• Solo • No more just desserts

[Faith Augustin]

51st Ymiden, 717
Cally's Restaurant

It was early in the morning and Faith and Jo'get were sitting in the dining room, with the menu in front of them. Jo'get looked at Faith and she had an expression which was half way between a sigh and a smile. "You want to change the menu?" Jo'get sounded as incredulous as she looked and neither of those did justice to just how she felt.

"Not entirely, no," Jo'get had only worked for Faith for two seasons now, but she knew enough to know that anything which was not a straight 'no' probably meant 'quite a lot, yes'. So, she said nothing and just looked at her employer with a raised eyebrow. Faith shot her a grin and explained. "The menu is intricate, but clear. It has a clear follow through with the same dishes in varying levels of complexity. But there's a weakness."

Jo'get looked at the menu and frowned, not sure what Faith meant. Faith tapped the word, "dessert. We don't have the same offering. We have tasting menu, entree and main covered relatively well, although I'd like to add to the tasting menus also. But dessert is a real lack for us, and I want to change that." Jo'get nodded. She couldn't argue with Faith, when she pointed it out, there was no doubt. Compared to the other sections of the menu, the dessert was the one with the least variety.

"So, what do you want to do?" Jo'get asked and she couldn't help but smile as she saw the grin spread across Faith's face.

"I'm going to make it so that people come here just for the desserts. That's what I'm going to do."

Jo'get laughed and shook her head. "Where do we start?"

[Faith Augustin]

Where to start? That was a very good question and Faith had to consider it. At the beginning made sense, but equally, this was about doing things at the end of the meal and that had to be taken into account. "Alright, so we need desserts which are going to be light, tasty and tempting. We currently give a choice between mousse, cake and ice cream. Those three could stay."

Jo'get nodded, making notes as they went. "But," Faith said, with a frown, "Maybe we need to scrap the idea of three different menus. I can see you smiling, you know." Jo'get grinned. There was no doubting it, she had thought that Faith was going to do this. "Stick with me a moment," Faith said and Jo'get nodded. "We've got three menus now. But what if someone wants a ruby entree and an onyx main? I mean, they get it and that's fine, but it involves swapping menus. What if we had one menu, with each dish split into ruby, onyx, diamond?" Jo'get nodded, that made sense there was no doubting it.

"If we do that," Faith explained, "Then we an do the same with the dessert menu. So, we have mousse, cake and ice cream. Those are fairly straightforward. But let's also have confection, pastry and special." That made sense to Faith and Jo'get noted it down. Faith then moved over to behind the reception area where there was stored some large, rolled up parchment and she put that down on the table, ready for them both to start making notes.

"Lets go with the ice cream first," Faith said and explained what she wanted to do. The dessert which Padraig had made for her was perfect here. "This way, also, more people will see all the items and so we are more likely to sell the more expensive items, I think. Lets try it for Saun and see how it goes."

Faith lowered her head and started to rearrange the menu items, with Jo'get mostly not saying anything but just watching. It took a little while, but eventually, Faith slid over the menu and raised an eyebrow at Jo'get with a smile.

Menu Saun 717

Here at Cally's we are proud to offer you food made from our own gardens. All fruit, vegetables and herbs are grown in our gardens and our hunters provide fresh meat on a trial-by-trial by basis.

Please note: We offer each dish in a range of complexities to suit all tastes. Please speak to your server if you are at all unsure.

Tasting Menu:

~ A full meal, offering you the chance to sample the variety of food available at Cally's

► Show Spoiler

Menu Items	Type & Price	Description
Tasting Menu	15gn ~ Ruby	A selection of dishes to tempt and delight you (entree, main and dessert)
	20gn ~ Onyx	A wider selection of dishes to tempt and delight you! Includes a drink with each course, designed to compliment the flavours perfectly
	30gn ~ Diamond	An extensive selection of dishes to tempt and delight you! Includes a drink with each course, designed to compliment the flavours perfectly ~ each drink is served with 'Scalvoris fruit caviar", the specialty of the house.
Out With The New	18gn ~ Ruby	Following a tasting entree, you will enjoy three of our five hafrein dishes (deep fried crispy hafrein, hafrein with an apricot glaze, braised tongue of hafrein with a red wine reduction), served with vegetables and home made potato gnocchi. Dessert completes this full menu.
	23gn ~ Onyx	Following a tasting entree, you will enjoy four of our five hafrein dishes (deep fried crispy hafrein, hafrein with an apricot glaze, braised tongue of hafrein with a red wine reduction and hafrein in crisp apple cider), served with vegetables and home made potato gnocchi. Dessert completes this full menu.
	40gn ~ Diamond	Following a tasting entree, you will enjoy our five hafrein dishes (deep fried crispy hafrein, hafrein with an apricot glaze, braised tongue of hafrein with a red wine reduction, hafrein in crisp apple cider and finally halfrein steak in Cally's chimichirri sauce), served with vegetables and home made potato gnocchi. Dessert completes this full menu. Includes a drink with each course, designed to compliment the flavours perfectly ~ each drink is served with 'Scalvoris fruit caviar", the specialty of the house.
Diamond Dining Experience	50gn	The ultimate tastin experiene. This must be booked at least 1 trial in advance, chef's choice. Includes a drink with each course, designed to compliment the flavours perfectly ~ each drink is served with 'Scalvoris fruit caviar", the specialty of the house.

Entree:

~ A delicious start to your meal

► Show Spoiler

Menu Items	Type & Price	Description
Cheeseboard	1sn ~ Ruby	A delicious cheeseboard with home made bread served with home made pickles and chutneys.
	4sn ~ Onyx	A more complex cheeseboard with a selection of home made breads served with home made pickles and chutneys.
	8sn ~Diamond	An elite cheeseboard with a selection of artisan crafted home made breads served with a variety of home made pickles and chutneys.
Soup of the trial	5sn ~ Ruby	A small serving of home made soup with fresh baked bread.
	7sn ~ Onyx	A serving of home made soup with fresh baked bread and home made croutons.
	1gn ~ Diamond	A serving of home made soup with a selection of fresh baked breads and home made croutons
Sharing Entree	8sn ~ Ruby	Perfect for two to share, or as a main course! A delicious tasting entree for two.
	2gn ~ Onyx	Perfect for two to share, or as a main course. A more complex tasting entree for two.
	5gn ~ Diamond	Perfect for two to share, or as a main course! An elite tasting entree for two.
Tasting Entree	5sn ~ Ruby	A delicious selection of tasty finger foods, each one designed to compliment each other and tantalise the taste buds.
	1gn ~ Onyx	A more complex selection of tasty finger foods, each one designed to compliment each other and tantalise the taste buds!
	3gn ~ Diamond	An elite selection of tasty finger foods, each one designed to compliment each other and tantalise the taste buds!

Main:

~ The main course of your Cally's experience

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Menu Items	Type & Price	Description
Vegetable Dish	5 sn ~ Onyx	A delicious vegetable dish, different each trial made with produce from our gardens. Usually served with a home made artisan bread and an accompaniment.
	1gn ~ Ruby	A more complex vegetable dish, changes each trial and made with produce fresh from our gardens. Usually served with a home made artisan bread and choice of two accompaniments.
	3 gn ~ Diamond	An exquisite vegetable dish made with the best fresh seasonal products from our gardens and the finest accompaniments the house has to offer.
Fish Dish	1gn ~ Onyx	A delicious fish dish, different each trial, served with fresh seasonal vegetables directly from our gardens.
	3 gn ~ Ruby	A more complex fish dish, changes each trial. Usually served with an accompanying crust or sauce and two vegetables, directly from our gardens.
	6gn ~ Diamond	An exquisite fish dish made with fresh seasonal produce and the best accompaniments the house has to offer.
Meat Dish	2gn ~ Onyx	A delicious meat dish, different each trial, served with fresh seasonal vegetables directly from our garden.
	6 gn ~ Ruby	A more complex meat dish, changes each trial. Usually served with an accompanying crust or sauce and two vegetables, directly from our gardens.
	10 gn ~ Diamond	An exquisite meat dish made with fresh seasonal produce and the best accompaniments the house has to offer.
Tasting Main	10 gn ~ Onyx	A variety of our finest dishes, each served in a small portion to provide maximum enjoyment!
	15 gn ~ Ruby	A variety of our finest dishes, each served in a small portion to provide maximum enjoyment!
	20 gn ~ Diamond	The ultimate variety of our very finest dishes, each served in a small portion to provide maximum enjoyment!

Dessert:

~ A perfect way to end your meal!

► Show Spoiler

Menu Items	Type & Price	Description
Cake	1gn ~ Onyx	A delicious cake chosen from our range.
	2gn ~ Ruby	A serving containing two cakes chosen by you from our range. Served with cream.
	5gn ~ Diamond	A selection of cakes, each served in a bite sized portion to tantalise you. Served with cream.
Confection	1 gn ~ Onyx	A selection of hand made confections, created on the premises.
	2gn ~ Ruby	A wider selection of hand made confections, created on the premises.
	5gn - Diamond	An elite selection of hand made confections, created on the premises.
Mousse	1 gn ~ Onyx	A light and delicious mousse, made fresh each trial
	2gn ~ Ruby	A light and delicious mousse, made fresh each trial served with fruit coulis center
	5gn - Diamond	A light and delicious mousse, made fresh each trial served with fruit coulis center and containing our unique "popping meringue".
Ice Cream	1 gn ~ Onyx	A rich and delicious ice cream, made on the premises
	2gn ~ Ruby	A rich and delicious ice cream, made on the premises served with fresh fruit and honeycomb pieces
	5gn - Diamond	A rich and delicious ice cream, made on the premises served with fresh fruit and honeycomb pieces and containing our unique "popping fruit crunch".
House Speciality	10 gn	Sunfruit Spheres: Three textures of sunburst fruit, balanced to perfection
House Specialty: Topsy Turvy	12gn	A warm ice cream which melts when placed in the cold coffee. Beautiful taste and a most unusual experience! A combination of culinary skill and alchemical knowledge.

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[Faith Augustin]

"What are you going to do when you run out of new ideas?" Jo'get asked with a genuine curiosity.

Faith considered it and gave the only answer she knew to be true, "Do something else. I can't think of anything worse than falling behind and becoming stale." If she was going to serve the people of Scalvoris, then she was going to do it with passion and enthusiasm, she said, not some half hearted feeling which was no good to anyone. Jo'get smiled and shook her head, but said nothing more.

"So, confections," Faith said, tapping the words written there. "Cakes and confections. I have some ideas, would you help me put them down?" Jo'get nodded and Faith started to talk, describing what she saw, in her mind's eye. It was more than that, though, Faith had to imagine the tastes of things. Tiny cones, each one just a bite size, was where Faith started and Jo'get listened carefully and sketched. The outer cone would be a rich butterscotch biscuit, inside which was mascarpone cheese cream rich and unctuous with just the tiniest hint of cocolime in it, Faith said. Only the smallest amount and then tiny pistachio crumbs, to finish it. Jo'get nodded and made notes, drawing what Faith explained. Faith smiled and nodded, made changes here, slight amendments there. The next confection was a small chocolate square made to look like a parcel. "Chocolate on the outside, with a very thin layer of lemon marzipan underneath that. Beneath there a rich honey mead sphere. That should work and will surprise them. So we need to make it one bite."

Looking at the drawing Jo'get had done, Faith considered and then smiled. "Lets make this bit, the paper casing, lets make that edible too. If we've got chocolate and honey mead, lemon... suntip. Make that suntip edible paper"

That was the last bit, Faith knew. That sharp tang would be the final counterpoint to the other flavours. She smiled and nodded. "I'll get them made up tomorrow, and we can test them. Cake now?"

[Faith Augustin]

Cake it was and Faith was excited. Just lately, she felt that her baking was starting to push forward and she was able, with Cally's kitchen, to have the level of detail and care that she really wanted and needed to do it well. It had become her kitchen and, in a few seasons she thought that what she would do was aim to open up a bakery eventually. That would be good for the trainees, too, she knew. It would allow them to have the skills of running a shop, not just a restaurant.

"What I want to do for the wedding," Faith said, with a smile, "Is create a wonder. The cake, apparently, should be something amazing and I was thinking of something..." she stopped and looked at Jo'get with a raised eyebrow. "What is it?"

"I thought you weren't catering?" Jo'get said, and there was just a modicum of stern in the young woman which was not usually there.

"I'm not, but the cake will need to be done at least two trials before, so I could do that. Besides, I genuinely don't think anyone else will be able to make it." Faith smiled at Jo'get and the woman sighed. "Padraig doesn't have a very sweet tooth, I want the wedding cake to be something he enjoys. So, I was thinking of very thin layers, lots of them. Held together in a cake, but with very thin lime jelly, for example." So began the discussion of what she wanted as a cake in the restaurant and what she was thinking in terms of her wedding cake.

Faith was, as always, meticulous and precise about what she was putting in to this cake. The layers of moussline between the layers would give it structure and strength. That was what it needed so Faith described and Jo'get drew. She looked at her Sous Chef when she was finished and shook her head, in some amazement. "You always seem to know what I am seeing in my mind, you know."

Jo'get smiled, pleased that she did that. "You describe it well. It's like you're tasting it. You are, aren't you?" Faith grinned and nodded in response. She needed to be able to do that. Jo'get frowned slightly, "I don't think I'll ever do that. How did you learn it?" It was strange, but as she asked that, Jo'get saw something cross Faith's face. Her employer rarely showed the kind of emotion that other people did, Faith was always friendly, placid and never seemed to have an off day.

Yet, across her face for just a trill, Faith looked pained. Then she smiled, but even that was sad. "I've been hungry a lot. When I was hungry, I used to imagine food and what it tasted like. I suppose I was hungry enough, long enough that I eventually developed the knack." She smiled then and patted Jo'get's hand. Faith didn't like to cause anyone to look quite as horrified as Jo'get did in this moment. "Don't worry. I'm never hungry now." Faith gave a grin and looked at Jo'get with concern in her eyes. "I think it's probably why I feel the need to feed people. It's good, a good feeling. Don't worry, I'm fine now."

Picking up the parchments, Faith motioned to the kitchen. "Come on, lets go cook. That will help. It does, you know. Or so I've found." Jo'get smiled and the two women made their way out of the dining area and into the kitchen.

[Patrick]

Name: Faith

Knowledge:
Skill-Related

• Business Management: Menu writing
• Business Management: Changing the menu with the season
• Business Management: Spending time with each employee
• Teaching: Informal settings for teaching
• Teaching: Getting students to draw what you describe, rather than write what you say.

Loot: N/A
Injuries: N/A
Fame: N/A
Devotion: N/A
Magic: These points cannot be used for magic.

Points: 10

Comment: Not gonna lie, this thread pretty much gave me a sweet tooth.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please let me know.