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Sixty seconds to plating. She catches her reflection in the pass — chef coat stained with squid ink, hair escaping her bun, eyes that haven’t seen sunlight in three days.

Chef Mara wipes her forearm across her brow, leaving a faint smear of duck fat and salt. The line is silent except for the hum of the lowboy and the sizzle of butter hitting a pan that should’ve been cleaned an hour ago. %23cheflife+latest

She types back: “Always.”

“Order fire — two short rib, one halibut, one cacio e pepe, extra pep ,” Leo calls out from expo, voice shot from a double shift. Sixty seconds to plating

She looks at the dirty pans, the chive scraps, the latest Instagram post she hasn’t posted — a blurry shot of a broken yolk with the caption: “Some days you’re the hero. Some days you’re the mise.” The line is silent except for the hum