Chapter 8: Chapter 8

At last, the fateful day had arrived.

Culinary Land was upon Gaston and he had to perform to the best of his powers no matter what.

He had been preparing and training himself with unrivalled discipline and persistence towards achieving his goal.

Everyone had dressed up formally since the event was to be of a very formal nature with a very formal dress code being adopted for the occasion.

The day of the competition had arrived and Marissa wore a hot pink dress and red high heels, minimal makeup and a pearl bracelet and a sapphire necklace. While Gaston had put on a black tuxedo with a white formal shirt underneath a black bow tie and black formal shoes.

Katherine Smith had also dressed herself well and so too had Mr Williams who wore a grey suit and red shirt ensemble. Mrs Williams looked pretty herself as she wore a red dress, pearls across her necklace from before and red high heels of her own.

The competition were to start in late afternoon and continue till sunset.

Everyone had eaten the lunch prepared by Gaston that day, were feeling good and Gaston had wrapped up and packed everything that he had prepared for the competition.

“Let’s get a move on shall we, we don’t want to be late.” announced Mr Williams trying to get a move on.

“Yes let’s get going people, don’t want to be late and miss anything.” said Mrs Williams coinciding with Mr Williams.

Harry had brought out a long black limousine from the garage as it could easily seat everyone in it.

Jason the culinary chef sat in front with Harry. He also requested to tag along since he helped and trained Gaston during the initial stages to get Gaston to where he was now. He was curious to see how things would turn out in Gaston’s favour.

Mr Williams agreed and allowed him to accompany them.

Soon everyone seated themselves in the limo and they were all off.

As soon as they reached the park Gaston couldn’t believe his eyes.

There were hundreds of contestants present there and hundreds of their tables were present as well. He had been feeling uneasy and nervous throughout since morning, but held it in and continued with a positive mindset no matter how hard it seemed.

Now Gaston was really feeling the pressure after seeing the competition in front of him. There were hundreds of contestants and that too from all over the world, all of whom hooping to make it big through this competition.

There were people from India, Brasil, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Costa Rica, Montenegro, Belgium, Alaska and even Seychelles, Nebraska, Vatican city and Venezuela. All had come with the intention and goal of performing well, let alone winning that competition titled Culinary Land.

Gaston’s table was apparently at the same spot as underneath the Eiffel Tower which could so visible by seen. Jason and Harry had been sent earlier to prepare everything in accordance with Marissa’s wishes.

Jason helped Gaston in laying out on the table everything Gaston had prepared that morning.

Gaston had prepared strawberries with cookies and cream shake, peach and cherry juice, strawberry, kiwi and lime juice, chocolate mousse mud pie and lemon merengue pie, along with chocolate Haven soufflé he had prepared earlier. He also prepared a dynamite platter which included dynamite prawns, dynamite, squid, dynamite chicken and dynamite turkey breast filets. Gaston had also whipped up a unique and special dish in which he only used chicken skins and no chicken itself! He seasoned it to perfection and gave it a blend of flavors making it a tempting treat for all those who enjoy eating fried chicken. He also prepared Yak stew which was a difficult but very delicious dish to prepare and eat. Mr Williams had to go through extra trouble to get Yak meat for Gaston to prepare as per Marissa’s request. He prepared mixed exotic fruit salad and hoper to win the competition through preparing a variety of different steaks be it Filet Mignon, Ribeye, Brazilian barbeque style, or black pepper seasoned. He also made a different variety of waffles, pancakes and chocolate mousses ranging from milk chocolate to white chocolate to dark, some plain and some mint infused.

There were ten judges in total who were going around each table tasting everyone’s food and giving remarks and reviews.

The whole event was televised as there was a multitude of cameramen along with multiple reporters of various newspapers and magazines to cover the live event.

Gaston felt nervous and Marissa could sense it.

Marissa put her arm around Gaston’s shoulder and comfortingly said “you’ve done your best, now enjoy yourself and just hope for the best. Don’t sweat it. Please don’t enjoy yourself and enjoy the competition.”

“Thanks Marissa much appreciated.” said Gaston appreciating Marissa’s efforts at calming him down

It was a beautiful day for a competition as the Sun was shining not too bright, not too less. The weather seemed to be perfect and everyone’s spirits were overall positive. There were positive vibes all around the park.

The judges were going from table to table giving reviews, constantly saying “Bonjour” and “Merci” to all the participants.

Finally they arrived to Gaston’s table.

“Bonjour they said.”

“Bonjour” Gaston nervously replied.

They tried everything and gave a positive vibe after trying out everything.

“Merci.” They concluded by nodding towards Gaston and went on to other tables.

They had written reviews and had judged Gaston fairly.

Gaston was feeling a nervous wreck right now. He could hardly wait for the announcement to be made by the judges.

He had put his heart and soul, his blood, sweat and tears from past several months and was now on the brink of either triumph or collapse all due to this culinary competition. He wanted whatever would be the best outcome for himself, Marissa and his mum.

Marissa consoled him by saying “Look you’ve done your best. What’s done is done and nothing can change that. Hold your head high and be proud of yourself for coming this far. We’re all really proud of you for making it this far.”

“Thanks Marissa, really appreciate it.” said Gaston holding Marissa’s hand tightly now.

In ten minutes time, just as sunset was about to commence, the judges made their announcement.

They were speaking everything in French so Gaston and his mum couldn’t really make out what the judges were saying. Marissa began translating everything for Gaston. Her French was very fluent.

She said “Greetings everyone and welcome to the annual Culinary Land culinary competition held every year in spring time. We’re delighted to announce that this year’s competition has been the best so far in terms of number of contestants, in terms of quality and in terms of competition structure and logistics. This year we have found it hardest to announced the top ten contestants and winner of this year’s competition due to the sheer volume if contestants and the amount of delicious things presented to us by them.

Without further ado, here are the top ten contestants in this year’s competition.”

Gaston felt a nervous wreck as he held Marissa’s hand tighter than ever before as she was announcing the winning in his ear.

Marissa continued “In tenth place we have Mr Vijay Kumar from India! In ninth place we have Mrs Jones from Venezuela! On eighth place we have Mr Carrington from Argentina. On seventh place we have Mr Newbury from Nebraska! On sixth place we have Miss Tate from Costa Rica! On fifth place we have Mr Hazard from Belgium! On fourth place we have Mr Woods from Alaska! On third place we have Mr Peabody from Puerto Rico and lastly before we announce our winner, on second place we have Mrs Miller from Seychelles.”

The whole audience clapped when these names were being called out.

There was a short pause before the winner of Culinary Land was announced.

“Oh no I missed out! I failed to make it Marissa!” Gaston said sorrowfully. He felt like he was about to break down hysterically into tears.

Marissa hugged him and comforted him saying “No worries, you performed as well as you could and you should be happy with yourself. I’m really proud of you Gaston sweetie and I hope that you can be with yourself as well.”

Gaston’s tears started flowing down his cheeks. Marissa with her handkerchief started wiping his face while still hugging him.

Just then the judges began announcing in French. Marissa again began to translate everything into Gaston’s ear. “And now ladies and gentlemen, the winner of Culinary Land this year goes to a young individual who wowed everyone with his performances despite being a young lad himself right now. No one expected him to perform this good, but he exceeded everyone’s expectations by his culinary expertise. This year’s Culinary Land winner is…. Gaston Smith of London England!! The young man who stunned everyone by his performances and his genuine talent and hard work! Good job and excellently performed Young Gaston Smith!!!”

There was a sudden roar of applause and clapping from everywhere and everyone inside the park. Everyone looked at Gaston who was now more shocked than ever before.

“What?! Did I just win” exclaimed Gaston in disbelief quickly wiping away his tears.

“Yes you did Gaston and I’m so proud of you for it!” assured Marissa again hugging him. She kissed him on his cheek and he kissed her back. They both began jumping up and down with joy quite unable to grasp what had just happened.

A moment ago Gaston was weeping incessantly, feeling sorry for himself and felt like a complete failure, and now he was announced the winner of this competition beating hundreds of hopefuls and was declared winner! He couldn’t quite possibly fathom how much life had suddenly changed for him.

Katherine Smith was also jumping up and down with joy. She hugged her son and said “Gaston, I’m so proud of you! You’ve managed to make the most of your opportunity and make life so much better for both of us! To new beginnings son!” She then kissed both of Gaston’s cheeks.

Gaston while tightly hugging her said “Yes, to new beginnings Ma! If there’s anyone to thank here, it is Marissa!”

“Good show Sir, we’re very proud of you and for the way you performed!” congratulated Harry gently patting Gaston on his shoulders.

“Thanks Harry, really means a lot.” said Gaston humbly.

“Good show Master Gaston, you’ve done me really proud! To think you’ve gone from apprentice to Master this quickly makes me very, very proud to be your teacher in the kitchen and to have had you as my pupil fills my heart with joy!” praised Jason.

“Thanks Jason, really means a lot and you were definitely the best teacher a boy could have ever asked for!” thanked Gaston praising Jason right back. Gaston then went on to hug Jason.

Both teacher and student shared special moment with each other as they were both feeling very emotional right now.

Mr Williams came forward and shook Gaston’s hand firmly before patting him on his back and congratulating him “Good show there young man! A young lad like you has really outdone himself with the opportunity given to you at hand. You’ve really made us all very proud of you and for your tireless efforts, you’re going to deserve everything that’s going to come your way from now on!”

“Thanks Mr Williams, really means a lot Sir!” thanked Gaston.

Mrs Williams came forward and she hugged and then kissed Gaston before congratulating him on his achievement “Congratulations young man! You’ve made both Marissa and her parents very proud of you indeed! Now I understand fully why Marissa insisted on bringing you and your mum to Paris! You’ve repaid our faith in you fully. We’re all so proud of you! Now quickly go on stage as they’re calling for you!” she pointed towards the stage.

“Oh right!” said Gaston remembering to go and pick up his accolade.

He made his way up the stage. Hundreds of people clapped when he got there. He received his gold medal, put on him by the head judge, received his accolade which was a platinum shield declaring his win and was given a check for One million Euros! Which was more money than Gaston and his mum had ever gotten their hands upon!

As soon as Gaston received his prizes he was met with applause of all kinds from the hundreds present in attendance.

He didn’t understand what was mostly being said to him so he just continued saying Bonjour and Merci to the ten judges who congratulated him.

He stepped down from the stage and proceeded towards Marissa and her family. Gaston Smith had handed over the check for one million Euros to his mum Katherine Smith who was super emotional after seeing their fortunes quickly change through Gaston’s hard work and dedication. She kept on weeping tears of joy as she continued hugging him.

“Here mum, this is for you!” said Gaston handing over the check to his mum.

“Thank you so much dear!” she replied not letting go of him. When she finally let go of him, he proceeded to Jason and handed him over the platinum shield and said “Thanks for all your expertise and coaching, couldn’t have happened without you. Please hold it for a bit because it’s your achievement along with mine!”

“Thank you so much Master Gaston Smith!” said Jason gratefully accepting to hold the shield.

Suddenly, Fireworks had been set off on top of the Eiffel Tower and it really was a spectacular sight to behold for everyone present in attendance at the park. There was a multitude of different coloured fireworks being lit up in the sky.

Finally Gaston made it towards Marissa behind whom the sunset could be visible seen.

He held her hand, took off his gold medal, put it on her and said “Marissa thank you so much for everything. Ever since you’ve come into my life you’ve been a halo of good fortune and glad tidings for me. My life has completely changed because of you! Thank you so much Marissa!”

She replied “Oh don’t be silly I…..”

But before she could complete her sentence, Gaston grabbed her by the neck and kissed her. He locked lips with her again under the Eiffel Tower just when the sun was about to set like before; this time with the additional feature of fireworks being lit up on the sky and making the moment even more picturesque!

Marissa enjoyed it and the two shared a moment for some minutes.

Mrs Williams who was suddenly taken aback by this said to her husband and everyone around her “Clearly our babies have grown up, they’re not kids anymore! They really have grown up!”

Katherine Smith replied “Well let’s just wish those two all the best now shall we!”

“Yes we could do that! We could definitely do that!” Mrs Williams replied in agreement.

Everyone smiled at those two.

Soon enough, after the competition was over with and they had returned home that night. Gaston felt a lot calmer and knew that life would be very good from here onwards. He felt like he and his mum didn’t need to struggle anymore and that they would enjoy the fruit of his hard work very soon.

Just before Marissa’s arrival into his life, Gaston was hurled mean names upon on a daily basis and now he had become a certified culinary expert with the girl of his dreams by his side. He and Marissa felt like they were both entering in a fairytale from that moment onwards.

Gaston became a culinary teacher teaching online to students through social media as well as opening up a culinary school in Paris and teaching classes physically through his appearance with the one million Euros he had won. He became headmaster and head teacher and began teaching young hopefuls to become culinary experts like him. He called it Culinary Land school after how his fortunes changed after winning that competition.

Gaston also wrote several cookbooks which after being published became New York Times Bestsellers due to the sheer quality in those books and the amount of coverage and exposure given to Gaston after winning Culinary Land. Gaston’s sudden rise to fame made it easy to sell millions of books worldwide.

Gaston and Marissa continued seeing each other and Gaston instead of attending high school, finishing college and finding a stable job, instead opened up a restaurant that served the gourmet food that he so expertly prepared. It was called G&M in Culinary Land. G&M was short for Gaston and Marissa in Culinary Land. With the one million Euros he had in his bank account he easily set up a restaurant and all it served was food from the recipes Gaston experimented and mastered in Marissa’s kitchen.

With the help of Mr Williams who was an experienced businessman, Gaston saw his business expand and he started franchising and opening up multiple outlets all over the world.

He opened up in Tokyo, Middle Eastern countries, African countries like Morocco, Egypt, Mauritius, Asian countries like Singapore, Maldives, Chine, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and European countries ranging from Greece, Switzerland, Italy, France, his native London to Scotland and even Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia and Turkey.

Yes, Gaston Smith’s life really had changed for the better after Marissa Williams entered his life.

He was soon able to buy a luxury Villa of his own. One which included thirty bedrooms. Yes, Gaston was soon able to but an even bigger house than the one he was previously living in with his newfound wealth. He enjoyed travelling the world together with Marissa who loved to travel and Gaston who enjoyed setting up his successful restaurants worldwide.

Katherine Smith could now be given every single high-end luxury item she so rightly deserved after Gaston had made it so big. She definitely bore the fruit of Gaston’s hard work and her own fantastic upbringing of her son.

Gaston and Marissa definitely felt like they were living in Culinary Land after having won that competition and seeing life change so quickly and so much for the better.

It became inevitable that life would only get sweeter for Gaston Smith from here onwards.

As the years passed by, Gaston Smith indeed enjoyed watching his fame, his respected name in the culinary world, his wealth and his businesses grow, but more than all those things….he enjoyed watching his family grow with his beloved wife Marissa Williams!