“Thank you,” Kelly said.
“If the green light over that door says LIVE, don’t mess with it or anything. That means that the camera is rolling. If it’s not illuminated, you have a minute to readjust, get a sip of water. If it’s flashing, get yourself ready because you’re going live.”
“Got it.”
“Each soundstage is completely soundproofed. Yours may go completely quiet until they cut to you. So don’t get freaked out. Just keep doing what you’re doing. If anything gets out of sync, you’ll see one of the production assistants signal to you from that spot right there.”
“Okay.”
“Don’t worry. It sounds like a lot to remember, but if you be yourself and bring your heart to the show…that’s how winners are made. I think you’re going to do great.” Brenda led her behind the fake frosted kitchen door. Really it was just a door inside the door where she’d make her entrance.
Kelly stood there in the shadows in her red chef’s jacket. The theme music for the show started playing, and Martin Schlipshel was introduced. She turned and gave Brenda a shaky thumbs up.
“Welcome to our Four Square Valentine’s Day Bake-Off! We’re so excited to bring this special edition of Four Square Cooking Show to you. Not only have we brought extra special pastry chefs in for this competition, but the prize is the largest we’ve ever awarded.”
Kelly sucked in a breath.
“The Best Pastry Chef will walk away with one hundred thousand dollars. And now we’ll introduce you to our four contestants.”
Her kitchen went eerily quiet.
She stood there, unsure of what to do. The light over the door glowed green. Brenda had explained that whenever that light was green, you were being filmed. No bra adjusting, scratching your nose or talking to yourself.
Of course, her nose itched.
Suddenly her light switched on, and she heard Martin’s voice come over the speaker.
“From Bailey’s Fork, North Carolina, Kelly McIntyre. Owner of The Cake Factory.”
She made her entrance and stood on the X like she’d been instructed.
“This self-taught baker has grown one of the most successful online cake shops around. If you haven’t tried her desserts, you need to put them on your list right now. We’re pleased to have her with us on this Four Square Valentine’s Day Bake-Off.”
She smiled, wishing she could see what she looked like on camera. Was she standing straight? Could they tell she was shaking?
“Okay, contestants. Go to your counters,” Martin continued.
She moved to the spot in front of the counter. Another X on the floor. That made it easy.
“As always, this is a blind competition. No one knows who they’re competing against.”
The quartz countertop was so shiny that the lights made it sparkle as if it were under water. She folded her hands on the counter in front of her. A large wicker basket sat not two feet away from her.
Her hands left a foggy sweat print on the counter. She swept at the mark and put her hands behind her back.
Inside that basket was the first challenge. She’d seen the show enough to know that this was an invention challenge. She prayed her practice with Sara would pay off.
Right now it was her and her kitchen.
“Contestants. Please take your first surprise ingredient out of Cabinet One.”
She opened the first cabinet and removed a bag of pastel-colored conversation hearts.
“The theme is love. All of you have the exact same ingredients. Open your baskets!”
Kelly took out the ingredients one at a time and placed them on the counter. Dark chocolate chips, whole raw almonds, and cayenne peppers.
“You have ninety minutes to make six servings of whatever you like, but you must use each of these ingredients to complete a dessert fit for a fiftieth wedding anniversary.”
The theme music for the show began playing, and Martin announced, “It’s show time, and the four contestants are being filmed on The Four Square Cooking Show set. The arena-styled soundproof kitchens keep the contestants out of view and earshot of one another, but the cameras are on them every step of the way. Your time starts…now!”
Thankful for the ninety minutes, and the digital clock that had begun the countdown in numbers twelve inches high in front of her counter, Kelly ran straight to the oven and turned it to 350 degrees, then ran for the pantry, pulling all the staples she’d need.
She made a fiftieth wedding anniversary cake for the Millers three weeks ago, but there was no way she could replicate that in ninety minutes. And she wasn’t sure if she could integrate the cayenne and pull it off. Time was of the essence. At least six individual desserts would be much easier to manage on the clock, since both the baking and cooling times would be cut dramatically.
The traditional gift for the fiftieth anniversary is gold. Is that too obvious? She also knew the traditional flowers for this anniversary was yellow roses and violets. The leaves of the violet were small heart shapes. Maybe a small detail the others wouldn’t know. Then again, she wasn’t sure a few fondant flowers would make a big impression. She needed to take a risk. Her recipe needed to be something memorable that not just anyone would make.
Searching through the pantry, she loaded up with honey, cinnamon, chili powder, kosher salt, and the rest of the things she needed to get started.
Kelly decided to make a slight variation of her flourless chocolate cake, rich and moist and always a favorite. She knew she could integrate all the ingredients without fail.
On the shelf with all the decoratives, she spotted edible gold flakes and gold leaf sheets.
Keeping things organized, she lined up the ingredients on the counter, then ran back to pick out her place settings. She grabbed six black ramekins off the shelf and six small gold charger plates to set them on. Luckily, in the silverware tray there were six
