Casual Heroing, Chapter 249

JOEY DOING IT!!! 🍕🍕🍕

Next chapter comes out on March 13th!

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Chapter 249 – Pizza-Party, Part 2

The kitchens of the Valerii estate had never played host to such a curious turn of events before.

The grand, stone-lined room, typically reserved for snobby dishes, hummed with the shuffling of feet of all the Aurora Bakery employees and the crackling of the stone ovens.

Joey directed the kitchen staff so that each countertop became a station in an assembly line of pizza production.

“You, less sauce on that,” Joey said to a girl, “don’t overpour, please, or it will be too soggy. Just take the ladle and spread it like this.”

He gently took the ladle from the woman’s hands, half-dipped it into the tomato sauce container, and then gently spread a rather thin layer of tomato sauce over the dough.

“Like this,” he smiled and passed her the ladle back, moving forward.

He continued, showing an ex-[Soldier] how to use a rolling pin without destroying the dough and then making sure that the result was satisfactory by waiting around for a few moments more. However, there wasn’t much time for him to waste.

The kitchen staff had initially been bewildered by the turn of events but then, they had found themselves caught up in Joey’s infectious enthusiasm. Skepticism gave way to curiosity as they observed their Human leader deftly making the first pizza.

...

Half an Hour Before

“Alright, team,” Joey began, his voice resonating across the room, “we’re about to introduce these fine folks to something spectacular. Pizza—it’s not just food; it’s an experience. We’re going to make their night unforgettable.”

The kitchen staff looked at each other with some skepticism. Tiberius and Quintus, however, stood at the ready by Joey’s side, changed into their baking uniforms. They hadn’t been privy to Joey’s plan, but now, exchanging a brief glance, they silently acknowledged each other’s trust in the Human.

From the side, Laurealia looked at Joey with a frown. How had he known that there would be a problem with the food? Had her Uncle actually told her the truth about Joey wanting to sabotage her image?

“Well, let me show you how it’s done,” Joey smiled at everyone and took a piece of dough out of the container.

“First, we need to spread the dough after it has risen. The water-to-flour ratio, in this case, is one-to-one because we will spread it extremely thin. If there was less water than that, the dough would probably burn. Unlike bread, which we put in the oven as a big chunk of dough, this is more delicate. But don’t worry; we’ll go over these details tomorrow at the bakery. I guarantee you this is going to be a best-selling item from today onward.”

Joey used the tip of his fingers to stretch the dough until it became a disk.

“Usually, we want the dough to rest again, for about half an hour to an hour, so that it rises again. Lazy cooks and bakers won’t do that because it’s hard to justify the loss of time if you’re making fifty or more pizzas every night. Tonight, sadly, we’ll have to be lazy too, since we need to feed the guests as fast as possible.”

Joey proceeded to take out from the chest of holding a container full of tomato sauce.

“Now, take half a ladle and spread it in a circle,” he showed the employees. “Then, use the bottom of the ladle to spread it across the pizza, save for the margins. Like this.”

Joey spread the tomato sauce over a circle of dough with a fluid, uninterrupted wrist movement. Not even Giotto could have drawn a better circle.

“Soft cheese,” Joey smiled, picking up the cheese that had been made with the same process as a real mozzarella. “The most important part about the cheese is that you don’t want it to be too watery. Otherwise, it’s going to mess with the cooking process because the dough won’t be able to reach the right temperature in the oven.”

He spread a handful of the pre-cut cheese and frowned, feeling something nagging at the back of his mind.

More cheese, Joey thought to himself.

Suddenly, as Joey reached for another handful of cheese, the room’s atmosphere shifted. A palpable aura began to emanate from him – a glow that seemed to infuse the air with anticipation. The kitchen staff widened their eyes and felt their throats constrict as a minor shockwave started from the unaware Human to them, making their clothes ripple.

Forgetting about everyone else, Joey took the pizza peel he had commissioned at the last minute and went over to the oven, tenderly placing the dough into it.

Everyone held their breath as the Human used the peel to adjust the pizza and survey its status. Minutes later – minutes that had flown by without anyone noticing – it was ready.

The first pizza emerged from the oven, its crust golden and bubbling. He held it up in front of his face with a peaceful smile, the pride in his creation evident in his smile.

The aroma of the freshly baked pizza filled the kitchen, intoxicating.

Laurealia watched from a distance, her insecurities growing in front of such a simple dish.

What’s that aura? How did he—

The sight of her people gawking, gathering around the Human with such eagerness stirred something dark within her.