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menial laborer, a lowlife. When he called me that,
     a hush fell over the restaurant staff, as though Richard had just slapped me with his gloves and I was supposed to challenge
     him to a duel or something.
    I didn't do that, but I did let him know that I didn't appreciate his disparagement, and he went after me for my supposedly
     unacceptable backtalk. We never came to physical blows, but things got verbally violent. Then, as always, they subsided, and
     we forgot about it and got back to work.
    Shortly thereafter, one of our more important customers, the owner of a nearby antiques shop, came in for dinner and ordered
     one of the evening's specials. Richard prepared the meat, then summoned me for my contribution: "Mario, quick, bring me the
     sauteed zucchini that goes with this." I brought it over. A moment later, Richard stopped what he was doing: "Chups, come
     look at these, these are not right."
    I had no idea what he was talking about. In the pan were perfectly cut matchsticks of zucchini, glistening in oil, cooked
     through but with just the right amount of bite left in them.
    "But Chef, this is how we've been doing the zucchini for the past two days."
    "This is not the way we do them! This will never be the way we do them! This is not Michelin-star food!"
    But we're not a Michelin-star restaurant, I thought, though didn't dare say it.
    Richard garbaged the zucchini and I made him a fresh batch, more or less identical to the first, but somehow acceptable this
     time.
    A little while later, another gentleman joined the antiques shop owner at his table and ordered risotto with calf's liver.
     That's when things really got cooking in the kitchen.
    "Mario, bring over the risotto," Richard said, summoning me again.
    I obliged. Richard took one glance at the risotto and proclaimed it undercooked.
    "Richard," I said, "This is al dente risotto. This is how we serve it here."
    "Who's the chef here?"
    "You're the chef here, Chef."
    I don't know if he thought I was being sarcastic, or if maybe he detected just a smidge of had-enough-of-your-shit in my voice,
     but that was it. He slapped the hand in which I was holding the pan and unloaded a mess of adjectives on me, the whole drill
     sergeant bit again.
    "Dude," I said, "this is perfect risotto."
    "Perfect? This is not perfect! You'll have to cook it again!"
    "Aw, for the love of fuck . . ."
    Here came the French accent again: "For zee love of fuk? For zee love of fuk?"
    And with that, he picked up the offending pan of risotto and hurled it across the five feet of space that had grown between
     us during the argument. The pan hit me smack in the chest before tumbling down to the ground, spilling its contents all over
     the newly renovated floor.
    There wasn't anything else to be said. I turned my back on Richard, walked into the prep area at the rear of the kitchen,
     and took a fistful of salt in one hand. I paused and looked over at Richard. He had his back to me and was finishing the dish
     without the risotto, putting on his little show for the customers. I tossed the salt into the beurre blanc. Took another fistful
     and tossed it in the hollandaise. Then I took off my apron, threw it in the linen bin, and—having satisfied my appetite for
     knowledge and revenge at this particular place of employment—walked out the back door and into the cool London night, a navvy no more, whatever the hell that meant.

Two Great Tastes
That Taste Great Together
    MICHELLE BERNSTEIN
    A former dancer, Miami native Michelle Bernstein is executive chef of "MB" at the Aqua hotel in Cancun, Mexico. After graduating from Johnson & Wales University, Bernstein began her culinary career at Red Fish Grill and Christy's in Coral Gables, and Tantra in Miami Beach. She trained with Jean-Louis Palladin, and honed her skills at Alison on Dominick Street and Le Bernardin in New York. She then became executive chef and co-owner of the Strand, before drawing national attention as executive chef at Azul