Chasing His Kickass Luna Back by Jane Above Story

A little girl with a costume chef’s hat on. It’s a little too big for her head, causing

it to fall into her eyes. She pushes it up out of her face, shooting me a toothless

grin as she holds up a handmade sign that reads, in haphazard crayon…

“ABBY, U R MY HERO!”

Tears come to my eyes, but I blink them away. Suddenly, I’ve found my voice

again. I clear my throat, stand up straight, and start to speak.

“I want to say how grateful I am to stand here as a woman in a profession that

has long been dominated by men. And not just as a woman, but as someone

who believes in the power of diversity, of giving chances to those who are often

overlooked.”

Enter title…

I pause, choosing my words carefully. “But it’s not just about me,” I continue, “it’s

about all of us here. The incredible chefs who have come to compete, the staff

who make this show possible, and you—the audience, who make us want to be

better.”

eye, I see Daniel roll his eyes, his scowl

I contemplate going further,

here. It’s

of the love,” I continue,

to my opponents—no, not my opponents, but rather

the

to celebrate the art of cooking, to challenge ourselves,

engage in a friendly

takes over the studio. I

the faces of

lastly to Karl, who gives

home the prize today,” I add,

as a community, cheering each other on,

real victory, and it’s

more. He’s still scowling at me, but

me, the most important thing is that little

her grin missing teeth, and

don’t win today, I

microphone back. “What a

to which there’s another round of cheers

but we’re all dying to know— who

today?”

eyes dart to Karl, whose

‘Ken,’” I say. “If you all don’t mind, he has

the duration