The Tomatoes of Great Price: A Chef’s Quest

Kieran Klukas
Carrie Klukas
Writing

In a world where culinary excellence and taste reign supreme, there lived a talented but struggling chef. His dishes were good, but they lacked the mind-melting pop he sought, leaving him feeling incomplete. The dream he held as a child—to create the perfect dish—now was a distant wisp of flame, weakly flickering.

As he walked home through the farmers market, he was absorbed in his own thoughts, and didn’t notice the package at his front door. The next day he found the parcel and when he opened it, he found it to contain an old parchment book. Over the next couple of days, he read the book and learned that it told of an explorer who had found a hidden valley on his travels.

As the chef delved deeper into the pages of the old tome, he became increasingly intrigued by the legendary land it spoke of. This hidden valley was said to be a paradise for culinary enthusiasts, where the finest and most exquisite ingredients grew naturally, untouched by the outside world. The thought of such a place reignited the spark within him, filling his heart with hope and excitement.

After finding a map in the book describing where the valley was, he decided that this was his chance. This was his time to risk everything and pursue the perfect dish, the epitome of his career. He sold his house and packing a few knives, a pan, some camping gear, and the tome he set off to hunt down the valley. It took him many weeks to find the area the map described, but eventually he found a town that matched the description of where the explorer had set out from.

The town he had located was quaint but charming, nestled between two mountains covered with lush foliage. The locals were friendly but reserved, and when he asked them about the valley, they immediately clammed up. The few responses that he got were cryptic and confusing. He got the sense that the valley was this town’s closely kept secret. Eventually he found someone who agreed to talk to him about the valley and after learning that the chef only wanted to find the perfect tomatoes for his dish they agreed to take him to the valley.

When he entered the valley he felt that it was a different world as the microclimate of the hidden valley made it felt like going to the tropics. He saw the biggest tomatoes he had ever seen and when he tried one he knew his mission had finally come to a close, they had that spark that would elevate his dish. He picked a basket of the solanaceous fruit and returned to town.

When the chef got back to town, he invited everyone to have dinner with him. While the chef cooked, the townspeople pushed tables together in the town square and everyone pitched in their cutlery and tableware. The chef cooked for hours preparing the food, and finally he was done. He started by serving everyone Tomato Symphony Bruschetta, his homage to the tomato’s pure flavor. Then after everyone had eaten their appetizer, he served the main course of Herb-Crusted Sea Bass with Tomato Confit that he had made with fish that had been caught in the valley hours before by the fishmonger. Finally, after everyone had their fill of the delicious fish, he served the final course, the desert (Tomato Sorbet with Basil Infusion).

After everyone had stuffed themselves to the brim and enjoyed hours of fellowship, the chef went to bed exhausted but happy – finally his dream was realized. After staying with the townspeople for a month they invited him to stay with them. He never returned home but stayed with the town, cooking food and helping protect the valley.