Monaco, 1935

The Winter Olympics are a thing of the past. The Summer Olympics will be held next year in Munich. What, oh What will entertain the competitive minded amongst us until that time? The Prince of Monaco has made that decision for us. He is sponsoring a competition to find the greatest chef in the world to serve as his personal chief of culinary staff. To this end he is sponsoring a 2 week long competition to find the finest chef in the world. In charge of this prestigious event is his Minister of the Interior, Francoise Divot.

As with the Olympics, you have the competitors; Chefs of many different nations, and the Judges; selected from various countries by the Minister. Also, as in the Olympics, there are preliminary events to reduce the size of the field to a manageable number. The first week's kitchen clash has reduced this field to six competitors. The Minister has been ceaseless in his efforts to ensure that "fair play and good sportsmanship" prevail. Alas, this has not been the case.

The Judges have accused each other of favoritism when grading some of the competitors. The chefs' egos have proven too large for many of the kitchens used. Their assistants are on the verge of rebellion. The reporters are so starved for good stories that they have been accused of fabricating scandals to try and appease voracious editors. Spectators are harder to find than a Paris taxi when it's raining, so the Minister is getting desperate, and NO ONE can figure out HOW the American ended up in the finals!

The final week long competition is to begin tomorrow. Tonight is a reception sponsored by the Minister. Each night a different finalist is featured making the dishes served for the dinner. Tonight features the French chef, one Michelle LePage, an outspoken fellow from Southern France. He has tactfully prepared one of Françoise's favorite dishes, Bouillabaisse. Let’s hope that the Minister can "Spice Up" this competition or everyone may drown when they fall asleep in their soup!