#risotto worked under them until his promotion

[oddverse]

Prosciuttos second favorite

[let-them-read-fics]

Flames

Requested By Anon "King" -- Cooking au, enemies to lovers, inspiration from Hell's Kitchen

Pairing: Lisa x Fem!Reader

AU: Chef (Lisa & Reader are chefs)

Word Count: ~ 5,904

Warnings / Misc. -- Bickering / Rivalry, Fluff, Suggestive Scene

Disclaimer: This writing is a work of fiction, and no disrespect is meant for those mentioned herein.

A/N: Helllloooo, peeps! I hope all of you are taking care of yourselves and having great days / nights, wherever you are :) Special thanks to this anon for being so sweet in their request -- I love cooking shows, too, so this was a fun one to write. Thank you for requesting! You're welcome in my inbox anytime ❤ Hope you guys enjoy this one :)

♡ Happy Reading ♡

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

"Three sirloins, dying on the pass!" You shout out to your fellow chefs, shaking your head in disapproval. Service has been running fairly smoothly tonight, but a recent influx of celebrities coming from a nearby award show is slowing things to a halt. 

You give attention to the pans in front of you, stirring each of them in the pattern you've set and keeping a steady rhythm. Consistency is key, and you're one of the only chefs who hasn't lost focus yet. 

The other? Lisa Manoban. 

"Side dishes heading to the pass," she announces, setting the pans down for your head chef to plate and approve of. He does so without a second thought, and you have to stop yourself from rolling your eyes. 

The cocky smirk on Lisa's lips soon falters, though, when he gives her a warning. "You were almost too late, Manoban. Speed things up. Y/N is keeping the pace set, and you need to follow suit." 

Checkmate.

"Yes, chef," she nods, though you can tell she's annoyed. You snicker quietly, and thankfully the sounds of the kitchen conceal your little noise. If your manager were to hear you you'd surely get reprimanded, and Lisa doesn't deserve the satisfaction of seeing that. 

She returns to her station across from you, briefly meeting your gaze as a competitive fire flashes in her eyes, ignited by the comment from your higher-up.  

This is the routine that the two of you have settled into ever since you were hired five months ago. Both of you had applied for the same position, and you quickly worked your way up to where you are now. Every time you were promoted, she was never far behind. The tense nature of your relationship (if you'd even call it that) is rooted in who can put out the best tasting dishes and receive the most recognition and praise for their work. It's childish, but you'd be lying to say that part of you doesn't enjoy it. 

Especially when you win. 

Tonight is shaping up to be one of those nights, and your confidence builds with every compliment you receive. You don't let it go to your head, though; if anything, you use it as a reason to push yourself harder. 

Lisa isn't discouraged in the slightest, and she produces some of her best work right alongside yours.

"Chef, table 15 has requested for the cooks who prepared their dishes to come out to their table. They want to thank them properly," the server informs your manager, cocking his head to the side to motion towards them. 

After recognizing them as a pair of world-renowned fashion designers, he decides to sacrifice some of his best cooks' time on the line and grant their wishes. 

"What dishes did they have?" 

"Both ordered the sirloin and asparagus with potato purée, sir." 

Your head shoots up at that, excited by the confirmation of what you had been hoping for. Your senior nods to the server, turning around at the pass to look at you. 

"Y/N, Lisa; head out to greet our guests, please." 

"Right away, sir."

"On it, chef."

Both of you inform your assistants of the time left on your respective components before following after the waiter. Lisa not-so-subtly elbows you in an attempt to walk in front of you, but you step on her foot to prevent her from doing so. 

Pushing and shoving each other like schoolgirls until you're in line of sight of the customers, you follow the waiter up to their table. He leaves shortly after dropping you off.

"Good evening, ladies," you greet with a smile, watching as their faces light up. 

Lisa steps forward and extends a hand to one of them, making a crimson blush rush to her cheeks. A new feeling blossoms in your chest at their interaction, and you don't know how to take it. Deciding to just move on, you ask about their meals. 

"I hope dinner was everything you wanted it to be."

"Oh, absolutely. The sirloin was cooked perfectly. Which one of you is responsible for it?"

A proud smile forms on your lips at that, and you bow your head lightly. "Me, miss. I'm glad you enjoyed." 

"I'll have to come back more often, then. Cute and skilled? Count me in." She smirks at you, eyes taking in the sight of you in your uniform as she shamelessly flirts. You blush under her gaze, but hide it with a smug smile of your own.

"We'd be lucky to have you back anytime." 

You shoot a glance at the other girl as well, making sure to keep her feeling included. Lisa's eye roll goes unnoticed by you, as does the dejected look that threatens to show on her beautiful face. 

"My favorite part was the side dishes. The sirloin was great, but that purée was delicious. And don't even get me started on the risotto from earlier," the other woman gushes, praising Lisa's work for the night. The Thai girl perks up at that, her confidence on its way to being fully restored. 

"Ah, you're too kind." She attempts to sound humble, but you know the truth; she lives for this sort of thing. The rush of cooking and serving up dish after tasty dish is thrilling, but nothing compares to getting compliments from the customers. 

"I'm just stating facts..." she leans forward in her chair, obviously eyeing Lisa's chest as she reads her name off of her chef coat, "...Lisa." 

"Oh, yeah? How about I whip you up another batch, then? Any side you want." Your rival offers, a bruisingly sexy smile on her face as she gazes down at the woman. It isn't new for either of you to flirt with the customers and schmooze your way into their hearts (and wallets), but something in the way Lisa admires the diner makes you jealous. 

Her eyes scan over the menu as if she's looking through the options again, but she turns back to bite her lip and toy with Lisa some more. "Are you on the menu?"

She chuckles at the line, clearly not expecting that; she should've, though; it's one of the most overused pick-ups that you've ever heard. 

"I can be--"

Just as Lisa goes to lean closer to her, the waiter comes back. For some reason unknown to you, you release a breath of relief, thankful for the interruption. 

"I hate to break this up, but our chefs are needed back in the kitchen." He informs, linking his arms behind his back respectfully. 

"Ah, that's too bad. Maybe we'll stick around until service is over." Lisa's fan says, looking to her friend with a shrug of her shoulders in a silent request for her opinion. 

"Maybe, if that's alright with you."

Your customer looks up at you with hopeful eyes, though she attempts to hide it to some degree; she's not as brazen as her counterpart. 

"Of course, darling," you decide to play into it. "You're welcome to stay as long as you'd like. I do recommend getting some dessert, though; pass the time a little faster. I'll be making the sweetened soufflé, if you're interested." 

"Sounds delicious; I'm sold." She smiles at you, looking you up and down one last time. 

"Enjoy the rest of your evening, ladies." You nod, bidding both of them farewell as you turn to follow after the waiter. Lisa does the same, and you can feel her hot on your trail shortly after. 

"Back to your stations, both of you," your executive chef says upon your arrival, as if you had other intentions. 

"Yes, chef," both of you respond, heading back without a second thought. 

After pushing out a few more main dishes, you're instructed to rotate positions as the desert course kicks off. Other chefs will handle the remaining entrées now and allow you the opportunity to take over with the sweets. 

Once you've buttered and coated the soufflé dish with granulated sugar, you combine the appropriate ingredients in the bowl that rests on the countertop in front of you, making sure to keep an eye on the milk as it heats up on the stovetop. Once both tasks are completed, you stir some of the milk into the batter you made, tempering the mixture. After you're satisfied with the consistency of it, you add the rest of it back to the pot on the stove and carefully whisk the ingredients together. 

As that mellows out, you beat the egg whites required for the dish and add in the different extracts that the recipe calls for. Before long, you've folded both components in with one another and the dessert is ready to be baked. 

"Nice work, Y/N. Keep it up." Your head chef encourages, making pride swell in your chest again.

You continue on with that steady pace, and all of your soufflés come out as tasty as ever, receiving plenty of praise from your happy customers. Lisa works just as hard, though, and her toffee puddings are a major hit with the diners. 

Two hours later, dinner service is finally over. 

Lisa finishes cleaning up her station as she sneaks a glance over to you, feeling her heart beat a little faster at the way you push your hair out of your face. A few drops of condensation tumble their way down the bottle of water that you're drinking from, clearly exhausted and hot after working so hard for so long, and she bites her lip. You're too attractive for your own good, and Lisa reprimands herself for admiring you in such a way. 

You're practically enemies, after all; constantly striving for better positions and more attention, it's a never-ending battle of who can come out on top. She loves the game, if she's honest; keeping you on your toes is one of her favorite pastimes, and the banter is always a plus. 

Especially when it gets heated. 

She loves the way your brow twitches and your lips press together when you're forced to bite your tongue and keep the bickering to a minimum. You're too mature to play into her games most of the time -- not wanting to piss your head chef off -- but sometimes she gets you to break and fire off another reply, not caring what he'll say. 

She loves it. Nothing will ever compare to getting you riled up like that. 

"How's my girlfriend doing out there?" Lisa asks the server with a smile, tilting her head forward to motion to the dining room. 

"They're the only ones still here. I have to hand it to them; they're dedicated." He chuckles, clapping Lisa on the back as he passes her. "They've been talking about both of you all night." He concludes, looking between the two of you before retreating to the break room to change. 

Lisa laughs at that, and you curse yourself under your breath for enjoying the sound. 

"Come on, let's go see them before they storm the kitchen," she plays, winking at you as she pushes the swinging door open. 

At The Table, A Few Minutes Later

"I saved you a bite," your customer says, smiling at you as she reaches for a spoon that hasn't been used yet. Her friend catches the uncertain look in your eye, and she decides to ease your fears. 

"Don't worry, she didn't slobber all over it. She cut that piece out before she started eating earlier." 

You nod, thankful for the clarification. The woman turns back to Lisa, satisfied with her good deed for the day, and the two begin flirting again. 

After the woman in front of you scoops the tasty dessert up, she holds the spoon out in front of your lips. A knowing smile spreads across your cheeks, and you open your mouth for her to feed you. 

She's cute, you must say. Her auburn hair falls across her shoulders in perfect waves, complementing the velvety color of her leather jacket wonderfully. A pattern of freckles runs across the bridge of her nose, and a single, deep-set dimple presses into the soft skin of her right cheek. 

The sound of her laughter carries out across the room as you attempt to take the whole piece in one bite -- she offered way too much at once for a single bite, but you never back down from a challenge. 

Lisa subconsciously grips the tablecloth a little tighter when she sees her put a finger to your lips, preventing the food from spilling out and making a mess everywhere. You giggle and chew it up, eventually managing to swallow it without getting choked. Your fingers wrap around the customer's wrist, gently pulling her hand away from your lips as you rub her tender skin. 

The woman in front of Lisa sighs, clearly wanting attention. 

"Sorry, what were you saying?" She shakes her head, willing her envy to go away so she can flirt some more. 

"I was asking if you have plans tonight. You're probably tired from working, so I figured I could treat you to some R&R." Her tone drops lower than normal, and a suggestive look shines in her eyes as she gives Lisa another once-over. 

"Hmm, sounds like just what the doctor ordered," she leans in a bit closer, egging the girl on. They don't call Lisa a playgirl for nothing. 

"Your place or mine?" She whispers into her ear, sounding desperate to get the chef alone. 

"M-"

Lisa's response is abruptly cut off by the sound of a muffled noise of surprise from you, and she looks across the table again to find the other customer's lips pressed against yours. Your shoulders relax after a second as you return the gesture, but you eventually pull away to put some distance between the two of you. 

Fuming, now too jealous to think straight, Lisa unceremoniously stands from her seat and steps around the table to you. The fact that she was just a few minutes away from taking her customer home and doing much more than kissing is lost on her -- seeing you in such a position with the other woman sparked something in her. 

"If you'll excuse us, my colleague and I have to get going." She announces to the women, gripping your arm to pull you up from your chair. Her hold is firm, and the way her fingertips dig into your forearm sends a chill down your spine. 

"Don't wait up." She adds, dragging you behind herself as she slams the kitchen door open. She's much more bold now that the head chef has left for the night -- clearly she pays little mind to being loud or rough. 

"What the hell, Lisa?" You bite back, attempting to shake free of her grip. 

She only tightens it, saying, "Quiet, L/N."

After stepping out into the deserted hallway and ensuring that the coast is clear, Lisa opens the door to one of the utility closets and pushes you inside. You stumble a bit, feeling the unforgiving edge of one of the metal racks dig into your back as you collide with it. 

"What is your problem?" You hiss, spurred on by the stinging sensation radiating across your back. 

"You," she says, turning around to lock the door behind herself. Your brows furrow, but she's quick to explain.

"Out there kissing that customer, letting her put her hands all over you… it's pathetic." 

You scoff, shaking your head in disbelief. "Pathetic? Look at yourself, for Christ's sake; two minutes later and you would've been screwing that girl in the back of an Uber." 

She tuts at you, stalking closer. "Don't go telling lies now, Y/N/N. You know I would've taken her home on my motorcycle and then got her in bed."

You groan at her cockiness; it exudes from her in waves, irking you to no end. Sometimes you wonder if she was made to annoy you. 

"Whatever, Lisa. I'm leaving," you shoulder check her on the way to the door, but she's quick to react. Before you can move to unlock it, she has your back up against the door and her hands on your hips, keeping you pinned there. Her lips are on yours in a flash, urgently working against them in a show of how eager she is for you. 

You worked her up out there more than you realized, and she couldn't take it anymore. 

You mumble against her mouth in shock, taking a second to decide what to do with your hands. Should you push her away, or pull her impossibly closer? The choice is made for you when she parts your legs with her thigh, sliding it between them and pulling your hips forward so that you brush against it. 

A groan slips out of your mouth at the new sensation, though it's muffled against her lips. She smirks, letting go of your hips to reach around behind you and untie the apron that's secured around your waist. She praises you as you rut against her leg again, sliding her tongue across your bottom lip to ask for entrance as the material falls to the floor with a quiet noise of impact. 

Her fingertips undo the buttons of your top with haste, and she helps you slide it off your arms. It remains pooled at your waist, still tucked into your pants. 

"Tell me if you want me to stop," she whispers against your lips before pecking them one more time, leaving a trail of kisses down your jawline and towards your collarbone. 

Asking for consent is sexy as hell; especially coming from the goddess in front of you. 

You curtly nod, bringing your hands up to her back. Your nails drag along the material of her uniform, encouraging her. 

"Not so vocal now, are we?" Lisa teases, tilting your head back to grant herself more access to the sensitive skin of your neck. 

"I can walk out this door right now, you know?" You say more than ask, the syllables mixing with moans as she leaves yet another darkening love bite on you. 

"We both know that isn't true," she chuckles lowly, making you weak in the knees. You'll be damned to let go of your pride, though. 

Gathering up all of the self control you possess, you shove her away and pull your shirt back over your arms, beginning to redo the buttons. You suppress the smirk begging to make itself visible when you notice the smug expression on her face fall. Smoothing the material out, you run a hand through your hair and readjust it before unlocking and opening the door. 

The second your left foot makes it through the threshold, she's wrapping her arms around you and tugging you back in. A wave of relief washes over you at that -- you were praying she'd do exactly what she did. You hadn't imagined yourself making it down the hall, and you're not sure if you would've had the self restraint to do so.

"How the hell are you so stubborn?" She asks, letting you take over now. You drag over one of the folding chairs you spotted earlier, commanding her to sit in it with a mere glance. 

"Letting you win isn't an option, Lis. Somebody has to wipe that stupid grin off your face and put you in your place; it might as well be me." 

"How selfless," she holds her hand over her heart, face shining with mock proudness. "I'm touched." 

"Shut up already," you laugh, straddling her waist as you sit on her lap. Her hands instinctively go to your thighs, running up and down them to get you going. She can feel your warmth through the material of your pants, and the feeling is intoxicating. 

You cup her jaw and pull her closer, kissing her at a slower pace now. This one isn't as rough; it holds a whole different type of sensuality, and the occasional roll of her hips lets you know it's doing something to her, too. 

"I've wanted this for so long," she says in between kisses, gently undoing the fasteners on your jeans. 

"Really?" 

"Really." She confirms, untucking your shirt now and running her hands up your back. The cold air of the room slides under the material, ghosting over your newly exposed skin to make goosebumps appear.

"I'm surprised I held out this long," she admits, remembering all of the times she's had to stop herself from making her feelings known. 

You kiss her again before leaning back on her thighs and taking your coat and shirt off, left only in your bra. The lacey material begs to be touched, and Lisa traces the intricate patterns with her fingertips after receiving a nod from you. 

"Jesus," you moan, feeling her other hand palm your ass as she keeps you steady on her lap. 

"So beautiful," she sighs, admiring the way your cheeks have gotten flushed and how your chest rises and falls at a quicker pace now. Her hand guides the movements of your hips, and she can feel her own arousal spread to her thighs at the sight of you. 

"Who's capable of doing this to you? Making you such a needy mess?" She asks, clearly wanting an ego boost, and she squeezes your breast a little harder when you take longer than she likes to answer. 

"Y-you, Lisa." 

"That's right, baby." She kisses you again, a silent action of approval. Your movements stutter as she moves her hand to the inside of your thigh, slipping past the material of your open jeans. 

"Stop teasing already," you huff, resting your forehead against hers as you reach down to lead her hand closer to where you need her most. 

"Fine, but under one condition," she quickly caves in, sliding the thin material of your panties to the side in order to appease you. 

"Shit," you both say at the same time. In any other circumstance, you probably would've laughed at something like that, but now the atmosphere is entirely different. 

Your slick coats her fingers, and she moans at the feeling of what she's done to you.

"What's your condition?" You husk out, pressing your hand to the door behind her to give yourself better leverage to rock against her. 

"Come home with me after. I don't want to stop anytime soon." She kisses your jaw as she waits on your answer, feeling her warm breath fan out across your already heated skin. 

"Deal. Now come here."

She meets you halfway, angling her head up to capture your lips in a searing kiss as she increases the intensity of her ministrations. The sound of the chair's legs squeaking against the floor with every combined roll of your bodies makes you smile, and soon the room is filled with filthy noises of pleasure from the both of you.

The Next Morning

The sound of your phone ringing abruptly pulls you from your dream, making you blindly reach for it. Not daring to expose your eyes to the harsh morning sunlight that's pushing its way past the curtains, you stretch your arm out until your fingers brush against the smooth surface of your screen. 

You shield your eyes as you check the caller ID, only to nearly have a heart attack when you read it. 

"Good morning, sir. I'm sorry for making you wait so long." You apologize, cringing at the fact that you almost missed a call from your manager. It was probably only one or two rings away from going unanswered. 

"That's alright, Y/N," he says, sounding generous. He must be having a good day. "I'm calling to ask if you can come in. I have something I'd like to discuss with you." 

Your heart drops at that, irrationally thinking he must've somehow caught you and Lisa at the restaurant last night without you knowing, but you try to remain calm. 

"O-of course, sir. I'll be there in 30 minutes." You respond, already throwing the cover off yourself and moving to stand. 

"Thank you, Y/N. See you soon." 

He ends the call, and you try to decipher his tone. It was level and calm, holding no quality to tell you if he was angry or happy. You sigh, hoping it's nothing bad. 

You stand up and stretch the remaining tension from your body, attempting to work out the kinks Lisa made in your muscles during your tiring night together. It was everything you'd ever hoped for, and your inability to walk properly is a testament to that. 

You find a note waiting for you on the countertop in her bathroom, complete with a lipstick stain kissed onto it. You smile, picking it up. 

Morning, beautiful 

I had to leave early to take care of some business, but there's some toast waiting for you in the kitchen. It's all I had time to make. 

Help yourself to anything else you want in there.

Xoxo, Lis

In an attempt to rid yourself of the annoyingly giddy feeling warming your heart, you take your clothes -- more specifically, the pajamas that Lisa gifted you -- off and step into the shower. The steam doesn't take long to fill the room, fogging up every surface in sight. 

You look down at yourself, watching as suds trek their random paths down to your legs, and you see just how many marks Lisa really left. Your inner thighs are covered, as are your hips, neck, and abdomen, all painted in beautiful shades and designs. She was an animal, and you lived for every second of it. 

Now that you think of it, though, you'll have to dedicate a good chunk of time to covering them up with makeup before you go to the restaurant. You vow to kill her if she makes you late. 

At The Restaurant 

Releasing one last, steadying breath, you knock on the door to your boss's office.

"Come in," he says, sounding pleasant. 

When you walk in and find Lisa sitting in one of the chairs in front of his desk, you do a double take at her. She sports the same confused expression, but you hide your surprise and shut the door behind yourself before sitting in the seat beside her. 

"Right," he starts, linking his fingers together authoritatively as he nods. "Now that you're both here, I'd like to discuss the latest promotion available." 

Is he really going to make one of you watch while he hands the position to the other? That'll be torture -- especially if you lose. Having Lisa win like that would surely only make her teasing worse. 

"You know we need strong leadership here, and I see those qualities in both of you. I'm willing to offer you both the position of sous chef, if you can agree to work together and continue keeping your standards high. If you get too busy bickering with one another, I'll be forced to choose. You're both talented, so don't make me do that."

Lisa looks over at you, and you smile, completely taken aback. To say you're surprised is an understatement. 

"Thank you, sir." You say, snapping back to reality as you extend a hand for him to shake. 

He smiles back, looking proudly between the two of you. 

"You're welcome." 

He shakes your hand before giving the same treatment to Lisa, making her look like an excited teenager with the way her cheeks pull back in a wide grin. After talking a bit longer and working out a few specifics, the two of you leave, allowing him to attend a phone conference in peace. 

"Eee!" Lisa squeals the second you're out the door, picking you up in her arms to spin you around. You laugh at her sudden outburst, happy to have another sweet moment like this and break the tension that always seems to be swirling around the two of you. 

"I'm gonna kick your ass during service tonight," she says, smirking evilly as she sets you back down. 

"You wish. I'll wipe the floor with you." 

"Oo, kinky. I think that's the only thing we didn't try last night," she teases, tapping her chin as if she's actually thinking about it, causing you to roll your eyes and blush. 

"Shut up, Manoban. I'm sore as hell today, and I still haven't forgiven you yet." 

"Aww, does my girl need some TLC? I can help you with that, you know." 

You try not to think too far into the titles she's been giving you, but that one stands out for some reason. She likely doesn't mean anything deeper by it, but it doesn't stop you from pretending. 

You're tired of the knowing look she's sending you, so you decide to do something about it.

Sneaking a glance around the two of you, you push her against the hallway wall and kiss her. You thread your fingers through her hair, pulling on the strands to give yourself more access to her mouth, just as you did last night. She enjoyed it then, and you're hoping she likes it just as much right now. Clearly, your plan works; as you pull away from her, you're rewarded with a view of her dilated pupils, blown wide as her arousal comes back without warning. 

"That's cruel," she pouts, knowing full well you have no intention of finishing what you started. 

"Think of it as retribution." You cheerily nod, ignoring the heat pooling in your stomach at the way she's eyeing you. 

"See you tonight!" You blow her a kiss before walking away, hearing her frustrated sigh bounce off the walls.

Dinner Service

"Risotto to the pass, please!" You shout, practically begging for the line cook that you're now overseeing to do his job properly. 

"I'm a minute out, chef." 

You shake your head, but choose to ignore his incompetence for the time being. You're keeping things running smoothly, but they can easily be stalled by people like him. 

You focus on plating the entrées of another table while you wait for him to finish, and Lisa slides over the side dish that you need to add. "Thank you," you say, totally in the zone. 

"Welcome," she responds, equally as focused as you. It's definitely a quality that you admire about her; she's playful and fun, but she's serious in the kitchen. You'd clash and this whole arrangement would fail if she were any other way.

"Risotto approaching, chef." 

"Finally," you clap, ready to approve of it and send it out. Thankfully it's cooked well, and the line chef is saved from your wrath -- at least for now. 

"Service!" 

Two waiters step forward following your call, and they load the large trays into their arms before heading to the dining room. 

You get back to work on the next set of orders, reading the new tickets off to your cooks and listening for their confirmation of hearing you. 

"Try this, Y/N. I think it's missing something." Lisa says, grabbing a plastic spoon to allow you to taste test the soup waiting to be sent out. She brings the utensil up to your lips and throws it away once you gather up the liquid. 

"Basil. Tell Amanda it needs basil." 

Lisa nods, listening to you for once without question. She barks the orders out to the young chef, and the girl fires off a couple apologies as she brings the missing ingredient over. 

"Thank you, Amanda. Get back to work, I know you can do it," you encourage her, not wanting to crush her spirits too badly in the first week of her job. She's a newbie, and you remember being in her shoes once. 

Pierre, your host and main waiter, approaches the side of the pass that borders the dining room. You raise an eyebrow at his sudden presence, wordlessly asking what he needs as you stir some pasta in the pot in front of you, twisting it around your tongs to plate it. 

"We have a guest requesting to see Lisa." 

Confusion flashes across your face for a moment, but then it sinks in. Your eyes land on the woman from last night, finding her standing near the front door with her arms crossed and a smirk on her lips. She waves to Lisa in greeting, and you bite your tongue to stop yourself from saying something out of line. 

You can feel Lisa's gaze trail over to you, but you don't look up. 

"Tell her I'll be there in a minute." She orders Pierre, quickly thanking him as he heads off to do as she asked. 

She wants to say something to you, but she doesn't know exactly what. Her feelings are still jumbled from last night, and she's not too entirely certain on where you stand with one another. 

--

You subconsciously hold your breath as she approaches the girl, getting pulled in for a tight hug as if she's known her for years. Was that the "business" she had to take care of this morning? Who knows. 

They continue their conversation for a few minutes, and you distract yourself by focusing on pumping more food out. 

"Good job, team. Keep it up," you praise them, happy to see everyone working well together. They thank you for the encouragement, and promise to keep their momentum going. 

A few minutes later, as things begin to get a little hectic, you sneak a glance up at Lisa. She locks eyes with you, as if on cue. 

You can see her trying to politely leave, but the woman puts a hand on her forearm, stepping forward to flirtily whisper something in her ear. She eventually manages to get her to back away, and she points at the door. The customer glares at you over Lisa's shoulder, leaving you confused but delighted. Seeing her unhappy is a treat in and of itself. 

As Lisa turns around and starts to walk back to the kitchen, you quickly jump back into action, narrowly avoiding getting caught staring. Lisa has a sneaking suspicion that that's exactly what you were doing, but she doesn't speak on it as she rounds the corner of the pass. 

"Well?" You nonchalantly ask, glancing at her in your peripheral. Your hands arrange a new set of plates on the tray between you, and her fingers brush against yours as she adds a side salad to it. 

"She wanted to finish what she started last night." She informs, pausing before she finishes telling you what happened in order to build suspense and torture you some more. 

"I said no, of course," she assures you, smiling when she notices you sigh in relief. "I've got my eye on someone else now." 

"Yeah?" You ask, turning to look at her with a soft smile. Her change in demeanor makes your heart flutter. 

"Yeah. Amanda's looking pretty good, isn't she?"

"Hey!" You shout, a little too loud for your own good, making Lisa laugh. You apologize to the guests and staff before punching Lisa in the arm, ready to get revenge later. 

"Kidding, babe. You think I'd let you go after last night?" She cocks her head to the side, sounding genuinely confused that you could think such a thing. "Not a chance," she smiles, leaning to the side to kiss your cheek and bump your hip with her own. 

Who would've thought you could end up here with her?

[sourwormsaresour]

La Squadra Names

Based on this naming convention post I responded to and a few headcanons about the members sprinkled here and there added in. 

Risotto Nero ➡️ Dante di Nero 

Reasoning Behind Real Name:

Named after biological mother and aunt’s biological father, Dante Ferraro I.

Last name came from adoptive uncle’s side.

Family Background: 

Most of the biological mother’s side of the family originated from the Piedmont region. Biological father’s side came from Sicily.

Family traces back to Sicily and Armenia, although there is no more connection to the latter.

Biological parents currently live in Sicily. Risotto and his immediate family resided in Turin.

Reasoning Behind Code Name:

Name chosen by Sorbet and Gelato when initiated. Was given a list of names and picked the first one that caught his eye. 

Became Risotto Nero after being promoted to leader of La Squadra. 

Immediate Family Info:

Grew up with his adoptive aunt, uncle, and younger cousin.

Cousin’s name was Alberto di Nero. RIsotto picked it out himself when he was five. 

Sorbet ➡️ Alessandro Versace II

Reasoning Behind Real Name:

Named after his father and hoped to carry the family name.

Preferred to be called Sandro by his closest peers and teammates. Most still call him Sorbet out of respect. 

Family Background:

Family came from Calabria, Italy but have long history of family members being from Sicily.

Part Greek and Sicilian on his father’s side by descent. 

Immediate family lived in Calabria until they had to move to Sicily when they became poor.

Reasoning Behind Code Name:

Name was chosen by the mafioso that recruited him to Passione. 

Original code name was Granite di Versache before stepping down as senior member of La Squadra. 

Immediate Family Info:

Grew up with a father and mother. Was an only child.

Had a dog name Dolce as a child but gave it away when his mother became too sick to care for it.

Gelato ➡️ Fabrizio Rosso

Reasoning Behind Real Name:

Named after his mother’s late half-brother, Fabriano “Rico” Cavallaro.

Was nicknamed “Pazzo Rico” as a kid for how crazy he was willing to go to get what he wants. 

Unknown whether the surname comes from his mother’s side or father’s side.

Family Background:

Both parents claim their respective families came from Sicily, Italy, but there are no historical record to confirm or deny it.  

All surviving family members had in Sicily all their life and no one ever thought about leaving their region alive.

Majority reside in some run-down neighborhood sprinkled around the region. 

Reasoning Behind Code Name:

Name was chosen by Polpo when he was inducted into Passione. 

Original name was Affogato Rosso before stepping down as senior member of La Squadra. 

Immediate Family Info:

Grew up with a father, mother, and 12 younger siblings. Only 7 of them would be alive or not missing by the time Gelato was 18. 

Remaining siblings are named Stefano, Leone, Noemi, Oscar, Carina, and Carlo. Carina and Carlo are twins and Noemi was part of a set of triplets.

Stefano and Noemi are Gelato’s full siblings while the rest are half-siblings. He still regards all as his full blood. 

Ghiaccio ➡️ Ghiaccio Francescon 

Reasoning Behind Real Name:

Originally went by Ariana Bianchi before transition. Named after his mother’s favorite opera Ariane et Barbe-bleue.

Never got a chance to choose a new name as a male so he stuck with his code name instead. 

Last name was mother’s maiden name. Original last name came from his step-father. 

Family Background:

Part Venetian on his mother’s side. Biological father’s side is unknown, though rumored to be of French origin as well as Italian.

Step-father came from Florence but grew up in Venice before meeting Ghiaccio’s mother. 

Family mostly lived all around the world, depending on what they needed to train for, but their home is based in Rome. 

Reasoning Behind Code Name:

Name given to him by Risotto when he joined La Squadra. 

Ghiaccio personally asked Risotto for one and immediately took the name to heart ever since. 

Immediate Family:

Had a biological mother but raised by step-father after she passed away. Biological father was ex-husband that his mother divorced before Ghiaccio was born. 

Grew up with step-father and older half-brother. Half brother’s name is Amadeo Müller. Last named belong to previous ex-husband before Ghiaccio’s biological father.

He later became known as Secco under Cioccolata’s control. 

Illuso ➡️ Isidoro de Spagnola Fernández

Reasoning Behind Real Name:

Simply goes by Isidoro by his friends or just Illuso to his teammates.

As a designer, he went by the moniker ISI, due to it’s seemly symmetrical appearance, and signed his work as such. 

Follows naming convention where both surnames are used as part of his name. de Spagnola is his father’s surname and Fernández is his mother’s surname.

Family Background:

Immediate family immigrated from Spain so parents can pursue their art careers.

Overall family history goes as far as a noble family of Castille that started marrying into the royal family before eventually off-shooting from the Habsburgs in the 1500s.

Only a few distant family members have remained in Spain. Others, like Illuso’s immediate family, have moved to other places around the world. 

Reasoning Behind Code Name:

Moniker was eventually used for his mercenary alias and eventually evolved to become the name Illuso. 

Wanted to stand out from the other “food-based” code names. 

Immediate Family:

Grew up with a mother and father as well as two older siblings. Mostly raised by older siblings due to parents’ negligence. 

Older sister and brother are named Catalina and Hugo respectively. 

Prosciutto ➡️ Francesco di Aiello

Reasoning Behind Real Name:

Given by his mother because it sounded regal and “Hollywood” enough to possibly make it big as an actor.

No one knows his real name is Francesco except for Pesci during a night of excessive drinking. The latter was sworn into secrecy afterwards. 

Takes on mother’s surname but has considered changing it for various reasons.

Family Background:

Mother’s family came from Campania and history goes as far as that. Biological father is unknown but rumored to be from Rome or Sardinia. 

Moved around a lot in Rome to avoid getting evicted. 

Reasoning Behind Code Name:

Name given by Ghiaccio after noticing how the Stand’s abilities resembles the moisture being sucked out of pork when making Prosciutto.

Initially was skeptical about the name reasoning but went with it anyways. 

Immediate Family:

Grew up with a single mother and half younger brother. Younger half brother’s name is Cassio Montagna.

Biological father left the family after Prosciutto’s birth, despite promising to help raise him. 

Cassio left home shortly after witnessing Prosciutto kill their mother and became his biological father’s legitimate son soon after. 

Neither brothers have seen each other since. Cassio refuses to acknowledge Prosciutto, despite the other trying to reach out whenever he can. 

Formaggio ➡️ Massimo Umbro

Reasoning Behind Real Name:

Named after actor Massimo Serato, who his father was a fan of. 

Grew up struggling to pronounce his name and ended up earning the nickname Mo for a while. Absolutely hates that nickname now and will beat you up if you call him that out of nowhere.

Was nicknamed “Il Surcieddu” as a kid by an old visiting Sicilian man that he tried to pickpocket. 

Family Background:

Both sides of the family come from the Umbria region, father was from Perugia and mother from Terni. 

Family history goes back to the 1000s from farmers residing in the area. No one in the family does farm work anymore. 

Family is full of cousins and distant relatives that either live in Umbria or Sicily. 

Reasoning Behind Code Name:

Came up with the name Formaggio as a joke but stuck with it. Was actually eating cheese when he came up with it. 

Tried to get his teammates to call him Gio as his nickname instead but it never happened. 

Immediate Family:

Grew up with a mother and father, alongside 6 other siblings as a middle child. 

Older brothers are Mattia, Gabriele, Lorenzo, and Tommaso. All of them passed away right before Formaggio decided to change his life around and become a line-worker at a factory. 

Younger sisters are Guilia La Porta and Sofia Orsatti. Both have already married and taken their husbands’ names by the time Formaggio first met La Squadra

Pesci ➡️ Luca Passalacqua 

Reasoning Behind Real Name:

Named by his grandparents. Parents wanted to name him Andrea but were ordered not to. 

Pesci has debated on whether to be called Andrea instead ever since he joined La Squadra. 

Nicknamed Lulu by Sorbet and Gelato. 

Last name dates back to an old merchant family known for foreign imports during the Renaissance. 

Family Background:

Both families come from Portofino, though they have some family history of being from Venice and Milan. However, his grandparents’ controlling nature makes it hard to confirm or deny facts beyond what they’re willing to say or fabricate.

His father’s side has established a successful fishing business for years, even centuries, under that name. 

Mother’s side is mostly unknown to Pesci, since she was adopted as a child and grew up in Portofino. 

Reasoning Behind Code Name:

Given the name Pesci after a member commented about his background in the fishing industry. 

Stuck with it after Prosciutto mentioned it was a good name to have.

Immediate Family:

Grew up with his father, mother, and paternal grandparents. Was an only child

Parents struggled to conceive him and pressured to so by grandparents. Pesci always asked for a sibling and never understood why he never had one until he joined La Squadra. 

Melone ➡️ Ezio Romana

Reasoning Behind Real Name:

Parents literally chose a random name that would be simple yet memorable in an academic setting. 

Considered changing his last name to his late wife’s in memory of her. 

Family Background:

Family history is unknown beyond being Italian. No one on both sides really bothered to track their heritage. Most members live around the world in various countries. 

Only knew that parents used to live in France and Germany before moving to Italy in order to pursue their education and careers, and may be French or German too. 

Lived in Rome his whole life until he moved alone to study at Polytechnic University of Milan.

Moved to Turin briefly for work before going back to Milan to pursue his doctorate and new job. 

Reasoning Behind Code Name:

Had a habit of signing his letter E sideways, making it resemble the letter M. 

Illuso suggested choosing a name that started with an M and the name Melone stuck ever since. 

Immediate Family:

Grew up with a mother and father as an only child. 

Had a late wife named Vittoria “Tori” Ann Shelly, a  student from England he met during a work event and eventually was a classmate of his during their doctorate program.

Melone refuses to talk about  ever since she passed and will get terrifyingly angry if pushed to do so. 

[wildandsexyjacks]

Mocktails & (Not So) Useless Company Parties

Seungyoun + #11 from this holiday prompt list

Word Count: 1.5k

Warnings: alcohol consumption

You love your job, you tell yourself over and over again, looking at your own reflection in the mirror of the ladies room. You do what you’ve always wanted to do, what you’re good at, what makes you happy. It pays extremely well too, so really no complaints there either. The real problem is your boss. The old cranky son of a bitch has no life of his own and for some reason, he believes you don’t need one too, which is why he’s making you stay in town for Christmas when in fact you should be back at home eating your mom’s cookies and drinking hot cocoa with tons of marshmallows.

This stupid event is not even that big of a deal, to be honest. It’s just a boring business award ceremony, filled with fancy-dressed people from the entertainment industry drinking mocktails (mocktails!!) and bragging about their achievements this year and YOU are what your boss has to brag about right now. You know your cooking show’s been pretty popular lately, with a lot of celebrities wanting to join in as guests and its rating points only going up every week, so it was obvious he’d want to show you off... But it’s Christmas. Your favorite holiday and you’re spending it in an expensive designer dress with uncomfortable heels, looking pretty and greeting people who don’t give one real fuck about your show or the story behind it, only its numbers.

While you stare in the mirror and hate everything, the giggly pair of girls who got in the bathroom right before you come out of their stalls, so you smile and wait for them to wash their hands and leave. As soon as they close the door, you take a silver flask from where you previously stashed it under the sink and pour it in your drink. After taking a sip, you put the flask back in it’s hiding spot and fix your hair one last time before exiting.

The moment Mr. Yang - executive producer of your show and close friends with the company CEO - said you’d be his date for the year-end events it became obvious you couldn’t be sober for this. However, the CEO’s wish to hold the party at his wife’s art gallery and the fact that she abominated alcohol had you mastering a plan to do it under everyone’s nose.

It was all going very well up until your third visit to the bathroom for refills. Someone storms inside without warning and catches you red-handed.

“Oh, sorry, this isn’t the-.” the guy frowns “Are you okay?”

It’s when you realize you’re probably a bit tipsier than originally intended. You look from him to the mirror again, taking in your reflection one more time: shoes discarded on the floor, flushed cheeks.... you’re obviously looking at least somewhat drunk. With your glass set on the sink and the open flask in your hands, there’s no point in trying to pretend this isn’t exactly what it looks like, so you just mumble a yeah and resume spiking your drink.

His brows furrow even more.

“Don’t you think this is a bit too...? Um, okay.” The man moves forward, grabs your arm and takes the flask from you, then smells it and instantly makes a face “Woah... Would you like some eggnog with your rum?”

You look him dead in the eye.

“This is the ladies’ room.”

“Well, I admit to my mistake.” He closes the flask, and puts it into the inner pocket of his blazer “But you don’t look too good right now so is there something I can help you with before I leave? It’s Y/N, right? You’re representing tvN so we’re both under CJ and it’d be bad form to leave you like this... I also happen to really like your show, even tried the pear risotto at home and no one died after eating.” You laugh, and he smiles, seemingly taking pride in that “Seriously, I’m a big fan.”

That’s funny because you’re looking at the Cho Seungyoun, a.k.a WOODZ, hip-hop and r&b star and variety show king. He looks ridiculously handsome in an all-black suit with his hair pushed back, which makes you vaguely embarrassed of your current state so you try to discreetly fix your appearance.

“You look beautiful, don’t worry, that’s not what I meant.” he leans against the marble sink and crosses his arms in front of his chest “What’s the matter? I mean why are you sneaking booze into a company event?”

You roll your eyes and mirror his posture, sighing.

“I don’t know what I’m doing here, my boss won’t even let me promote my show. I’m only allowed to greet people and smile while he does all the talking. This is so stupid, I should be on a plane to Toronto right now but I’m in this useless party wasting my time instead.”

Seungyoun rubs his chin, pondering his next move. After a while, he nods to himself and glances at you, arching an eyebrow.

“I can’t send you to Toronto but maybe I could help fix the other issue. How quickly can you sober up?” You shrug and bend down to put your shoes back on while he downs your drink, grimacing at the taste “Ugh, awful.” 

You laugh again while checking your make-up, then wash your hands and hold onto the arm he’s offering so you can both exit the bathroom.

And for the next couple of hours, Seungyoun does the absolute most, introducing you to everyone he knows and talking about your show with enthusiasm. He wasn’t lying when he said he was a fan, you notice. He talks in detail about the dishes and the guests from previous episodes and seems truly interested in what you have in store for the next season when you explain it to higher-ups from other CJ subsidiaries. 

It’s a blessing Seungyoun be so charismatic and funny because everyone is too busy falling in love with him to pay attention to the way you lean on him for balance and laugh just a little too much. By the time they start handing out the awards, you’re sober enough to go up on stage with Mr. Yang, who gives a quick speech thanking you and the staff - and you do the same. After that, you’re free for the rest of the night and Seungyoun makes good use of that, tapping your boss on the shoulder as soon as you get up from your seats when the ceremony ends.

“Excuse me, sir, can I borrow her for a moment?”

Busy talking to other executives, Mr. Yang waves his hand, barely looking at him, and you take that as a yes.

“Thanks for saving me.” you say as he offers his arm once again “I had a lot of fun tonight.”

“Don’t mention it. I know it’s hard to believe but I’m actually kind of shy so it was nice to have your company.” he pats your arm, glancing at you “Have you seen the paintings here? They’re pretty awesome.”

You shake your head no, so he takes you to the first open room he can find. The sign by the door says the exhibition is called FLOWERS ON A RIVER, a series of gongbi flower and bird paintings by a chinese artist named Chen Zhifo.

When you go inside, there’s no one else there, the guest using up all their time for networking instead of art appreciation. Seungyoun drags you to study a very long line of flower paintings hanging on the wall, reading their titles and descriptions out loud and making funny comments about the birds.

“You know,” he starts when you reach the last painting “I’ve never been invited to guest on your show even though we’re from the same company...”

He glances quickly at you, pouting and blinking several times, and it makes you laugh. Yes, you both come from sister companies but no one could call that a real connection. Not to mention you didn’t even know he could cook before earlier tonight, anyway.

“My boss picks the guests.” you shrug. “Sorry.”

“I see. Well then maybe I could cook you dinner at my place, say, later this week... and you could put in a good word for me with your boss or something...”

You look up at him, surprised. Maybe you’re still a little drunk, but you muster up the courage to take a step closer and ask him what’s on your mind.

“Are you trying to buy your way into my show or ask me on a date, Seungyoun?”

“Oh, I don’t care, whatever helps me see you again the fastest.” he leans down a little, bringing his face closer to yours while staring at your lips “Which one do you prefer?”

“I think right now I’m gonna go with the date and we can talk about work later.” you decide, wrapping your arms around his neck and standing on your tiptoes to meet him halfway for a kiss.

“Ho ho ho.” Seungyoun mumbles, smiling against your lips.

It’s Christmas and you’re in a stupid useless party, but now you don’t regret it anymore.

-

it’s still christmas where i live so..... happy holidays everyone 💜

also i’m a time management disaster so i missed seungwoo’s birthday because when do i finish anything on time right? but i WILL have the next ysay chapter finished before the weekend so wooseungdans stay tuned xx

[awellboiledicicle]

Now i need to write an au fic that exists purely to have Risotto get in touch with Bruno out of sheer initial: “This is a low ranking member of Passione, but with ambition. He’s under Polpol who is one of the gangs most loyal capo--if we could get into that line, we could work up thrugh to the boss/use him to get information that would be closed to us.” Then Polpol dies after their first meeting, post Bruno deciding that Giorno should join the gang, but pre a secondary meet up on the more complicated logistics. He and Bruno work together on the retrieveal mission--if only because Bruno knows his team isn’t the most experienced and a LOT of heat will be going their way if things got out.  So Riz sends Illuso along on the boat--hide in the brass fittings, keep an eye out. He shows up in Bruno’s shoulder zips like “There’s something covering the boat. I don’t know what, but there’s something between where i WAS and this now.” Makes that fight, and the one with that guy on the truck easier too if only because they now have a pretty fast form of communication going “mista is getting fucked over/here’s where he is” and then pulling the dude into the mirror world and killing him there.  That or Riz just has Illuso hide the whole squad in there for back up purposes, while he goes fact finding. Bruno getting promoted from the retrieval would be a case of Riz fidgetting because while it’s super good their new leg up is higher now, if they had taken the money from Bruno they could have bought their way back into good graces and worked from there---but they all doubt that the Boss is that stupid. So when Bruno gets the promotion and they get told to babysit, this gives them a p wide swath of information.  They’d just need to get a few drops of blood and I wouldn’t be surprised if Melon could reverse engineer the genetic parts of her. Have him literally never anywhere near her, but he could be useful for getting a general ballpark image of what they should be looking for. 

their train trip could have had Formaggio shrink the turtle and just hang out in the train. 

Pesi could have broke off from the others and fished through the walls of the bell tower and gotten a general feel for like. Height, how fast Boss moved, how he moved, etc. 

This would also mean Bruno would either have to sway his team about it, or just flat not tell them much until it was out and out not possible to point it out. So there’s possibility of strife about that, but drama can be good. 

hmm

[spiicegrl]

all information about boss trish (verse: SPICE TRADE) you could ever want compiled in handy dandy note format mainly because i fail at writing big wordy things. take this as a reference point if you want a starter in this verse or just to generally enjoy what the fuck is ever going on in it when i say “boss trish”

tw for drug mention and general.. passione nastiness like.. assassinations

at 7 years old, trish una was discovered to be the blood related daughter of diavolo. privy to this information, diavolo contemplated having her killed, but decided on the idea of a legacy instead, and sent for pericolo to pick her up to one of his safe houses. 

donatella, her mother, unbeknown to trish was murdered by diavolo. trish was told and to this day believes it is an accident, though has suspicions later on in life that her father orchestrated her death.

trish was kept essentially on lockdown within the safehouse until she was deemed “old enough” to become the heir that diavolo wanted. she was guarded by squalo and tiziano during this time. 

at age 11, she finally met her father, diavolo, to begin her training as passione’s next don.

at age 13, trish was introduced with doppio accompanying her to passione’s narcotics team, exposing her to the truth behind the gang’s main money maker. witnessing manic depression’s maximum effect within the narcotic warehouse heavily impacted trish.

at age 14, diavolo grants trish the ability to wield epitaph. king crimson becomes an unwanted protector within trish that is uncontrollable to her. spice girl becomes less independent as a result later on.

at age 15, trish begins to set her own ambitions into motion by utilising the knowledge learned from her lessons with diavolo to begin overthrowing him. this part of the verse constitutes as it’s second act: la squadra.

trish begins contacting risotto following diavolo’s disinterest and maltreatment of the squad. her ultimate goal being to earn la squadra’s unfailing loyalty by promising and delivering the money and territory that they deserve. this comes with a catch: trish’s own paranoia.

thus she promises to offer risotto and his team a fair chance by proving herself to be better than diavolo ever was to them. she offers compensation if she herself finds them suitable for it; a fair compromise to make as she promises she would not be going off the judgement of her father, but instead as a fair and just future donna.

she begins conducting a series of interviews and reviewing the team’s progress. it’s an intense process likely something diavolo is aware of, but pays off in the end when trish follows through with her deal and gives risotto & la squadra the money they deserve... 

.. but the territory comes with a catch. unable to give that to them without diavolo’s interference, she begins the second part of her plan, which is to use her newly gained loyalty from la squadra against diavolo. she plans to assassinate him. this is kept mostly between herself and risotto. she promises that the territory she offered is the position of underboss for risotto; and his squadra promoted to la unità speciale.

the events of VA are stopped prematurely when trish, using abbacchio, discovers that giorno was the culprit behind polpo’s death. she sends cioccolata and secco after giorno, and either he is captured, killed, or coerced into assisting in gang activity thanks to gold experience.

thanks to abbacchio’s stand, trish forces him and bruno buccellati to become her main bodyguards from that point on. she disbands guardie del corpo, with mista and narancia being assigned to la squadra. fugo is sent to work within unita speciale, under cioccolata’s tutelage because of his stand, purple haze.

somewhere between the ages of 16 and 17, trish and risotto put their plan into motion. either there are heavy casualties, or no loss is suffered, but diavolo is ultimately killed, allowing trish to ascend the throne.

at age 18, trish is the donna of passione.

note: these events are not meant to force any one of these characters into the role if you want to RP in this verse; just discuss what you have in mind beforehand!

[wiremagazine]

RIVER YACHT CLUB & DASHI

By Rafa Carvajal Photos by Paul Stoppi. Provided by River Yacht Club & Dashi

Although there are multiple fine dining restaurants in Miami and Miami Beach, there are not that many waterfront alternatives to choose from. River Yacht Club and Dashi provide a unique dining experience at a waterfront venue located in the heart of the historic Miami River District that includes two fine dining establishments, a beautiful outdoor garden and lounge, and a marina. RYC is a lifestyle destination that brings together gastronomy, live entertainment, maritime activities and art in an urban environment where you can enjoy delicious waterfront dining accompanied by craft cocktails and beautiful yachts going by on the Miami River. If you enjoy brunch, RYC has also made its mark in Miami's culinary scene with its very popular Sunday Brunch party "Rock My Boat Sundays" featuring some of Miami's favorite DJs and a nice selection of mouth-watering dishes.

RYC has built a loyal following based on its dedication to simple clean flavors and good technique. RYC's seafood-centric fare is comprised of crudos, tiraditos, and simply grilled fresh seafood, proteins and fresh vegetables. Upon arrival for my Miami Spice dinner with my friend Zach Roof, we were promptly escorted to a very nice waterfront table. I decided to whet my appetite with the El Capitan craft cocktail with Zacapa Rum, guava, fresh basil, a squeeze of lemon, and topped with Champagne. For my appetizer, I enjoyed the Salmon Crudo with orange dressing, horseradish cream and seaweed. I also sampled Zach's very flavorful Kalua Pork Belly with pineapple, radish salad and micro herbs. My entrée was the Skirt Steak with caramelized shallots, mashed potatoes and shisitto peppers. Zach chose the Pan-Seared Snapper with black lentils, tomato-onion relish, and plantain chips. For dessert we had a lovely selection from RYC's pastry chef, which I complemented with the New Waterfront cocktail with Don Julio tequila, passion fruit nectar, jalapeño, cilantro, fresh lime and sumac spiced rim. 

I also enjoyed the Miami Spice dinner at Dashi, the latest addition to RYC. Dashi operates as a stand-alone restaurant within RYC. Chef Shuji Hiyakawa, a protégé of Iron Chef Masahuru Morimoto and a descendant of three generations of Udon makers, oversees Dashi's culinary operations. Dashi is the perfect complement to RYC's stunning waterfront setting and provides diners with an innovative menu very much in harmony with RYC's seafood-centric menu of crudos, tiraditos, and simply grilled seafood, proteins and fresh vegetables. I chose the Cha-Soba Salad as my appetizer. My entrée was a masterfully prepared Seafood Udon, which I followed with a Green Tea Ice Cream for dessert. I also enjoyed an American Samurai cocktail with Woodford Reserve bourbon, yuzu juice, dry vermouth, a splash ginger ale, and lemon orange peel.

After enjoying my dining experiences at River Yacht Club and Dashi, I sat down with RYC's Executive Chef Jun Hee Lee to learn more about this unique waterfront fine dining destination.

Rafa Carvajal: Where are you from and why did you decide to work as a chef in Miami? Chef Jun Hee Lee: I am originally from South Korea. I spent some time in Vegas before Michael Mina opened StripSteak at the Fontainebleau and asked me to join his team, which is why I moved to Miami.

RC: Tell our readers about your culinary background. JHL: I was born and raised in Korea until the age of 28. I then moved to the United States and graduated from the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. My culinary background is modern-Asian influenced Euro cuisine.

RC: What are the top three experiences from your background that you would like our readers to know about. JHL: I was born in Korea and received my Bachelors of Art degree in both advertising and journalism. I was an editor in local newspaper for a few years before I found my passion for cooking. During my time in culinary school in San Francisco, I was given the opportunity to work with Chef Charlie Trotter. Under Trotter's guidance, I was able to hone in on my passion of fine, modern cuisine. I worked under the direction of Joel Robuchon for over eight years at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. I climbed the ladder until I was promoted to chef de cuisine. During my time with Robuchon, we were proudly awarded one Michelin star.

RC: How is the culinary scene in Miami different from that of other cities you have worked in as a chef? JHL: In my opinion, the Miami culinary scene is still behind compared to the West Coast and New York. My biggest challenge here is finding quality cooks. 

RC: What type of cuisine can diners enjoy at your restaurant? JHL: We are providing a unique outdoor dining experience using local ingredients while celebrating some of the South American influences. We use many local fresh fish and produce. I would say we are a modern American cuisine.

RC: What are the most popular dishes at River Yacht Club? JHL: Our seafood dishes are always the most popular. For summer our most popular dishes are the Spicy Tuna Tartare and Salmon Crudo; people want something light and refreshing in this weather.

RC: Do you have any personal favorite dishes? Which ones? JHL: Every dish is my creation so it is really hard to pick just one! 

RC: Tell our readers about River Yacht Club's cocktail program. JHL: River Yacht Club features an extensive wine and cocktail list, which includes private label 'River Yacht Club Rosé,' a blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah from an estate in Côtes de Provence.

RC: Which dishes are you offering in your Miami Spice menu? JHL: Fresh Mixed Salad, Kalua Pork Belly and Salmon Crudo are the choices for appetizers; Skirt Steak, Risotto with summer vegetables, and Key West Yellowtail Snapper for the choice of entrée; and dessert is a pastry chef selection.   

RC: How did you choose your dishes for your Miami Spice menu? JHL: I find our guests here at RYC love our fresh seafood, so we gave them something they want. 

RC: Why do you think it is important to participate in the annual Miami Spice program? JHL: I think it's important for us to participate in Miami Spice so that everyone can have access to the high-caliber cuisine we are producing. Summers can be rough on restaurants here in Miami as we all know, and we want to make sure we stay relevant with our local guests.

RC: Is there anything else you would like to share with Wire Magazine readers about your culinary skills or dining at River Yacht Club? JHL: Miami is going through a culinary renaissance and, although we have a long way to go, River Yacht Club is a perfect example of pushing that envelope. We are located in the hottest area of Miami – Miami River – and we are committed to delivering a memorable experience from the moment you walk in the door. Our restaurant is a waterfront, outdoors oasis. It's a stunning, fun addition in Miami. The culinary aspect is progressive but not aggressive. It's a place that easily defines what Miami is to anyone coming in town.

401 SW 3rd Avenue, Miami | Waterfront Dining

This was originally published in Wire Magazine Issue 35.2017

[sourwormsaresour]

Hey! Hope you’re doing awesome :-). I was just wondering what the relationship between La Squadra looks like? Do any members absolutely hate each other? Has their view on each other changed over the years? Sorry if this is too much, please don’t feel pressured to answer or even if it’s just Risotto’s view on his team would be awesome

No, you're all good! Thanks for sending me this!

I think all the members do get a long with each other despite only working with their specific partners at a time. I also like to think that they do stuff like play pranks, roast each other, or playfully push each other's buttons- but all in the name of fun and everyone eventually goes on with life. No one genuinely has a vendetta against each other. everyone respects each other's skills (occasionally joking about how one team member is better than the other, roasting each other, having inside jokes based on those roasts, etc.) and everyone knows their limits... most of the time.

Pranks, insults, and issues can go too far but fights and arguments caused by them are surprisingly rare with La Squadra. While mafia teams may have an authoritative approach where the leader rules with an iron fist and instills fear to avoid any conflict, Risotto encourages everyone to state opinions and address conflicts without judgment or consequences. His leadership style falls into the category of conflict management where conflicts should be viewed as a positive aspect that promotes creativity and builds trust over time rather than a negative one to avoid. He still has a final say in all matters and will use strict authority if necessary. However, Risotto strives to be transparent with the team in terms of explaining his decisions and discussing the team's goals.

Through this approach, he's quick to figure out everyone's skills and weaknesses, thinking process, and predict interactions based on whether they will end well or not. On top of that, as the elected leader of La Squadra and Risotto being proven to be careful about details and great with strategy, everyone has full confidence in his decisions and is loyal to him until the end as a result.

If members of La Squadra end up in a conflict that can't be resolved on its own, Risotto will step in as mediator; sometimes he orders the conflict to be resolved immediately if it's not going anywhere. Other team members not involved in the conflict will also work as a mediator in Risotto's stay. In that case, the team's most used mediator is Melone. Like Risotto, Melone can remember and apply his knowledge on everyone's abilities and lack thereof to predict and find ways of resolving issues, as implied from that fun fact sheet on him a while ago where it's stated he knows how to bring out the best in people, and his temperament allows him to be the voice of reason. He also uses it to subtly play mind games with everyone but that's another story.

If Risotto's orders to stop arguments make things worse or Melone isn't able to mediate a good resolution, Risotto will order a fight. He tries to not make this a frequent thing, but he will order the conflicting parties to fight each other as a last resort. In these fights, no Stands or weapons can be used, you're not fighting to murder your opponent, you must fight until Risotto tells you to stop, and no cheering or jeering from the others watching. Risotto reminds everyone that the whole point of these fights isn't to prove one side is right because they "won" or make fun of the other side for losing- it's to let out all pent up anger until both sides can finally reason with each other and serve as a punishment for failing to resolve their issues diplomatically. No one likes these fights, so everyone makes sure they do what they can to express their opinions properly and resolve their issues without lingering anger.

Of course, not everyone started out being chummy with each other. For example, Sorbet and Gelato used to absolutely hate each other for different reasons and used to never exist in the same room without arguments and even fights breaking out. Gelato saw Sorbet as the snobby rich kid who joined the mafia for fun and was too blindsided to understand the reality of being a gangster is. Sorbet saw Gelato as the impulsive maniac who shoots first asks questions later without any disregard to planning or the people around him. It wasn't until they became senior members of La Squadra (they joined the team before the current members joining, including Risotto) and witnessed the constant turnover caused by their team members dying one by one that they realized they were the only ones left and spent more time together. Through that time, they finally resolved their hatred for each other and realized how much in common they were.

Risotto does set up partners based on how well they click with each other, based on what the mission requires, and takes into consideration which members get along well with others. It's why Melone and Ghiaccio are super tight with each other and arguably in Risotto's inner circle due to their skills and their abilities to work with anyone on the team. Formaggio and Illuso, despite appearing like their enemies, are actually close friends. Compared to other members of the team, Formaggio is the most comfortable with Illuso's ego and superiority complex- he's able to quickly counter or throw a good comeback. Formaggio's similar ability to work with anyone allows him to also hold some managerial position in the team, as it's heavily implied how Formaggio himself has people working under him. Unfortunately, Prosciutto is the least easy to work with, as he is more strict with how things should go but also valued for his professionalism and skills. That's why he's often paired with Pesci and works as a mentor role rather than a partner one. Pesci initially spent much of his time with Sorbet and Gelato, seeing them as default parental figures (and it explains why he's able to figure out Sorbet was in the 36 frames based on the nail polish), but became Prosciutto's student almost around the time Sorbet and Gelato were going to find the Boss.

Unfortunately, there's not too much that we know of with relationships outside these partnerships and the difference in the manga and anime makes it kind of hard too. Melone in the manga is very close to Prosciutto and Pesci where he's in shock at seeing their bodies yet shows apathy in the anime. Formaggio also has a sort of mentorship view with Pesci, albeit more playful than Prosciutto yet we only get that from one scene of the anime. Everyone seems to be grossed out by Melone's actions in the anime yet there's none of that in the manga and the interaction between him and Ghiaccio before his death implies how Ghiaccio himself is unfazed by Melone's behavior- even finding it amusing. Prosciutto is often seen as a second-in-command by the fandom due to his mentorship role when Ghiaccio is the implied second-in-command and we don't know much about their relationship; could there be conflicts between them because of this or do they actually get along? Illuso, Formaggio, and Melone are often roped together because they're the most eccentric and therefore can vibe with each other, but we don't know much about their relationship in the anime and manga, apart from that one scene where Formaggio gets grossed out by Melone alongside Prosciutto and Pesci. Risotto works alone and prefers it so. Is it because he has trouble working with others or it's a defense mechanism? Does the team respect that or address their concerns about it? We haven't even considered Sorbet and Gelato's relationship with everyone else besides Pesci.

I think I rambled too much. 😅