Worth the Risk Read Free

chef. Ribs and steak. Texas food.
    Right now Brad was showing the class how to roll the chocolate mixture into small balls. “Does anyone know what a truffle is?”
    Lexi doubted many of the students would, but to her surprise Amber’s hand immediately shot up. Brad nodded at her and Amber answered, “A truffle is in the mushroom family. It’s brown and grows mostly in deep forests. Pigs hunt them by sniffing them out. They’re very expensive.”
    The class laughed uproariously, as if Amber had just told an off-color joke.
    “That’s right,” Brad’s voice cut through the noise. “Truffles are hard to find and rare. That’s why they’re so expensive.”
    Amber must have read about wild truffles in one of her cookbooks. Why she couldn’t devote as much attention to her other studies mystified Lexi.
    “We call this chocolate a truffle because it’s brown and roundish,” Brad continued. “You don’t have to roll a perfectly round truffle. Just make them about the same size.”
    Lexi, Mrs. Zamora and Mrs. Geffen walked around the room helping any students who were having problems. It was a simple assignment. The only ones who asked for help really wanted attention. Lexi often found this true when she volunteered.
    After they formed the truffle balls, the class was shown how to roll them in cocoa powder and place them on cookie sheets for cooling in the commercial- size refrigerator. It was a simple assignment, considering some of the more intricate recipes guest chefs had prepared, and everyone seemed to be having a lot of fun. Of course, that meant the noise level in the cafeteria shot into the stratosphere.
    Brad Westcott didn’t seem to mind. He made his way around the room to speak encouragingly to the students. Lexi caught him looking at her several times.
    “I hear he’s one of the chefs being featured on a television program about rising stars in the restaurant business,” Mrs. Geffen whispered as the students lined up to put their cookie sheets into the refrigerator.
    “Really?” Lexi said, but she wasn’t surprised. Black Jack’s had opened to rave reviews and become an overnight sensation.
    What Lexi didn’t understand was why the chef had chosen to demonstrate chocolate truffles. Mrs. Geffen’s class was supposed to feature healthy food.
    Many students, like Amber, had chosen culinary arts as an elective because of their previous experience in Recipe for Success back in elementary school. The program had given them an appreciation for growing and preparing food.
    “How many of you know about my restaurant Black Jack’s?” Brad asked after the students had gone back to their seats.
    Most of the group raised their hands. Lexi considered it tactful of him not to ask how many had eaten there. Fast-food places were the extent of most of their dining experiences.
    “Good,” Brad said. “We’re known for ribs and steaks, but also for fabulous desserts. I’m sponsoring a contest for middle school students organized by the Chefs’ Association. The grand prize will be a thousand dollars and a summer internship with my pastry chef for the student who creates the best new dessert.”
    “An internship is an opportunity to work alongside a professional,” Mrs. Geffen told them. “You learn by doing.”
    “You won’t get paid for your work,” Brad added.
    There were some moans from the boys, but most of the students were interested. Especially Amber. She was beaming and whispering to the students seated beside her.
    Great. Just what Lexi needed. Summer was her busiest season in the garden and her most profitable. She wanted Amber to go to summer school to boost her grades and help with City Seeds in her free time. Spending hours in the kitchen creating a new dessert would be catastrophic for her health and no help in raising the money they needed so much. Besides, as far as Lexi was concerned, the world had too many desserts.

Chapter 2
    Lexi groaned inwardly as Brad Westcott described the