Chapter 53: Simlywood

We arrived in Silicon Shores at sunset. It was beautiful and more interesting than Ravenview. The first thing I saw driving into town was the Simlywood sign on the right and a beautiful beach on the left. Tennan, Johann, Genevieve, and I had taken a road trip to Silicon Shores to watch Iveron compete in the finale of Sim Kitchen. The show had called and said we were invited to the finale. They had booked a hotel for us and we were to arrive on set at 5pm the next day.

When we got to the set, a person working for the show told us to wait in the back room because Iveron didn't actually know we were there. She brought us some drinks and snacks while we waited for about an hour.

"Welcome to the finale of Sim Kitchen, Season Five. We have our contestants, Iveron Zenteri and Beatrice Domina. First of all, we have a surprise for them."

The lady waved for us to go through the door and say hi to Iveron. We all gave him a hug, and while Tennan, Genevieve, and Johann took their seats, I gave him the biggest hug of all.

"I'm so glad you're here, Mom."

We all took our seats and were ready for the show to begin. Johann decided to sit on a more comfortable looking chair off to the side because he didn't want to be on camera.

"All right, contestants. You have an hour and a half to make the most delicious three course meal. One appetizer, one main dish, and one dessert. We will taste your dishes and then pick a winner. Let me remind all of you watching at home, the reward for winning is to become the five star chef at the Silicon Shores Planet restaurant, one of the most prestigious restaurants in this town. This chef job comes with a salary of 250,000 Simoleons. Good luck, contestants."

Iveron made a pumpkin salad, rainbow trout sushi rolls, and key lime pie. It was very fun watching Iveron use his knife so effortlessly. The way it flew through the vegetables made him look like a true professional.

He was very good at making the sushi too, he rolled them perfectly, without a single stray grain of rice anywhere on the plate.

Baking must have been really hard under a time constraint, but Iveron didn't panic at all. He measured the ingredients coolly and calmly. He kept his eye on the clock and pulled the pie out just in time.

When he was done, he had about five minutes to spare. His dishes were so colorful and I had no problems believing that those dishes could be served in a restaurant. It was judging time. Iveron had to go in the back room with his dishes, one at a time, while we watched him on the television that was in the front room. Two judges liked his pumpkin salad, while one judge liked the taste, but didn't think the dish was fancy enough to be in a restaurant. All three judges liked his sushi rolls and his key lime pie. His competitor Beatrice seemed to do really well and we were a little worried for Iveron even though we believed in his abilities. The judges emerged from the back room with both contestants and prepared to pick a winner. Naturally they went to a commercial break before making their announcement.

"Now, the moment you've all been waiting for. The winner of Sim Kitchen Season Five and the new chef of the Silicon Shores Planet Restaurant is... Iveron Zenteri. Congratulations, Iveron!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"

Iveron jumped up and down the same way he did when I told him he could apply for the show. I was so happy for him. All the judges hugged him and opened up some champagne to celebrate. Sadly for me, I couldn't participate in the alcohol drinking since I was pregnant. One of the judges tapped me on the shoulder.

"Congratulations, your son is going to be a great addition to the restaurant."

"Thank you so much!"

The judge then gave me a glass of sparkling grape juice, which is also what Johann got. We celebrated for an hour after the show had stopped filming. I was so proud of Iveron and I loved seeing him so happy. I'm sure we all slept well that night.

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The structure of Sim Kitchen is a mix of many television cooking shows that I enjoy watching.