Chef Extraordinaire!

Started by Blythe, October 25, 2018, 12:16:57 AM

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Blythe


Been wanting to write this for ages, only just now felt brave enough to post it. >_>;

I'm honestly just looking for a light-hearted and possibly incredibly wacky RP about two characters who join a college-level culinary school known for its grueling and insane curriculum. Maybe they test students by sending them camping and making them learn to forage viable safe ingredients, maybe they make them cook with the parts of food we normally take for granted and throw away, maybe they have to make dishes for people who are on diets and hate eating. Maybe they have 1x1 battles with mystery baskets (like the TV show Chopped) that function as their exams....meaning that if there are four people to an exam, only 1 in every 4 students passes their exams, making this school's graduation rate really low.

But it produces the best chefs in the world! From celebrity chefs to the chefs who pioneer new techniques to the chefs who create new ways to help those with dietary restrictions medically--all the famous names will come from the Collegia! The college could be located in the USA, Italy, Japan, France, or any other country that seems like it could make a really cool setting.

But our characters would be chefs hoping to graduate at the top of the class at the Culinary Collegia and become famous celebrity chefs. Will they be rivals? Will they be romantic partners? We'll decide! But only one can graduate #1 in their graduating class...

I'd play Sato Ryusei, a Japanese student who specializes in spices and bold flavors, but he struggles with baking. He'd be a cisgender man. He'd be a tall and very aggressive person who can't stand the idea that anyone in the world could ever cook better than him.

I don't mind whatever gender of character you prefer to play. I've never really put too much stock in gender.

A few requirements:
- I'd want our characters to be 18 or older.
- I don't have a preferred posting length--long or short posts are fine to me.
- I have a slight preference to not use any character pictures for this. Just food pictures. I may be writing this as an excuse to look up food pictures and to research cooking since I'm bad at it in RL <_<;
- As this is in the non-adult board, I do not want adult content, obviously. But romance is fine. I'm also fine with no romance at all and this just being a story about best friends or rivals.
- Sometimes my posting rate can be a little slow. But I won't vanish on you. You can always check if I'm around by asking here in-thread, or if you are an approved member, you can just PM me.

Here is the info you need to know about the Culinary Collegia!

If anyone is interested, just speak up. :)

CuriousVagrant

This looks like it could be a lot of fun. I'm just going to post interest for the moment, since I wrote a reply to another person in this part of the forum. I'm new here, so I'm not entirely sure how much time and effort I'd need to allot, so I'll do this post at surface level, and see if anyone else is interested as well while I try to figure out how much I can take on. I love cooking, and actually work as a cook, though I don't have any culinary training (Maybe I'll post photos of food I actually cook too).

If I do join the story, I'd write as Jack Flynn, an American student who specializes in experimentation but struggles with making traditional offerings without tinkering. She is a slight woman, but most people think she's a guy when they meet her. She's cisgender and pansexual (not for anything adult, just to leave the door open for potential romance). She'd be playful and fiery and wants to see all the new places and levels that she can take food to.
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kasumine

Dang, Blythe, churning out a lovely idea as my introduction to the community. I adore this premise a lot. Can't lie that it would be a great way to make myself cook more often IRL...

I'm unapproved as well, so just letting you know ahead of time that I don't believe PMs are available to me just yet!

If I were to join in on the idea, I'd play as the quiet, dignified Alicia Alonso Romero Suárez. She's a Mexican trans female, and her family had often praised her as "La Dulce Princesa." ("Sweet Princess"; no relation to the Adventure Time character). She thrives at baking and presentation. Her dishes look beautiful and enticing, mirroring her own personality and attitudes. However, her dishes don't always taste the way they look. While they don't taste horrible, they definitely can use improvement - especially when it comes to non-baking entries. She absolutely despises waste, and goes to great lengths to ensure that she uses everything in the dish. (Sometimes that drive can cost her precious time!) Because of this, she also can't stand when people don't finish their meals...

Blythe

Oh cool, I didn't expect to see interest already!  :D

Let me know if you think you could take this on later, CuriousVagrant--Jack does sound pretty cool.

And hi, kasumine! I'd love to write with you--and oooh, I like La Dulce Princessa, especially because she might give Sato a serious challenge and make him learn more about presentation and baking.  :-) What country do you think would be the best place to put the Culinary Collegia? I am leaning to the USA, but perhaps the school has multiple branches across several countries that might be traveled to over the course of the tale to challenge the chefs.

kasumine

Thanks Blythe, I'm glad you like her!

Also, I think it would be find to have the Culinary Collegia based in the USA, but the idea of multiple branches sounds great. Maybe not of the school itself, but it could have several sister schools or small tournament-style locations in many different countries. I feel that putting its students in different places would be a tremendous way to challenge them - a test in French cuisine? What a better place to learn about their food and make it than in France itself! Learning about various cultural differences is important in cooking, I feel, so I could see travel as being a huge part of the curriculum.

An alternative to that would be to have the Culinary Collegia stay in the USA, but various places in the college would be built and designed after a different country. It's a lot cheaper than hauling students to a different part of the world, and still provides a nice setting for them to work in. I'd imagine the school would have to have a rather expansive campus though... but I think top chefs deserve the best!

CuriousVagrant

Things seem pretty manageable so far, so I should be perfectly fine, but it's still new. Did you want 3 cooks? If not, I'd be willing to bow out to let Kasumine have fun.

If three is not a crowd, I like the U.S. based college and I think we could do both - have certain skills be learned in certain world based rooms. But it'd also be cool to have the students participate in Washoku World Challenge. There's also quite a bit of prize money attached to some contests, so that'd ease the expenses.
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Blythe

I'd potentially be willing to write this as more of a group RP if you were both interested in writing it. It might make some of the competitive nature of the culinary arts there seem more pronounced as a group idea!

Quote from: kasumine on October 26, 2018, 04:09:00 PM
An alternative to that would be to have the Culinary Collegia stay in the USA, but various places in the college would be built and designed after a different country. It's a lot cheaper than hauling students to a different part of the world, and still provides a nice setting for them to work in. I'd imagine the school would have to have a rather expansive campus though... but I think top chefs deserve the best!

Oh, I really like this idea! Plus, it saves money for the students who won't have exorbitant travel fees to consider, meaning that sometimes less well-off students might still be able to manage going on a scholarship!

Quote from: CuriousVagrant on October 26, 2018, 04:27:12 PM
Things seem pretty manageable so far, so I should be perfectly fine, but it's still new. Did you want 3 cooks? If not, I'd be willing to bow out to let Kasumine have fun.

If three is not a crowd, I like the U.S. based college and I think we could do both - have certain skills be learned in certain world based rooms. But it'd also be cool to have the students participate in Washoku World Challenge. There's also quite a bit of prize money attached to some contests, so that'd ease the expenses.

Ooh! What if there are competing schools in other countries rather than branches of the Collegia? And the highest-ranked students can earn grants to pay their way to travel and partake in things like that challenge? Best of both worlds there! (Though we might not use a real world challenge like that--we might make our game's fictional version of the Washoku World Challenge. I tend to prefer fictionalized versions of things than the real world versions most of the time!)

Meant to reply to this thread earlier today but I was binge-watching the new Sabrina on Netflix, lost track of time!

CuriousVagrant

I'd be interested in the trio (it took an effort not to type threesome). Quick question though... how often did you want the RP to update, on average? I've been active these last 3 days, but I attribute that to the excitement that comes from a new site experience. Based on my track record though, I usually settle in for 2-3 good updates a week and can go as long as a week if life hits me hard.
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kasumine

I personally am fine with whatever update schedule works for you two! 2-3 updates per week definitely sounds manageable for me.

Quote from: Blythe on October 27, 2018, 12:57:40 AM
Ooh! What if there are competing schools in other countries rather than branches of the Collegia? And the highest-ranked students can earn grants to pay their way to travel and partake in things like that challenge? Best of both worlds there! (Though we might not use a real world challenge like that--we might make our game's fictional version of the Washoku World Challenge. I tend to prefer fictionalized versions of things than the real world versions most of the time!)

I am loving this idea you both contributed to. I didn't think about regional challenges at all! The school would definitely send students that they were confident in to these. Almost like their cooking debut to the world before they've finished. Plus, it adds a way to test a student's mettle under pressure that school examinations might not be able to replicate. And the prize if they win is always a great bonus.

Blythe

I generally don't have a set posting rate, though 1/week is generally what I do more often than not--sometimes more, sometimes less. But I will give notice when I can't post. :)

Okay, so USA school sectioned out in a massive sort of area with 'regional' focuses in the school itself, contests in other nations that a person can compete in--yes, this is all definitely right up my alley!

I'll get a small writeup done on my character and about the Collegia tonight now that we've all tossed some ideas around.  8-)

CuriousVagrant

Sounds good all around. I'll start thinking about how to flesh out Jack. Do you want that done here or elsewhere?
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Blythe

Might be tomorrow before I can get those writeups--RL got crazy today!

Quote from: CuriousVagrant on October 28, 2018, 12:17:35 AM
Sounds good all around. I'll start thinking about how to flesh out Jack. Do you want that done here or elsewhere?

Here in-thread is fine. :)

kasumine

Sounds awesome, guys!

Blythe, for that write-up, what were you doing for your character? Like a simple character sheet? I'll probably make a mini sheet for Alicia... and use the opportunity to look up good-looking animated food gifs of cakes!

Blythe

Oh, hey, congrats to you both on your approvals! :)

For character write-ups, just a small sheet will do, I think.

I finished my write-up on Sato at least! I'll try to finish a nice write-up of the college when I can.

Name: Sato Ryusei
Age: 18
Gender: Cisgender male
Orientation: Questioning but quite open. Ryusei's never made time for romance, but he's also never really limited how he sees gender. More likely than not, Ryusei will like people that appreciate his drive to be the best chef or have things in common with him.
Birthplace: Sapporo, Japan
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 120 lbs.
Hair: Black, kept short & in a trendy hairstyle
Eyes: Gray
Culinary Strengths: spices, bold flavors, savory foods
Culinary Weaknesses: baking & candy-making--really anything pertaining to desserts is a crucial weakness of his.

Personality: Ryusei comes from a relatively poor family, but they have a restaurant in Sapporo that is all about a 'world dining experience,' meaning that Ryusei has a natural interest in other cultures. He's a bit of a hot-head and has a temper. He is a very hard worker, but he can be easily frustrated when things don't go his way fast enough. However, he never gives up, no matter how angry he gets. He'd never admit it, but he has a soft spot for flowers and plants--gardening is a passion of his, thanks to his love of spices. He is quick to form friendships and rivalries--he gets first impressions from people very quickly. Not always the right impression, but it's how he is!

Background: Ryusei was lucky enough to get a scholarship to attend the Culinary Collegia in his last year of high school. His parents approved simply because they saw an opportunity for him to learn more about cooking in such a way that he might be able to return home and make the restaurant a true success. Ryusei had to leave a lot behind in the past month when he came to the United States, and while he loves getting to know American culture more, he is pretty homesick. He's been cooking since he was a child, and it's a huge defining force in his life. He's had an accident in the kitchen before--he mishandled a knife when he was quite small and cut his hand pretty badly. There's a long scar on his left hand as a result on his palm. He usually laughs that off and makes it clear kitchen injuries happen to the unfortunate and came to understand it for the lesson it was: be careful in the kitchen. Sometimes he'd learned from that mistake...and sometimes he still thinks he knows better than the safety techniques he learned...

Hobbies: Baseball, Video games, gardening

CuriousVagrant

#14
Thanks Blythe! And my congrats to you too, Kasumine. :)

So, here's the scoop on Jack.

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide


Name: Jack Flynn (she hates being called Jacqueline)
Age: 19
Gender: Cisgender Female (Trap-ish)
Orientation: Anything goes as long as she has fun with the person, and not just the adult kind of fun.
Birthplace: Portland, OR
Height: 5' 5"
Weight: 143 lbs
Culinary Strengths: Jack is really into fusion style cooking and specializes in blending disparate parts into a new, cohesive dish.
Culinary Weaknesses: While she's good at experimenting, she often lacks the patience to follow the steps in traditional offerings.

Description: Jack's appearance can be confusing at times. She is androgynous, though she has proven to be very feminine when she can bother to put in the effort. Her hair is very short, and though her roots and thick eyebrows proclaim her to be a natural brunette, her hair is currently dyed blonde (though she has a habit of changing the colors on a whim). Her visage is pleasantly oval, she has big hazel eyes and her lips are full, but she will only wear make-up on very specific occasions. The way she lives, she is often confused as a man, though most people catch on quickly enough. Her height is above average for a woman and she has a somewhat husky build. She has womanly curves, but the way she typically dresses in loose clothing and the occasional suit tend to hide that fact.

Personality: The core of Jack's nature is the drive to push envelopes and the desire to have fun. She can be a bit moody at times and struggles to hold herself back, though she can get quiet if she doesn't know what to say or if she doesn't have anything to say at all. Some of the things she does could be considered strange and she has a strong impish nature, which is heightened when she drinks, but she prides herself on her honesty. All said, she can be a fireball, but she almost always means well.

Background: Jack was the only child of a couple who owned a small diner, so she was immersed in American cooking for as long as she could remember. As soon as she could make the attempt, she helped her mom in the home kitchen. But growing up in the developing food culture of Portland also expanded her tastes and drove her to see what else could be done in the kitchen. Her old dream was to open a fusion start-up at home, but in the past couple years the culture of her hometown changed and her parents were afraid that she couldn't be successful. So they pushed her to wait and promised that they would pay for her school, as if it were an apology. And thus, she found herself on a plane, heading toward Culinary Collegia.

Hobbies: Video Games, Drinking, Billiards, Hiking, Urban Exploring

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kasumine

So much fun to work the kinks out of, but I think I've got a nice start on this girl here! (Also, love the characters... Hype!)

Basics

Name: Alicia Alonso Romero Suárez (a.k.a. “La Dulce Princesa”)
Gender: Trans female
Age: 19
Date of Birth: 10/31/xxxx
Place of Birth: Nezahualcóyotl, State of Mexico, Mexico
Orientation: Doesn’t care, as long as the other person will be a willing tester for her dishes

Appearance

Height: 5’3”
Weight” 133 lbs.
Hair: Dark brown, curly hair that goes down to her waist that she keeps in a low bun up-do (She often has to take extra time to prepare for kitchen work just to make sure no hair strands get loose)
Eyes: Dark brown
Fashion: Wears a lot of obviously home-made mementos from her family; floral patterns are a common theme among them. Long, flowing, and elegant; she looks like royalty… if they wore clothes made from cotton and wool.

Personality

Positive Traits: Broad-minded, organized, tolerant, reserved, patient, determined, dignified
Negative Traits: Stubborn, judgmental, arrogant, passive-aggressive, nosy
Likes: Long walks in the dead of night, short & sweet interactions, turtles
Dislikes: Dreadfully long small talk, anything less of perfection in her work, cold weather
Culinary Strengths: Presentation, baking (BREAD, especially), sweet/dessert foods
Culinary Weaknesses: Meats (she has trouble deciphering between Well/Medium-Well/Well-Done/etc.), balancing different flavors & spices in non-dessert foods
Hobbies: Archery, board/card games, calligraphy, singing

Background

Despite growing up in the slums of Neza, Alicia always had a penchant for expensive tastes. Part of this was due to her only brother, Dante, pampering her from across the seas. Dante had traveled to Japan looking for work when Alicia was a small child. Hitting major success in Japan and rising the ranks to CEO of the pharmaceutical company Kumo Daikyo, Inc., Dante consistently sent checks to his parents in Mexico to be put in a savings account for his little sister. Of course, his parents obliged, telling Alicia that it would go to her education in the future. Alicia would often send letters back and forth with her brother, enjoying the stories of life outside Neza and giving her a taste for adventure. At the same time, Dante made Alicia develop a spoiled taste for perfection and the crippling sense of living in her brother’s successful shadow.

Besides her brother, one of Alicia’s biggest influences was a family that was close with her own family that ran a local bakery. Ever since she could walk and talk, Alicia spent most of her free time in their cozy little home. From here she learned how to bake, and later how to cook from her own family. It was traditional, home cooking, but Alicia never stopped to try and perfect every dish. Her passion only grew and grew until near her 18th birthday when she confessed to her brother that she’d like to become a chef. Half a year later, Dante’s research pointed to the Collegia and he worked closely with his sister to make her application a success. Accepted with high regards and expectations, Alicia was sent to the U.S.A. with all expenses paid from her savings account plus a hefty bit of pocket change from her brother.

CuriousVagrant

I'm with you on the hype train, Kasumine.
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Blythe

Sorry for the delays; RL's been a pain the past couple of days. I've got a Collegia write-up; I just have to edit it & clean it up so I can post it when I have time.

CuriousVagrant

RL is the great enemy of RP and forums all over. Thanks for the head's up. :)
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Blythe

Okay, here we are, a write-up of the Culinary Collegia. If you both are okay with this (and I'm welcome to suggestions or changes to what I've got written for the Collegia, of course!), I think we could start our story in the first semester in 2018. Maybe September? And I could do the opening post. I think a good 'opening scene' might be them all meeting at the dorms for the first time.




~ The Culinary Collegia ~


The Collegia is one of the oldest and most respected culinary institutions, offering several arenas of study for enterprising chefs or others who want to get into the restaurateur industry. Founded in 1900 in the northern USA, the Collegia focused on a broad level of education that didn't just take into account food--though that was their main focus--but business expertise and financial acumen. In a way, it is a combination of a typical college, a culinary institute, and a private school that isn't bound by more typical experiences, creating a deeply unusual but unique environment that has produced the best chefs out there.

The main campus is in Maine on the coast, and it is divided into several areas:

1) The Dorms
The dorms are co-ed and all modern facilities. Each dorm has a large kitchen with state-of-the-art equipment. There is a social policy that takeout is forbidden; all students living on campus should make their own food. Any student found to be getting takeout while living in the dorms may be brought up before the school's Social Council and required to move off-campus if they continue that behavior. The school takes itself very seriously and will not let the students have a break even for a moment from cooking! Rooms tend to be lush, with each student getting their own room. There is no curfew. Students are all issued two keycards--one to get into the dorms and one for their personal dorm rooms.

2) "The Coliseum"
A bit of a misnomer--the Coliseum is not one place but is actually several large buildings--each dedicated to a different culture of food. Some of the more popular buildings are the ones dedicated to Asian, American, and Central American cuisine, though French cuisine & techniques are considered an absolute requirement for any chef.

3) The Cafeteria
The number 1 rule of the cafeteria? Students with workstudy scholarships make the food for everyone else. Only the most talented receive these workstudies, and the students hold them all to an enormously high standard. However, the food is always impeccable, and this is widely considered to be the best workstudy placement to get.

4) The Gym and Pool
This building is important solely because with all the delicious food and taste testing around, chefs have to keep in shape somehow! It also functions as a general recreation center. Students have been known to set up impromptu 'chef battle' challenges with mobile kitchens in the gym from time to time--resulting in a particularly weird but fun environment.

5) The Market and Docks
The Collegia has its own farmer's market, and as it is in Maine, it is set up near the local coast so that young chefs can benefit from getting closer to learning where things come from and understanding their ingredients. It's not uncommon for students to go sailing  to learn how to catch prime seafood like lobster or interesting types of fish. Some older students prefer the Market simply because it lets them make a few contacts among the local agricultural community.

CuriousVagrant

Looks good to me. I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes.
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kasumine

Quote from: Blythe on November 01, 2018, 12:30:19 AM
I think we could start our story in the first semester in 2018. Maybe September? And I could do the opening post. I think a good 'opening scene' might be them all meeting at the dorms for the first time.

This sounds good, Blythe! I like the areas you've detailed, and I'll consider additions or edits as the story goes along. I'll give it some thought. Otherwise, if you do want to write the opener, it could be a day after moving in. Dorms tend to have events going on to introduce everyone to their dormmates, and they might see each other in one of these events. Maybe the upperclassman RAs in the dorms do a bit of cooking to welcome the students and also showcase the skills they will be learning at the Collegia? A meet and greet with excellent food!

Blythe

I generally have some RL medical stuff I do at the beginning of a month from the 1st to 7th that wipes me out and slows my posting. I am still quite interested but am unlikely to be able to post the opener until about the 8th. I do understand if the wait diminishes or removes either of your interests in the game, but I did want to give y'all a heads up so you weren't wondering why I hadn't gotten the game up yet. ^^;

Blythe

I hope the wait wasn't too bad, but I do understand if I made y'all wait too long!

https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=295951.0

I did write an opener though, and I hope that it's good enough to make up for that drag of a wait! ^^

ArewynaChaos

I'd love to join in on this but I'm new and waiting for approval. I'm interested in the culinary arts and thought that this was a grand idea for a roleplay.

If I can join the story I'd play Amina Buckson a young British woman looking to further her skills in all things culinary. She is a connoisseur of the sweet and thinks that everything could use a bit of sugar. She tends to have trouble with the more savory items and wishes to learn all she can to correct this.