Replacing Chef Chico (2023) s01e02 Episode Script

1
[cell phone buzzing]
[gentle somber music playing]
- [car horn honking]
- [car tires screeching]
[vehicles crashing]
[indistinct chatter]
[paramedic] The patient
is Christopher Guevarra, 38 years old.
Got a vehicular accident on Q Ave.
1:30 a.m. BP 90 over 60.
Respiratory rate, 11. Pulse rate, 70.
[doctor] Let's do the lab tests.
Please alert the ICU.
- [nurse] Yes, doc.
- [distant siren blaring]
What?
[Raymond] They found no traces
of alcohol in his blood, VLG.
So they're sure that he wasn't drunk.
The road's not busy,
so most likely, he fell asleep.
Over-fatigued.
Oh, Jesus Christ.
How is he?
[Raymond] He's unconscious,
but he's stable. No need to worry.
Oh, God.
He's going to be okay, VLG.
Who's going to replace Chico?
Chico can't lose Hain, you know that.
Most likely, his sous chef
will take over, for tonight, at least.
Whoever he is, you make sure
he doesn't fuck up Chico's reputation.
"She," VLG.
[VLG] The sous chef is a woman?
Are you sure?
Can she handle the restaurant, Raymond?
Yes, VLG.
[light music playing]
Your husband is late, you know?
Hey.
Huh? Work husband,
unless there's something more?
- Oh, your smile, is it from being kissed?
- Hmm?
- No, really, tell me. Did you kiss? Oh.
- Hmm?
- Ah, that's nice.
- [Ella chuckles softly]
- Chef Love?
- [Ella] Hmm?
You think everything's all right
with Chef Chico?
He's never this late
unless he's told us ahead of time.
Guys, um
Chef Chico is half an hour late.
Uh, I'm sure he has his reasons, but
maybe we should start without him, yeah?
- [chefs chattering]
- [Ella] Because look at the time.
[Wena] Excuse me! Meeting's starting.
Guys, quiet.
The class president has something to say.
[chefs chattering, chuckling]
Kidding, Chef Ella.
It's just that you look tensed.
Guys, Chef Chico is half an hour late.
Let's proceed with the meeting. Yep.
Oh. What are you doing here again?
Good morning, Chef.
Everyone, I'm Raymond Soler.
VLG hired me to be
the chief consultant for Hain.
And starting today,
I'll be monitoring your kitchen practices
and other aspects of the restaurant.
Oh, no, so is it true
that there will be staff layoffs?
Or maybe it's gonna be worse.
What's going on? Please tell us.
Are we going to close?
Oh, no.
No, my job is to observe
and make recommendations,
especially on your menu.
So that Hain can enter
Asia's Best of the Best,
because the owners wanna make sure
Hain's a success.
[Carlon] Wait, the menu?
You've run this by Chef Chico?
About Chef Chico
[uneasy music playing]
[Raymond] Chef Ella. Chef, wait a minute.
Where do you think you're going?
The hospital, obviously.
I have to see Chico.
What? I told you, he's stable.
The doctors are looking after him.
Life goes on, Chef.
Seriously?
He's in critical condition
and you say, "Life goes on"?
He's a human being!
Why don't you tell that to management?
Well, actually, it's the management
that asked me to come here
and monitor everything
that's happening here
while Chef Chico is in the hospital.
I'm sorry, but I have to check on Chico,
so I don't need your permission.
- You can tell that to management.
- Why do you need to be there?
Are you family?
An immediate relative?
Are you his girlfriend, at least?
[pensive music playing]
And why does it matter?
Well, if you have to think,
then most likely,
you're not his girlfriend.
So why do you have to be there, Chef?
I'm his sous chef.
Exactly. You're his sous chef.
So if there's anywhere
he needs you to be right now,
it's here in the kitchen, in Hain. Okay?
Unless you can't do it.
Unless you can't handle
being on top of everything today.
Chef?
Let me have one cigarette.
[somber music playing]
[sighs]
I have been telling him, Chef Chico
to please make sure to get some rest
or you might rest forever.
What if I unknowingly pushed him
toward an early death.
[Ditas] Maybe I jinxed Chef Chico.
[Carlon] Yes, love.
I'll be home late tonight.
'Nay, he's alive. Calm down, okay?
[Carlon]
Um, I'm needed here at the restaurant.
Okay, bye.
Okay. Everyone.
Chef Ella is our head chef today.
[Ella] Um
Uh, Wena, why don't you go over
our reservations for today?
Okay. We have a couple dining later,
um, Wilfredo and Marie.
No special occasion, just a date.
Uh, no food restrictions, but Mr. Wilfredo
requested a Kapampangan dinner,
a tasting menu that will end
with tibok-tibok for his Kapampangan wife.
Guys, let's do this for Chico.
Chef Chico.
Okay?
Let's serve them the best Hain experience
or get the fuck out of my kitchen!
- [chefs laughing]
- [chef] Awkward.
[comical music playing]
Wow, Kapampangan.
That's a power palate, guys.
No room for mistakes.
[chefs] Yes, Chef!
[chefs murmuring]
I'm on your side.
You're my head chef, okay?
[sighs]
Bro, what the hell?
Hey, guys,
don't forget to say, "Passing hot!"
We need to be safe
around here, okay? Copy?
[Wena and Ditas] Copy, Chef!
[Ella] Good.
You only have two employees, Chef?
Uh, if that's all you have to contribute,
can you just get out of our kitchen?
Some of us are quite busy at the moment.
I'm also working. Observing the kitchen.
It's just a job. Nothing personal.
Well then, happy Observation Day.
[Ella] Rye, don't don't leave it alone.
It might burn.
[Rye] Got it, Chef!
[Ella] Like this.
Uh, Chef?
Do you really think this personalized
tasting menu is still working?
This takes a lot of time and effort
for such very minimal profit,
don't you think?
Our personalized menu is our signature.
A menu that is customized for the guest.
That's Chef Chico's genius.
If you say so.
- [upbeat music playing]
- [Rye] Yeah, that's it!
This is work, not a party.
I cook better with music.
Come on, don't be ridiculous.
I can't even work the way I want? Jeez.
So you expect
that your staff will hear you over this?
Chef, you're not cooking on your own.
You have a team to manage.
[music fades]
We're not even close to dinner service.
We'll be prepping for a while,
so try not to overreact.
Chef, I need you to focus.
Can you really handle this kitchen
while Chef Chico is gone?
[light tense music playing]
- A good boyfriend.
- Huh?
He would be a nice boyfriend.
He might get a little annoying,
but I think maybe
once I give him some tender, loving care
[dreamy sigh]
we'd be fine.
Stop it, please.
I don't care what you think.
- What's that reaction, Ella? I mean, Chef?
- I
- Drop it, please. I'm not interested.
- Why? It's true. I'm just saying
- he's sort of, you know?
- What? Sort of?
I mean, did you feel that?
Uh, what should I have felt?
You know, "passing hot."
Ugh, you're so annoying. Go.
You're smiling, okay, I'll go.
Excuse me, excuse me.
[Wena] Good evening,
Mr. Wilfredo and Mrs. Marie.
It's an honor to welcome you here to Hain.
And now, we'll start to prepare your meal.
- This way.
- [Wilfredo] Thank you very much, miss.
Chef Wilfredo Chavez. Sir, good evening.
[Raymond] First Filipino to head
Manila Hotel's restaurant.
Good evening, ma'am.
Please come in.
- [Wena] Please follow me.
- How's the ambiance, Jo? Do you like it?
Yeah.
[VLG] Chef Wilfredo Chavez?
Of all the days,
he visits when Chico's gone.
[VLG] How is the sous chef doing?
Well, I'll make sure
she doesn't mess this up, VLG.
Please, tell me
why she's even the sous chef?
Weren't there better options?
[VLG] What did Chico even see in her?
That's what I want to find out too, VLG.
It seems there are some other leaders
in the kitchen,
but Chico entrusted the position to her,
so she must be something.
Just find me an alternative, Raymond.
Because if she messes this up,
I will fire her.
[VLG] Chico's restaurant is on the line.
Yes, VLG.
- [cell phone beeps]
- [exhales deeply]
[lively music playing]
So now that we don't have Chef Chico,
who's gonna serve our VIP guests?
[utensils clanking]
- I'll do it.
- It'll be Chef Ella.
[bell dings]
[light tense music playing]
[sighs]
[Marie] You recreated a river
just for this appetizer!
That's absolutely right, Mrs. Marie.
Fiddlehead ferns are most commonly found
by streams, rivers, and brooks.
You mentioned that you always liked
going to the beach
- back in the day.
- That's right.
And that's why we thought,
if you can't go back to visit the rivers,
- we will bring the river to you.
- [Marie chuckles]
Fiddleheads are one of the cheapest
and most nutritious
indigenous ingredients
here in the Philippines.
And since you like spice,
we decided to add
some siling labuyo from Pampanga.
Is that really siling labuyo?
These might be Taiwan chilies. Ha.
There are often many people
who mistake siling labuyo
for the long red chilies,
but those are actually Taiwan chilies.
The real siling labuyo can only be found
here in the Philippines.
It's much smaller, it's spicier,
and has a rounded tip.
We sourced that
from the farmers in Arayat.
And because there are
no middlemen, no landlords,
the full payment
goes directly to the farmers.
Enjoy Maria's Fiddlehead Ferns
à la Pampanga with chili peppers.
Just a thought.
Even if they're accessible, the, um
[Wilfredo snapping fingers]
the, uh, these, um
Um, ferns, Will.
Yes. Yes, I know.
I meant the ferns.
I was about to say that, well
Even if they're accessible,
you still have to be familiar with it,
because not all varieties of it
are edible.
Yes, Chef.
Are you sure
these are not toxic ferns, Chef?
Sure, Chef.
You do know what toxic ferns are, right?
Yes, Chef.
Please, enjoy your meal.
I love this, Will.
[soft chuckle]
I'm excited
and can't wait for the tibok-tibok.
- [chuckles]
- Well
That's why I'm doing this for you, Jo.
I know that it's been a long time,
and how much you must miss it.
- [gentle music playing]
- Aw. Oh, Will. Let's eat!
- [Wilfredo sighs]
- [soft gasp]
I'm still able to use
the bathroom by myself.
[light music playing]
Chef.
I heard this restaurant was the product
of connections more than passion.
But my wife was interested in
your customized and personal tasting menu.
So I gave this place a chance.
[scoffs]
But this?
This tastes like
all the talent has left the kitchen.
[Wilfredo] It's sour.
You used the wrong milk.
And the texture is firm,
not at all silky as it should be.
Where is your chef de cuisine?
Oh, hi, sir. I'm Ella. I'm the sous
I'm the head chef of Hain.
Where's Chico? I thought
he was hands-on here in Hain?
Will.
It's fine, Will.
[sharp sigh]
Will, please stop. It's all right.
Let's go home.
Shit, where's my cell phone?
I can use mine to call Jerry.
No, you must've taken it.
You took my cell phone, didn't you, uh
You did, huh?
Marie. Remember, love.
Excuse me, sir. Is this your phone?
It fell in the sink in the restroom.
And unfortunately,
it got wet because you left the tap on.
[somber music playing]
Chef!
[sighs]
Um, Mrs. Marie, I'm sorry for tonight.
No, I'm the one
who should apologize to you.
Please have a seat.
Uh, it's prohibited.
- I'm sorry, ma'am, I can't.
- No, no, I insist.
All right then.
Have a seat, please.
- Um, again, my apologies for tonight.
- It's not you,
it's me who should apologize.
The dinner's actually going well.
It's just that my husband has had
a lot of episodes like this one.
This is not the first time.
It's normal and part of
middle-stage Alzheimer's.
When he was first diagnosed,
he wouldn't stop cooking.
The restaurant was his life.
He wasn't going to let it die,
go the way of his Alzheimer's.
And then there was
a major outbreak of food poisoning
on the same day
as our son's birthday party.
He felt so guilty.
He could not forget it.
He closed the restaurant.
And refused to cook at home too.
- And then, he started his little project.
- [somber music playing]
We'd go to different restaurants,
try out various cuisines
Creating new memories
to replace those he's been losing
as the years pass.
Does he forget things like that
very often?
Yes, I've had to replace
- so many cell phones for him.
- [soft chuckle]
More than once, I found
he's left his cell in the refrigerator.
There are many things he's forgetting.
Although he hasn't forgot
my father didn't like him back then.
- [soft chuckle]
- He can't ever forget that.
We had a forbidden love affair.
Because our families were business rivals.
And we could only meet at the theaters.
Our lunch would be popcorn.
Eventually, we got tired of hiding.
We decided to leave Pampanga.
"You and me against the world."
Romeo and Juliet.
We eloped.
Whoa.
I love him that much.
And he loves me that much.
Believe me when I tell you this,
love is worth fighting for
and it's too beautiful
to be kept a secret.
Mrs. Marie, um,
can I ask for a favor from you?
[light music playing]
[Raymond] You asked our guests to wait?
Haven't we bothered them enough?
What if they give us bad reviews?
Chef, it's not good for the business
and you should know that.
Take a bite of it.
Tasting dishes is not my priority.
You even had Rye go out and get new milk.
They used the wrong kind of milk.
It has to be native carabao's milk
or it will go rancid.
[Ella] That's the problem
when ingredients are suddenly replaced.
The quality is sacrificed
when it shouldn't be.
I never said anything
about changing the menu
and sacrificing the quality of our dishes.
Did you even think
what would have happened
if you disappointed Chef Will,
that maybe you'd lose your job at Hain?
Chef?
What have you learned from Chef Chico?
That nothing should be wasted.
[cell phone chimes]
[Ella]
Now, presenting our special dessert,
the Kapampangan tibok-tibok.
I'm sure you know that "tibok-tibok"
literally means "heartbeat."
The method of cooking tibok-tibok
is what actually gave it its name.
When the milk reaches a firm consistency,
the bubbles barely break the surface,
so they pulsate,
tibok-tibok, like a heart.
[giggles]
So a heartbeat represents life,
and your love breathes life
into this dish.
So this is tibok-tibok
of the Great Love Affair
[giggles]
of Chef Wilfredo and Mrs. Marie.
[Ella] On the house.
[giggles]
Please enjoy.
[soft classical music playing]
[exhales softly]
[gentle music playing]
I still remember
the first time I came to call on you.
[Wilfredo] I really didn't know
how to tell you how I felt,
so I tried to say it through my cooking.
Every dish I cooked for you
meant that you are important to me.
Whenever you are full,
it meant to me
that we'd always be together.
And when you smile,
I'd made you happy, Jo.
At least while I was cooking,
I would make you happy forever.
And I don't want this goddamn sickness
to ever stop me from reminding you
how much I love you.
And since I stopped cooking,
I wanted to make up for it
by taking you out.
And this dish,
this tibok-tibok is my way of saying,
"I'm sorry" and that "I love you."
I know you miss
when I'd make food for you, Jo.
I'm sorry.
And even if I forget to say it tomorrow
or in the next few days,
my love for you is eternal, Marie.
[breathes deeply]
Will
I don't know if you'd forgotten this, but
did you know that last night,
I was breaking up with you?
I'm so tired, Will.
And very scared as well.
I had this worry.
My age would get in the way
of me being able to take care of you.
I understand, Jo.
[Marie] And then I realized
I also forgot something.
My love for you
is stronger than all my fears.
[sniffles]
I love you so much, Will.
I will never leave you, my love. Never.
["Di Na Babalik"
by Leanne & Naara playing]
[both chuckling]
[Marie] Oh, and that
that unforgettable tibok-tibok.
- [Wilfredo and Ella chuckle]
- [Ella] Thank you.
- I'm glad you were able to stay.
- [Wilfredo] It was a good meal.
[Ella]
I hope you'll join us again here at Hain.
- Thank you, sir. Thank you.
- [Wilfredo] Thank you very much, Chef.
- Thank you.
- [Ella] Thank you both.
- [soft chuckle]
- [soft music playing]
Thank you.
FOOD LEADS YOU BACK HOME
HAIN MADE ME REMEMBER WHAT LOVE IS
Mmm.
[soft chuckle]
[monitors beeping]
[indistinct public announcement]
[Ella] Hi, nurse. Is this Chico's room?
Ah, what's your relationship
to the patient?
Uh
[nurse] Ma'am?
We're I'm I'm his sous chef.
What?
He's my boss. Something like that.
I just really need to see him.
I'm sorry, ma'am.
Visiting hours are over for today.
And only immediate relatives
and approved guest
may see him at this time,
as per the request of his mother
since he's still in the ICU.
[indistinct public announcement]
- [somber music playing]
- [sizzling]
[crunching]
[trash can lid clanks]
[Raymond] Food shouldn't be wasted, Chef.
[trash can lid thumps]
Why are you even here?
What problems
will you shove in my face this time?
Ella, are you okay?
Chef?
[inhales sharply]
[sniffles]
[sniffles]
[cell phone chimes]
["Evergreen" by Leanne & Naara playing]
[glasses clinking]
I thought that
this was work and not a party?
- [liquid sloshing]
- Your shift's over. You can party.
I'll pay for this, so please take it.
You look like you could use it.
[sniffles]
[Ella] Thank you.
[Ella sniffles]
["Evergreen" by Leanne & Naara playing]
["Evergreen" by Leanne & Naara
continues playing]