The Chicken Sisters - K.J. Dell'Antonia Page 0,140
sounds simple. But execution is everything. And only one of the restaurants can win our hundred-thousand-dollar prize.”
Amanda felt Mae squeeze her hand. In the doorway, behind Sabrina and the cameras, Kenneth and Jay stood ready to carry in the sign she had painted last night. The sight of it made her feel better. It was a good sign, and this was a good thing. And Sabrina couldn’t ruin it.
Finished with her opening speech, Sabrina turned. This was what they’d been unable to plan for. Would she start with Mae, who would then throw it to Amanda, or come straight to Amanda? Would she ask them to talk before the judges, or after? It varied, on previous episodes; plus it would be clear to Sabrina that something out of the ordinary was going on, so who knew what she’d try.
In the moment when Sabrina began to walk back toward Mae and Amanda, Amanda saw a challenge in her eyes and knew that Sabrina was coming straight to her, to the weak spot. There was no wink in her eyes, either, as she took up that weird stance that meant she was talking to you and to the camera at the same time.
“Amanda, you grew up with Mae at Mimi’s. And then you married Nancy’s son, Frank, and started work at Frannie’s, where you’ve been ever since. Of everyone here, you know most about what goes on behind the scenes at both restaurants. What are you thinking now, when we’re about to declare one the winner?”
Amanda squeezed Mae’s hand back, and then, resolutely, let go. “I’m thinking we all win, Sabrina,” she said, to the camera, not Sabrina, as Mae had coached her. This actually made it easier. “When we found out our recipes were the same, we found out something else. The feud between the sisters that we’ve built our own feud on never existed. Mimi wanted Frannie’s to succeed. Frannie wanted the best for Mimi’s. There was room for two chicken shacks in this one little town.” She had to take a breath, and Sabrina jumped in.
“But there’s no room for two winners of Food Wars,” she said. “One of you is going to take home a hundred thousand dollars, and the other gets Miss Congeniality. We’ve seen a lot of strife between you two sisters over the course of the last week. You look like you’ve settled things now—but are we going to see something different once the winner is revealed?”
She left her microphone hovering between them, giving Mae a chance to jump in, but Mae, as they’d agreed, didn’t take it. Amanda had two points to go.
“When we say we both win, we really mean it. Times have changed since it made sense for Frannie and Mimi to each run their own place. So one of us will win, yeah, but we’re going to move forward together.” She glanced at Mae, who nodded. She was ready. “There’s room for two chicken restaurants, and Mimi’s and Frannie’s aren’t going anywhere, but there’s only room for one business.”
Kenneth and Jay walked in, right in front of the cameras, and set down the sign for Frankie, Gus, and Nancy to hold up, with Barbara nearby, as smoothly as though they had practiced it a dozen times. It was perfect, and although Amanda was meant to keep going, she suddenly couldn’t speak. Mae must have guessed, because she sailed in to make the third point, speaking as though they had planned it exactly this way.
“Whether Mimi’s or Frannie’s wins today, we want to introduce everyone to the Chicken Sisters, our new joint venture. From now on, whether you eat at Frannie’s or Mimi’s, you’ll know you’re getting Food Wars–winning fried chicken and service as we take what we’ve learned from working with Sabrina and Chefs Cary, James, and Simon and apply it on both sides of town.” Mae smiled out over the sign, which held Amanda’s drawing of two chickens, wings around each other in perfect harmony.
Sabrina’s eyes narrowed, but she beamed as though all Food Wars had ever wanted was to become Food Peace. “Still, there’s a verdict coming, and a winner to declare before you all skip off into the sunset.” She turned. “Judges, are you ready?”
From the chefs’ table, Simon Rideaux stood and clapped his hands, drawing everyone’s attention, as he no doubt meant to. “We’re ready, Sabrina,” he announced, and pointed to his fellow judges. This would be the infamous vote.