Chapter 639: 639: Don't Pretend to Be a Big Shot in Front of Me

Throughout the competition, Cindy Clarke’s performance had been incredibly remarkable, never falling out of first place.

They were not worried about Yellen Brooks and Larry Bennett; they had the confidence to beat them.

But with Cindy Clarke present, it meant that one person among the 10 from Pingla Academy would likely be eliminated.

The Pingla Academy team would no longer be complete.

This was the first time in the history of the Cooking Competition that someone had been eliminated beyond the top ten.

Daniel Vahn playfully warned Leon Hernandez and Ava Brown: “You two be careful, you are the last two of us and there isn’t a big difference in your abilities. Either one of you could be eliminated.”

Ava Brown snorted, saying: “If I lose, I lose. It’s no big deal.”

Leon Hernandez also laughed, saying: “Look at Ava’s attitude. As a big guy, I can’t possibly lose to a girl like Ava, right? If I lose, I lose. The attitude is most important.”

Then they heard Wesley Gordon announce, “The subject of today’s competition is ‘abundance.’

“The small years just passed, and it’s not long before the New Year. During the New Year, we value an annual abundance. Therefore, today’s competition fits the theme of the New Year, abundance.”

“The competition time is 90 minutes. Start now.”

Since three people were to be eliminated in this round, even if their attitude was good, they had to make sure they were not one of the eliminated ones.

So all the contestants were highly tense, rushing to choose the ingredients.

As there were fewer contestants, the audience could easily watch every contestant’s cooking process.

Yellen Brooks chose to make a crispy fish. After the judges ate the fish belly, they were surprised to find that the center of the fish belly had chicken shreds hidden inside.

Yellen explained: “Year after year, I thought about eating the fish, and there’s chicken inside. It’s like a dark willow illuminating bright flowers, symbolizing abundance.”

“The taste is good,” Wesley Gordon nodded but made no further comment. It was considered acceptably good but not particularly stunning.

The idea of hiding chicken in the fish took some thought.

Leon Hernandez made stuffed duck.

Ava Brown made osmanthus lotus root.

Cynthia Florine made fish-stuffed dumplings. The dumpling wrappers were made with spinach juice mixed with white dough, forming a jade cabbage appearance that symbolized abundance and wealth.

Bartholomew Bailey made rice and glutinous rice pastries.

Yannick O’Brian made juicy fish balls.

Daniel Vahn made the famous Poon Choi.

Gladys Joy made dumplings shaped like gold ingots.

Aiden Huxley unexpectedly chose fish maw, a very stunning dish.

When it came to Cindy Clarke, the judges seemed to see a watercolor painting of koi playing in the water before their eyes.

The two koi were made of fishcakes in a long dish. The back and tail of the koi were both dyed golden and red with an unknown substance.

Seaweed was placed beside it.

Edward Lopez became more interested: “Your sister is not only beautiful, but her cooking skills are also high and creative. Every dish she cooks is like an art piece. If she becomes the head chef for your restaurant in Belfard, it will definitely be more competitive. After all, not only is Cindy Clarke good at cooking, but she also has a big name, especially after participating in the Cooking Competition and being known by more people. When people know she’s your restaurant’s head chef, many diners will come for her fame.”

“I have the same idea.” Wendy Clarke was indeed contemplating having Cindy Clarke become the head chef.

“Now we announce the results of this round. The three eliminated contestants are Larry Bennett, Yellen Brooks, and Ava Brown,” said Wesley Gordon.

All three graciously congratulated the successful contestants.

When the contestants returned backstage, Edward Lopez called his assistant over: “Get Cindy Clarke here for me.”

The assistant hesitated, saying: “If I call for Cindy Clarke alone, will it be too conspicuous? What if she is hesitant to come alone?”

Edward Lopez thought about it and said: “Just call all of them over, there are only 13 people anyway. Just say I want to meet them.”

Forget Belfard, who didn’t know his name throughout the country?

In past years, he hasn’t missed various event invitations.

As long as he wanted to watch, he didn’t even have to say it; people would immediately organize many beautiful girls to come to him so he could choose. Even if he didn’t choose, letting him watch was a sign of respect for Edward Lopez.

However, the person in charge of the Pingla Competition was not very interesting.

Everyone knew he had arrived, but no one took the initiative to show any sign of respect.

Did they think they were pretty awesome because they were backed by Pingla?

But a company like Pingla wouldn’t care about a small competition unit like theirs.

They sure knew how to flatter themselves.

So Edward Lopez’s assistant went backstage where the staff was cleaning up.

Edward Lopez’s assistant said to Cindy Clarke and the others: “Edward Lopez, Young Master Lopez, is on the spectator stand. He wants to meet you all.”

Parker Honi and the others looked at each other.

Parker Honi unceremoniously raised his chin: “Who is this, such a big face, asking all of us to come over. What does he want?”

This was the first time Edward Lopez’s assistant had encountered such an attitude. Usually, as soon as he said Edward Lopez wanted to see someone, people would rush over quickly, right?

Seeing Edward Lopez might bring some benefits.

But these people seemed unwilling. They really didn’t know how to appreciate kindness.

“Edward Lopez, Young Master Lopez. You don’t know him? He might invest in you. Whether you want to open a restaurant or create your own brand, you can do it. It’s such a great opportunity. I advise you to seize it,” the assistant said smugly and arrogantly.

“In the past, Young Master Lopez has attended various events, and many people have benefited from being with him.”

“I don’t need it,” Parker Honi sneered. “My family doesn’t lack his investment. Don’t come to me pretending to be important. Isn’t he just a trust-fund baby with a small business? Doesn’t he know there are many local tycoons in Belfard?”

The Honi family was no ordinary family.

It’s true that among those admitted to Pingla Academy, apart from those with excellent qualifications and awarded scholarships or reduced tuition fees, most of the students who came out of admiration were from well-off families.

As one of the world’s four top culinary academies, the chefs graduating from Pingla Academy were world-renowned.

Because of the higher starting point compared to ordinary chefs, whether in high-end hotels or restaurants, they were widely recognized and had a different social status from ordinary chefs.

Therefore, the tuition was higher and only families that could support it could afford it, which were naturally not ordinary families.

Such families were willing to let their children become chefs because they valued the different status of chefs who graduated from the academy, which created a cycle.