggled. Over the course of the morning, Piper had learned that Jack wasn’t French (his dad was from Kansas, and Jack was born in New York), but he loved throwing random French phrases into conversation. Jack talked about his dad’s culinary school and restaurant background, and his own experience helping out in the kitchen at some of his dad’s restaurants.

  Finally, it was Piper’s turn. “Hi, everyone!” Piper said, waving as she stepped out from behind the wall. She glanced toward the live audience and immediately spotted her family, her friends, and Ms. B clapping and cheering. Behind them, Duck from Helping Hands was waving madly at her—him being there was an exciting surprise! Piper had been instructed not to interact with the crowd, so she didn’t wave back. But knowing they were all there, rooting for her, gave her an extra boost of confidence and made her smile even more widely.

  The Kitchen Wizard put her hand on Piper’s shoulder. “Tell me,” she said with a nod. “What makes you a kitchen wizard, Piper?”

  “I’ve always had a lot of questions about food, cooking, and baking,” Piper told her, while trying not to stare into the camera looming in front of her. “It started with basic questions: Why do you need baking soda in cookies? That led to more questions: Why doesn’t anyone make peanut butter in stick form to make things easier when you’re baking? Does that drive anyone else crazy?”

  “Yes! It does!” the Kitchen Wizard said, nodding. “That is a great question, Piper.”

  Piper grinned. “A love of science inspired me to start doing experiments in the kitchen. Testing to
see what happens when you play around with food and different ways of cooking or baking things. I guess I consider myself part scientist, part chef, and that’s why I’m here today.”

  “Wonderful!” the Kitchen Wizard said.

  The cameras spun away from Piper, and the Kitchen Wizard introduced Mr. Bakshi. “Now that we’ve met today’s contestants, it’s time to find out who will be helping me decide today’s winners. Everyone, please welcome Muneet Bakshi, the founder of Yum! Ice Cream Company.”

  “Good luck, chefs!” Mr. Bakshi said, giving Piper, Frankie, and Jack a thumbs-up. “I’m excited to see what you whip up today. Creativity is the name of the game!”

  As soon as everyone had been introduced, the director called, “Cut!” Piper and the others settled in at their workstations while cameras were moved and wires were fiddled with. Production people pushed some set pieces around, and lighting was adjusted. Someone came onto the set to fix the Kitchen Wizard’s makeup, and Jack VanDries pulled out a pocket mirror to check his hair.

  Piper waved up at her cheering section, squinting as she tried to pick out each of their faces in the crowd. She grinned when she saw that Finley had made a huge sign with GO PIPER! written in glitter. In the row behind her family, she could see Milla, Zahra, Ruby, and Ms. Bancroft talking together. But where was Mariana? Piper scanned the crowd, but her tall friend was nowhere to be found.

  Milla noticed Piper looking up at them and mouthed something at her—but she couldn’t figure out what Milla was trying to say. The other three Daring Dreamers started gesturing wildly, but Piper still had no idea what they were trying to tell her. Before she could puzzle it out, someone called, “Quiet on the set!”

  A voice in the shadows counted down from five. Then the Kitchen Wizard looked to the camera and said, “Let’s get cooking!” Piper glanced over at the host, eager to hear what the day’s theme would be. Her eyes widened when she saw that the Kitchen Wizard suddenly looked much different than she had just a few minutes before. Her chef jacket was torn and ragged, and her face was gray and mottled. She looked creepy, and her tattered outfit reminded Piper of her brother’s fifth-grade Halloween zombie costume.

  “Today’s theme on The Future of Food is…,” the Kitchen Wizard said with a flourish, “zombie apocalypse!”

  Piper smiled. This would be fun! She glanced over at Jack, who looked slightly horrified. Frankie put her hand over her mouth and laughed; Piper could tell idea wheels were already spinning in her mind.

  The Kitchen Wizard explained how the challenge would work. “Imagine you are living in a future where zombies have taken over your peaceful world. Each of you must cook a meal using only foods you would find in an emergency shelter. That means canned goods, shelf-stable products, and any other supplies you are lucky enough to find in our zombie-proof hideout.” The Kitchen Wizard raised one thin eyebrow and added, “Unfortunately, this means the regular pantry and fridge are off-limits to you today. I am happy to say, however, that you will have access to your oven, stove, spices, and any other tools already in your workstation.”

  No fresh produce? Piper thought, cringing. No meat, no herbs, no butter or milk? Luckily, she had practice working with dietary restrictions when cooking sweets for Milla. This was a bit more restrictive than she was accustomed to, but she’d make it work. Especially if she had spices and tools to work with. It certainly could be a lot worse!

  The Kitchen Wizard beckoned for all the contestants to join her in the makeshift emergency shelter that producers had wheeled onto the set. “Bring your baskets, and get ready to shop for supplies. You’ll have one hour to make a delicious three-course meal using products you find inside this shelter.” She grinned, reminding them, “As always, there will be a few surprises along the way. Zombies are unpredictable, so you never know what might creep up on you during the course of today’s challenge!”

  Piper and the other chefs stepped inside the small shelter and looked around. Cameras followed the contestants as they scanned the shelves to see what would be available to them. There were tins of preserved meat, a selection of canned soups, shelf-stable cartons of milk and juice, sweetened condensed milk, both dried and canned fruits and vegetables, crackers, toaster pastries, cookies, oatmeal packets, bottles of water, tubs of coconut oil, instant macaroni and cheese, and some meat sticks.

  There was actually a lot of stuff to choose from, and Piper felt sure she could create something tasty and interesting that would impress the Kitchen Wizard and Mr. Bakshi. Luckily, her friends’ baby food challenge had given her some good practice using unusual ingredients! She was also very glad she’d played around with different fats in her cookies that week, since she now felt comfortable using coconut oil instead of butter for her dessert course.

  For an appetizer, she could turn crackers into flatbread, using a bit of the coconut oil, cheese from the macaroni and cheese packet, and a collection of spices to really make it come to life. For her main course, she’d use macaroni for the base of a pasta dish, bringing in a bunch of veggies and some of the soup to make a savory sauce. For dessert, she could make mini pumpkin pies using canned pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, and the toaster pastries with coconut oil for the crust.

  Piper began tossing items into her basket, and soon it was practically spilling over—mostly with elements Piper would use for her main course. She glanced at the other contestants and saw that they were toting heaping baskets, too. Jack had several cans of soup, loads of veggies, nuts, and a packet of cookies at the top of his basket. Frankie was grabbing lots of cans of fruit, freeze-dried beef Stroganoff, shortbread cookies, and olives. She had also thrown a bunch of meat sticks into her basket, and Piper cringed trying to think of what she would make with those. Not something she’d want to eat, that was for sure!

  “Unfortunately,” the Kitchen Wizard said, holding up a hand, “supplies are limited in this future apocalyptic world. Who’s ready for today’s first surprise challenge?”

  The three contestants groaned.

  “You may each take eight items from the shelter,” their host said with a mischievous smile. “No more than that. You must stretch your resources if you are to have any hope of survival.”

  Piper looked through her basket. After a lot of thought, she selected:

  A packet of crackers

  A can of Italian wedding soup

  Macaroni and cheese (pasta and cheese in one!)

  Canned tomatoes

  Coconut oil

  Canned pumpkin

  Sweetened condensed milk

  Apple-flavored toaster pastries

  As soon as she had her eight items, Piper returned to her workstation and laid out her meager selection of supplies. It wasn’t much. But she knew if she wanted to win the $10,000, she had to make it work; even more challenging, it had to taste and look great, too.

  “Your hour starts now,” the Kitchen Wizard cried. “Good luck!”

  Piper decided she would start with dessert, since her pies would need time to bake. She ripped open the packet of toaster pastries and attempted to scrape out as much of the apple filling as she could. She added a bit of condensed milk and coconut oil (in place of butter) to the crumbled pastry and then began forming her crust. Just as she started to whip spices and sweetened condensed milk into her pumpkin pie filling, the Kitchen Wizard and Mr. Bakshi approached and asked her some questions about her plans for the day.

  “I’m working on a flatbread appetizer, followed by spicy pasta and a sauce of veggies and soup meatballs for the main dish. Then you’ll enjoy a delicious mini pumpkin pie to end your meal.” Piper tried to make her food sound as yummy as possible.

  “Sounds very creative,” Mr. Bakshi said approvingly.

  “I can’t wait to taste your creations,” the Kitchen Wizard said, nodding brusquely.

  Piper shook her head and frowned at the show’s host. “I’m sorry, but I don’t
feed zombies.”

  The Kitchen Wizard and Mr. Bakshi both laughed and then moved on to Frankie’s station. Piper glanced over at her competition, trying to figure out what the others were cooking. Frankie was playing around with an ice cream machine. She seemed to be crafting some sort of dessert pizza using cookies and canned fruit.

  Jack was busy sautéing something in a skillet. All of a sudden, he threw his arms in the air and yelped. “No! No, no, no!”

  “Everything okay over there?” Piper called as she took a taste of her pie filling.

  Jack closed his eyes. Moaning, he said, “I forgot to take milk. My meal is ruined.”

  Piper hid a smile. For someone who had probably spent a lot of time in restaurant kitchens, he seemed to be very easily rattled. Sure, Piper had lost her cool more than a few times in the kitchen, too—but Jack seemed to have mastered the art of kitchen drama. “I have a little more condensed milk than I need,” Piper told him. She glanced at the Kitchen Wizard and asked, “Are we allowed to share supplies?” One of the cameras swiveled to focus on her.

  The Kitchen Wizard considered Piper’s question for a minute. “I don’t see why not. If you’re willing to help a competitor in a time of need, feel free.”

  Over the past few weeks, Piper had learned a little something about giving and receiving help. She knew if she were the one in Jack’s position, she would want someone to help her. “Take what you need,” she told him. “I’m done with it.”

  Jack raced over and poured some of Piper’s sweetened condensed milk into one of his prep bowls. “Merci beaucoup,” he said, thanking her in French while blowing kisses into the air. “You are a lifesaver.”

  Piper finished preparing her mini pies and popped them into the oven. Then she moved on to her main dish. First she put a pot of water on the stove to boil. Next she opened the can of tomatoes. She lifted the lid and gasped when she looked inside—the tomatoes were green! She picked up the can and scanned the label—TOMATILLOS. She had obviously misread the label earlier and grabbed tomatillos instead of tomatoes. The two looked and tasted nothing alike, except that both were round. Tomatillos were used in things like salsa verde and other Mexican dishes. “This changes things,” Piper said aloud. She took a deep breath and nodded. “I can make it work.”