Brian arrived at work early. He and Rico had become a team, and he enjoyed working alongside the man, handling close to half the work. Rico handed him a recipe and pointed to an array of vegetables on the counter.
“Today you make borscht.”
“What’s that?”
Rico let out a belly laugh. “Every chef should know about borscht. It’s a wonderful soup made with beets and cabbage. I make it a few times a year. Customers love it.”
“Then you should make it more often.”
Rico patted his back. “Now that I have you, we can do that. Have you worked with beets before?” Brian shook his head. “You wash them, peel them like a potato, and dice them. Follow the recipe. Don’t make even one tiny change. If you have a question, ask me.”
“Yes, Rico.” Brian’s voice held a certain confidence, a desire to please R
