“Yes, I worked at one of your restaurants last year on the pasta line,” Holly replied.
Wait, she did? That seemed like a waste of talent. Even if I didn't care for the dessert she had made, I could see she knew what she was doing.
“I hope you had a good experience!” Nick said with a laugh. “If you ever come back to one of my restaurants, I'll have to put you on the dessert station. As you can see, I ate all of mine!”
“As did I,” Anu said, smiling. “I'm about to eat part of Owen's too.”
“I think we'd all like a bite of Owen!” Holly said, looking at me from under her lashes. She and Anu laughed, as did Anastasia.
The next contestant was Amber. She watched me as though she might actually take a bite out of me.
“And what did you bake for us?” Anu asked.
“This is a cherry spice cake trifle. I made my own boozy cherries and layered them with a caramel nutmeg custard, holiday ginger-and-orange spice cake, whipped cream, and candied walnuts.”
I looked down at the tall crystal glass.
“It's very rustic,” Nick said after a moment.
“I know the secret to a man's heart,” Amber declared. “He wants simple, honest food.”
I wasn't sure how to eat the dessert. As much as I didn't care for Penny's tart, I'd rather eat that than the trifle. Somehow it was both too sweet and too flavorful.
Nick dumped his glass out on the table and dissected it, tasting each piece. “There's a lot going on, and none of it is very good.”
“Owen, thoughts?” Anu asked as she took a small bite.
“I think Holly's dessert was better.”
Amber's face screwed up when I said that.
Fiona was next. She had made a more restrained miniature orange cheesecake with candied cranberries and other winter fruits.
“If you want to make a rustic yet refined dessert, this is the way to do it,” Anu said. “Nicely done.”
The rest of the contestants hadn’t done anything all that interesting. There was a smattering of cakes and pies, but for the most part, we were served ice cream after ice cream. I didn’t care for desserts, and I really hated ice cream. Why ruin something cold with all that sugar and milk?
“A lot of restaurants, many of mine included,” Nick explained to me after Anastasia had herded the contestants to the greenroom, “have cut desserts from the menu and don't employ a pastry chef, let alone a whole crew. They'll have, say, one of the line cooks make ice cream because it's cheap and easy. So now not just on TV shows like this but everywhere really, all these kids know how to do is make ice cream.”
“Some of it was imaginative,” Anu said diplomatically.
“What about that parfait that Amber made?” Nick asked.
“I don't know anything about desserts, but why is she even here?” I said. Anu made a face at the mention of the parfait. “Let’s boot her.”
Gunnar came over, fiddling with his headset. “Just a note: Amber is our drama for this season, so you guys can't boot her for several more episodes at least. Cool?” He flashed a thumbs-up. “You're doing great! You're already trending on Instagram, Owen. All the celebrity blogs are talking about your being a judge.”
“Great.”
“You ready to announce?” Gunnar asked.
“We've made our decision. Owen, are you okay?”
“I'm fine with whatever you all want. You are the experienced chefs.”
“And you're here as eye candy!” Anu giggled.
The contestants filed out, lining up in front of us. Holly was directly in front of me. She kept fidgeting with her dress, smoothing it down, running her fingers along the collar. Was she flirting with me?
