“Alright, Sammy. Time to get to work, set up here and I'll get the ingredients.”

While said Gulpin dutifully begins to gather cookware, Angelo hits up the pantry. He helps himself to the fresh, local seafood and produce like an opportunistic Wingull, casually swooping into the fray of contestants with confidence and a keen eye. 

He returns with a generous portion of their main ingredient, some squid, an assortment of vegetables and herbs, as well as noticeable ingredients needed for frying. 

Soon, their station is filled with the bubbling of boiling oil and humming as Angelo gets into the rhythm of the kitchen, preparation making way for the fry. 

“Steady now. Like you're handling one of Sky's sandwiches...”

Using his reliable sticky hold to keep the utensils and plating steady, Sammy manages to scoop out the fried seafood and vegetables with all the care taken when handling a rogue green-egg bomb back home. 

“Get a few more shrimp in that one and zucchini here.” As instructed, the Gulpin places each of the golden pieces into paper cones with a pair of tongs. “Lookin' good, buddy.”

When done, three servings of appetizers have been prepared with a piece of sliced lemon to squeeze over the batter, should the judges wish. 

Alto Marean, shrimp Fritto Misto. Fresh and clean. 

[attr="class","ashley1body"]

Round one doesn't go the best. His introduction was lacking, though he thought he'd done quite well. A click of his tongue, he knew it wasn't quite the level he wanted it to be. But the thing about cooking competitions, is that the meals are what matters. A chef cooks. Talking is secondary.[break][break]

So the rules come out, and Ashley is already on it. What is easy to make, that Bongo can prepare with ease? He's a gorilla, and he's sweating, but with a high-five from Ashley, they have an advantage. Ashley's other hand? Setting his oven to 400 degrees. They'd need all the time they could get.[break][break]

See those hands? Opposable thumbs, baby. Eat your heart out.[break][break]

Best part is, Ashley has dealt with seafood a lot, so the duo are already good. Ashley calls out. "Alright bud, panko bread, we need garlic powder, some eggs, all-purpose flour, and cialntro. Don't forget the shrimp and olive oil." Bongo salutes, and the gorilla heads into the pantry, the funniest sight you ever did see with an over-sized gorilla of nigh seven foot in height, holding a grocery basket, and beginning to place things in the basket, with Ashley throwing into the basket some mayo, sweet chili sauce, a lime, some honey, and sriracha.[break][break]

Next came the important part. The shrimp would be Bongo's move, and with a quick wash of his hands, he'd open the shrimp onto the table, the gorilla counting over them.[break][break]

Ever see a gorilla count? Crazy shit.[break][break]

With Ash stirring bread crumbs, olive oil, and garlic powder in a bowl with salt and pepper, he whisks eggs into another, and flour in a third. Once the coating train is ready, Ashley calls out. "Tongs." The duo begin, coating each shrimp first in the flour, than the egg yolk, and finally the bread crumbs, olive oil, and powder. Each one is readied, as Ashley orders out after. "Spray the pan, no stick." Bongo is on it, and popping open that spray, he prepares the pan, holding it up and blasting the pan in full.[break][break]

The shrimp is placed on evenly, as the oven finally beeps, and Bongo gently places the shrimp in, as Ashley prepares the medium bowl of mayo, sweet chili sauce, sriracha, and honey. "Lime squeeze." And of course, lime juice with his gorilla's strength. That grip stronk. Finally? Salt as he whisks it all together. The sauce.[break][break]

The next 6 minutes remaining are a talk on how to prepare the dish. "Shrimp, sauce, shrimp, sauce, shrimp, sauce, than cilantro. Got it, bud?" They high-five again, as Ashley even drew on a napkin. It was a literal bowl of shrimp, topped with sauce! His Trainer was genius, a simple dish even Bongo could make! Not complicated![break][break]

The oven beeps, and Ashley pulls the shrimp pan out, and down. Then he steps away, pointing to the majestic blue bowl. Now, for Bongo's time to shine. First, a few shrimp. Eight should do. Then, that sauce they made. Then, another layer of shrimp, placed gently. Another helping of sauce. It was all going well, as they made it to the top, and Bongo would finally crush open the small container of cilantro, and dusted it on there. A little barbaric, but as the sauce gently drips down the side...[break][break]

Bongo holds up to Ashley the concoction created; a bowl of Bang Bang Shrimp. On the gorilla's knees, he gestures for Ashley to have a taste test. With one shrimp thrown into his mouth, Ashley chews.[break][break]

Flawless execution. Bongo moves towards he judges, placing the bowl on their table. One thumbs up, and the duo were done.[break][break]

[break]

[attr="class","ashley1credit"]

♔

"Our appetizer is served."



gEoUK4DX

She made a mess of it.

ROLL TOTAL: 56

MADE BY MIZO

[attr="class","skullcredits"]TAIKO!

[attr="class","body"]

Round one’s introduction to the cooking contest didn’t go smooth for her, but the second round was going to be a bit better or she would hope her cooking skills would make the judges happy. The contestants would be asked to prepare an appetizer or a hors d'oeuvre with the main ingredient being a seafood she knew well through the various Johtonian restaurants serving sushi or other seafood dishes.[break][break]

Putting away the pot and the ingredients of her first dish, the royal used a pan to pour some hot oil on it and whisking an egg, flour, and the water together in a bowl. The shiny Fennekin helped to use her fire to regulate temperature as Elise poured the batter into the oil, stirring it until the shrimp were coated and deep fried with the shrimp tempura coming out like she remembered one of the servants making for her at home. Sabrina waited until the fried shrimp tempura were placed on the plate before the shiny Fennekin would take the plate of the scrumptious appetizer over to the judges’ table for them to taste.[break][break]

[attr="class","credit"]

MADE BY GUNSMILE

MADE BY MIZO

[attr="class","name"]luka chêne

[attr="class","subtxt"]I don't know anything with certainty,[break]
But the sight of the stars makes me dream

[attr="class","pkmn"]

[attr="class","credit"]
milky

[attr="class","omgentop"]STEEL CHEF COOKING COMPETITION

[attr="class","omgenmid"]

MINI-EVENT

ENDS APRIL 9TH 11:59 PM PST

EXPOSITION

After each contestant presents their finished appetizers for judging, the judges methodically admire the plating and then taste the dish, savoring the different flavors, textures, and details assembled by each aspiring chef. [break][break]

luka chêne's and Isaac Merlo's dish are greeted with especial enthusiasm, with the judges marveling that the former's vegan shrimp dish is actually vegan—"I can't believe it's not shrimp!" one judge comically exclaims, imitating the old butter-spread commercials—and praising the comforting, savory flavors of the latter's shrimp hush puppies. They also admire Zev Harcourt's plating, complimenting his Ambipom on creating such a harmonious and elegant visual arrangement. [break][break]

Remiel Calcifet's dish elicits a few shakes of the head from the judges, though one flashes a sympathetic smile at the Galarian prince's Pokemon. skyler dross's dish is greeted with brief looks of dismay before the judges resume their professional masks, to be replaced with surprised enjoyment when the greenish shrimp-topped egg sandwiches turn out—tasty! The judges also smile indulgently at Ashley Shepard and Johanna Joy when they end up presenting the same dish, Bang Bang Shrimp, and comment on how popular this recipe must be as a fun shrimp appetizer.[break][break]

After the tasting and judging is complete, the judges' scores flash on the large screen behind them to show the contestants' current standings. Striding across the front of the kitchen, Aurelie Lefevre flashes the contestants a cheeky grin. [break][break]

"That was an awesome first round!" she enthuses into the microphone, her voice echoing throughout the huge kitchen. "Thank you all so much for participating in this contest! You all did an amazing job. Those appetizers looked so good, I would've given them all top scores if I could." [break][break]

With a grin, she adds, "Probably a good thing that I'm only the host of this contest, not a judge, right?"[break][break]

Clapping her hands briskly, Aurelie continues, "But there are more rounds to come! Yup, for those of you who thought you'd only be making one signature dish for this contest, there are actually multiple challenges in this contest. And the challenge for the next round is...[break][break]

"SOUP or SALAD! You can make either a soup or salad as your next dish. Again, though, there's two requirements."[break][break]

She holds up one finger. "First, it must contain shellfish or seashells, either as an important ingredient or as a major part of its presentation."[break][break]

Then she raises two fingers in the air. "And second, I want to see you all show off your knife skills this round! I'm talking finely diced chopping, precise slashes, the most graceful chiffonades and juliennes you can perform. Let me see you cut!"[break][break]

She pauses to let this information sink in and then pumps one fist in the air. "And as always, allez cuisine!"

SETTING

THE STEEL CHEF [break]COMPETITION KITCHEN

ALL CONTESTANTS are now cooking inside the high-ceilinged, cavernous kitchen space, which is equipped with numerous rows of prep and cooking stations. Each prep and cook station features a gleaming stainless-steel countertop, stainless steel sink, gas stove, and electric oven. At the front of the kitchen is the presentation area, where the judges will sit together at a long table when tasting and appraising the contestants' dishes.[break][break]

A hallway to one side of the kitchen leads to the equipment room and pantry, which contain all the materials, cookware, and ingredients that contestants might need. Planter boxes line one wall of the pantry, filled with fresh herbs and greens that chefs can harvest and use in their dishes.[break][break]

The rest of the pantry is filled with [shelves, refrigerators, and bins of fresh produce, meat, seafood, spices and seasonings, dairy, breads and grains, and kitchen staples (eggs, salt, sugar, flour, butter, several different types of cooking oil, cooking wine, and more) to help chefs bring their unique concoctions to life.[break][break]

GUIDELINES

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

TO PARTICIPATE, please read the following instructions in the spoiler carefully:[break][break]

SPOILER: Click to show

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• To join the contest, please post before the deadline specified at the bottom of this post.
• The cooking contest will feature several rounds with deadlines.
• Each round will feature a prompt to fulfill (a theme ingredient that must be included in the dish that your character must prepare and cook on the spot).
• Each contestant must post once per round and make a roll at the end. If you miss a round, you won't be disqualified, but your chances to win will be lower. The roll will represent the judges' opinion of the contestant's dish.
• At the end of the contest, the contestant with the highest roll total will be the winner. Therefore, please add up all your rolls at the end of each post.
• Winning the contest will give your character a Clever Pokemon Contest win.

ROUND PROMPT AND DEADLINE

ROUND PROMPT[break] AND DEADLINE

The second round prompt involves a course revolving around a theme ingredient:

• The dish that your character creates for this round must be a SOUP or SALAD.
• The dish must contain SHELLFISH or SEASHELLS! Please make sure this is an important part of your dish, whether as ingredients or in the presentation.
• Your post must reference a SLASHING move (literally or using figurative language or comparisons). Examples of Slashing moves include Slash (of course), Fury Cutter, Psycho Cut, and Metal Claw.

[break][break]

DEADLINE IS THURSDAY, MARCH 23RD, 11:59 PM PST.

LEADERBOARD

ROUND 2 WINNER

• luka chêne - 100: (Winner of one sparkling dust)
• Isaac Merlo - 87
• Ashley Shepard - 82
• skyler dross - 80
• Johanna Joy - 71

[break][break]

OVERALL LEADERBOARD

• luka chêne - 157
• skyler dross - 148
• Zev Harcourt - 147
• Isaac Merlo - 128
• Ashley Shepard - 119

Isaac Merlo Johanna Joy @elio @pippa @micah Kara Li Ashley Shepard Zev Harcourt Remiel Calcifet Elise Calcifet Chu-e Choi skyler dross angelo vestri luka chêne

♔

iLyM3Pm3

ROLL TOTAL: 146

MADE BY MIZO

[attr="class","ashley1body"]

Great minds think alike. As Bongo had presented the Bang Bang Shrimp bowl, so too did Johanna Joy. That was frustrating, but both worked in their complete favor. Thing about cooking the same dish, it is impossible to pull them apart from one another. They are linked, and the moment that it happens, interest can go down.[break][break]

Dammit.[break][break]

Ashley should have seen this coming. He picked an easy dish, something too simple, too in-the-box. He had to go out of the box this time. He had to take it a step further. So when Bongo comes back, and they hear the next prompt, Ashley's eyes light aflame.[break][break]

He's not competitive, but this was his pride. And it would not stand.[break][break]

Shellfish, huh? That meant shrimp was on the menu, and as he looks to Bongo, the two high-five, and like a mad scientist and their big lug, the duo pulled that lever and went back to the pantry. Time to please the Kuzco crowd. This round? They'd throw in some SPICE to keep it interesting.[break][break]

It's clockwork, as Ashley commands Bongo to get the following. Shallots? Done. A stick of butter? Okay. Jalapenos? Fine. And the jumbo Clauncher shrimp? Easy. Rice? Oh, Ashley would love it if he remembered. Did he forget? Bongo had the basket, and it was full and ready, as Ashley grabbed garlic, gluten-free flour, tomato sauce, chicken stock, seafood stock, bay leaves, dried oregano, dried thyme, and cilantro. The moment Ashley checked the basket, made sure of their many ingredients they were back on the floor. It was time to make some magic.[break][break]

Pride is a dizzying thing, because as Ashley speeds to the frying pan, he begins to melt the butter, as he points to the knives. "Half that lime, bud." Bongo was a blunt gorilla, not a sharp but, but he's cut a lime before, and slicing it down the middle, he does the trick Ashley showed him.[break][break]

Thing about a lime is, squeezing it by hand was a pain in the ass. But, to get the most out of a lime, if you cut just a small sliver from the top, a squeezer can get the most out of it. It takes a fine precision, a slice downwards, but he does so. "Shallots too." The butter is melting, and Bongo decides to place that knife to the side.[break][break]

Time to get frisky.[break][break]

Two big hands grab their special tool, a mezzaluna that Ashley had in store for such an occasion, and Bongo had the strength to use it. Two blades, as he cuts the shallots, and begins to rock that blade back and forth, like a chop teeter-totter SLASH that rocked it back and rocked it forth, a FURY CUTTER that would dice these shallots up nice and good to the bits Ashley needs. "Garlic!" Garlic went too under the mezzaluna, a culinary guillotine of complete carnage, not a garlic spared after its peeled.[break][break]

Then came the risk. Bongo nods to Ashley. Ashley nods back. The butter is ready. Time to put on a show.[break][break]

Ashley holds the pan upwards, and Bongo begins tossing in an arc, Ashley moving the pan to catch every bit. First came the shallots, than the the garlic. It's not easy having someone in the kitchen, but they are in-sync. If a Mega Stone was made for Rillaboom, Ashley and Bongo would bond harder with it. And as the ingredients hit the pan, the sizzle-sizzle begins, as its put back on stove-top, and Ashley twists the dial.[break][break]

"Open the sauce can." Bongo is on it, and Mr. Ramsey would find that the can isn't opened by a tool, but by the sheer muscle arm strength, as the gorilla nods, the force of his strong arm causing the top to pop off. He doesn't pour it in yet, Ashley hasn't said to yet, and as he's waiting for the fragrance, Ashley inhales, getting the scent down. Garlic takes a minute, but he's not ready yet. Next? The gluten-free flour, and with a deft hand, he sprinkles it in as he's using his wooden spoon to mix-mix-mix. Once incorporated?[break][break]

"Sauce." Tomato sauce goes in pan, and that pours in, as it begins to incorporate the differing flavors. Ashley's sweating now. The hard part is yet to come, because the shrimp isn't in yet, and the judges are probably curious, but every recipe requires time, and his magic trick isn't done. Once the sauce is in, in goes the chicken stock, then comes the seafood stock, and suddenly, they got the soup. This was half the challenge, but Ashley eyes Bongo with a smirk.[break][break]

"Jalapenos." He says, and Bongo brings the heat, in goes three lovely jalapenos with the stem already cut off. Bongo's working fast, and in they go, now lightly dropped to not make a mess, with Ashley making the bay leaf land off-center. Does it bother him? No. No time for that. He opens the dried oregano, sprinkles it in. "Salt it." Bongo has the salt shaker, and he shakes that salt, shakes it real good in there, as Ashley delivers the final herb in the dried thyme. Herbs are good for you, they provide the texture, the flavor, the spice. As Ashley mixes it together, gets everything coated, the heat turns up.[break][break]

Now the important part. The boil. The boil is important, because this is where it matters. If the broth is spoiled, the shrimp don't stand a chance. Bongo and Ashley don't look at each other for awhile. Once that boil starts, Ashley is quick to reduce to medium, and let it simmer.[break][break]

Thirty. Minutes. Waiting. Is eternity. Stopping. Unable to move. Bongo and Ashley pace. They pace more. Ashley is constantly checking. His worry is high. It's. Taking. So. Long. Every second, infinitesimal. Yet Herculean. The rice. Is done. Just needs. To prepare. For the final.[break][break]

Moment.[break][break]

The timer goes off, and Bongo and Ashley move as a unit. Bongo removes the topper, Ashley is quick with tongs, and he snatches the bay leaf, he snatches the jalapenos, he douses more salt into the mix, and Bongo? Squeezes the lime to put the juice in. C'est magnifique. Bongo prepares the bowl of shrimp as Ashley mixes the soup and gets it boiling again. The jumbo Clauncher shrimp, ready to go in at the beck of Ashley's call, and silver eyes look on with feverish delight at the taste test.[break][break]

In the shrimp goes. And in it will cook. Two minutes, tops. Ashley watches it boil, knowing that the invisible threat of burning lay on the horizon, and with it, Ashley orders one final order. "Three bowls. Ready, bud? Gonna need mezzaluna again." Bongo smirks.[break][break]

Cut-cut-cut-cut-HM01-cut-cut-cut, the jalapeno is in rounds, its chopping, its got the flavor, the taste, and as Bongo eats one, he's crying. They're ready.[break][break]

Bongo begins putting the flooring of each three bowls, setting them with the cooked long grain white rice Bongo remembered, Ashley with the soup and shrimp atop of it, jalapeno rounds from Bongo, cilantro to garnish it with Ashley. It was perfect. Only one. More. Thing. Served? With lime wedges.[break][break]

"Stll hungry? I'm not even tired yet." Ashley wipes his brow. The dishes are done. He can only hope that nothing went wrong. Because if something did?[break][break]

His soul would be destroyed.[break][break]

[break]

[attr="class","ashley1credit"]

[attr="class","skullcredits"]TAIKO!