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A happy Alberto left Jinnie and headed back to his office. Jinnie sat pondering the question of whom she should pitch the job of CEO of TT SuperBurger to. It was a major problem. She could only think of two people she knew who spoke Polish, English and German, Jan and Simone, and neither of them had any experience of running a huge business. She was sure there was someone else she knew who spoke Polish but could not, for the life of her, remember who.
As she sat thinking, Jinnie was dragged back to the present by a knocking on the partition beside her office door. Jinnie looked up and saw Jorja, who said, “Hello, boss, are you free for a chat? I have a few things I would like to discuss.” “Of course,” said Jinnie, “come in and sit down. Do we need to close the door?” “I do not think so,” said Jorja. “My questions are about the future of Bearcat Catering and where that leaves me.” “Go on,” said Jinnie.
Jorja took a deep breath and dived in. “Well, the business has really taken off in the last few months.” “Yes, and I am delighted,” said Jinnie. “The problem, as I see it,” said Jorja, “is that the vast bulk of the new business is in Europe, and Seb and I are running the company from the West Indies. OK, we have offices in Potters Bar under a local manager, but you have always said you wanted to grow the company big enough to take on the British giant catering companies. Surely this means building up the U.K. business.”
“Let me lay it out how I see things going,” said Jinnie. “Firstly, I do not think Bearcat Catering is quite big enough yet to take on the UK giants in a straight head-to-head, but we are getting there. I was going to have a chat with you anyway. I foresee a rearrangement of the company. I want to put your Bearcat Outdoor Catering company fully under Miranda’s ‘Events’ division. The idea is to expand the mobile catering into first the UK, then Europe and the US. My current plan is to continue running that part of the business out of Bridgetown. That could change, but I suspect that is still some years down the road.”
“Now, the other half of the company, I see it being run out of Potters Bar. At the moment, we have a satellite office in Hull, we have a head office in Bridgetown, a secondary office in Potters Bar and very soon we will have one in our Gdańsk office complex. Now, this is what I have been thinking about for you, but the final choice is yours. You could opt to stay in Bridgetown and either stay and run the West Indian businesses as a regional director, or you could transfer to ‘Outside Catering’ and grow the business as a regional director under Miranda as the division MD. Your final option is you stay with Bearcat Catering but move to the U.K. and stay as the MD and grow the company into a fully blown division.”
“But I cannot work in Britain,” said Jorja, “I am a Bajan.” “That is an easily surmountable problem,” replied Jinnie, “the group simply sponsors you for a Skilled Worker visa. You can carry on working with Sebastian as your deputy, as he is British and free to work in the U.K. If you choose this option, there will be a massive relocation package. The move will not cost you a penny, and we will rent a house for you. Look, I really want you to come and work out of Maple House. Belinda is in the middle of sorting out a new executive floor, and you and Seb will have offices there, maybe not as plush as this one, but this is a group director office. Oh, one thing I nearly forgot, your pay will increase considerably, and there will be lots of travel, even back to Barbados.”
“I would love to move to the U.K., even if it is much colder. But how soon would all this happen?” asked Jorja. “I would like the chance to grow this company into a major division, and I think Seb and I can do it.” “As to when,” said Jinnie, “I think ‘as soon as possible’ is the only answer I can give you. As soon as we finish this chat, I will ring HR and set your move in motion. I think we will have to make the application for a visa via the embassy in Barbados, so that fits in nicely with your travel plans and you can sort out your loose ends in Bridgetown. I will speak to Seb after lunch, please do not tell him the plans, and try not to look like the cat that got the cream.”
“One other thing,” said Jinnie, “is there anyone in Barbados who you think is capable of stepping up and running the region, while still reporting to you in England?” “Yes,” said Jorja without hesitation. “Tyrone Fields, he has been with us since the beginning and is highly competent. I would have said Violet Gibson, but she is still on the training course. She is turning into one of the brightest stars in the organisation, everyone will be after her when she finishes her training.” “I have an idea,” said Jinnie, “what if I were to get her assigned as an assistant to Tyrone? If she fits in as well as you think she will, we can offer her a full-time job as his deputy a few days before she finishes her training placement.”
***
It was a smug-feeling Jinnie who arrived home from work and was greeted by a pair of glum-looking twins. “What on earth is the matter with you two?” asked Jinnie. “We did some of those IQ tests at school today, and we do not think we did very well,” said Millie. “Why is that?” said Jinnie. “We saw Professor Sanchez marking them,” said Willie, “and afterwards he and Dirk were talking with Miss Manson, and she had our papers, and I saw we only got 155 out of 200.” Jinnie started laughing, and Millie said, “Mummy, why are you laughing?”
Jinnie put her arms around the twins and hugged them before saying, “I am laughing because you have completely misunderstood how an IQ test works. The idea is to see how clever or not a person is. The higher the score, the better, but an average person will get around 100. That is just how it works. If you get 80, then you are below average, and if you get 120, then you are above average. You would have to be very unwise to get, say, 50 or below, and if you get 150 or above, it means you are very clever.”
“Well, my darlings,” continued Jinnie, “your results prove you are very clever, and I bet no one else in the class got more than 125. I bet I know what your teachers and Miss Manson were talking about. Do you remember last time you did an IQ test, Mr Excel thought you were copying from each other because you got the same answers? Well, I suspect you did exactly the same again.” “But we could not copy,” said Willie, “we were on opposite sides of the classroom, all the boys were by the windows and the girls by the door.” “So, they knew you did not cheat,” said Jinnie, “they were just surprised how alike you are.”
“We suppose you could be right,” said Millie. “I am right,” said Jinnie, “if you have an IQ of zero, you would be as unthinking as a rock, and if you had an IQ of 200, you would have a brain the size of the biggest planet in the universe.” That got the twins giggling until Willie asked, “What is the biggest planet in the universe, and how big is it?” “I do not know,” replied Jinnie, “if I knew, I would have a huge IQ, but I know how to find out.” Millie asked, “How?” and Jinnie said, “Use Google, of course.”
A much happier set of twins went off to look up the biggest planet, and Jinnie went to find Izzy and, more importantly, find out what was for dinner. Jinnie did not have to ask, Izzy was covering a whole shoulder of lamb in foil to keep it warm while it rested. “That looks and smells good,” said Jinnie. “I hope so,” said Izzy, “it looked so good in the meat section at M&S that I could not resist it. Do you think the twins will like it? It is a bit fattier than the usual lamb we have.” “I do not see why they should not,” replied Jinnie, “you have crisped up the fat and the skin, I bet they ask for more.” “Just so long as there is enough left for shepherd’s pie tomorrow,” said Izzy.
***
Jinnie was right, the twins both asked for more crispy skin and said it was delicious. Larry, who was under the table licking his lips to make the taste of the bit Willie had slipped him last longer, agreed, but then he loved meat, any sort of meat, and when it was in addition to his regular bowl of Felix, he was extra happy. As the twins stacked the dirty plates in the dishwasher, just as Izzy had taught them, with the dirty sides to the middle and a gap between them, Willie asked, “What is for pudding?”
Jinnie said, “How can you still be hungry after having seconds?” “But we always have pudding,” said Millie, “even if it is only ice cream.” “Tonight is no exception,” replied Izzy, “although it is a bit of an experiment, I have never made it before, so I hope it is OK.” From the lower oven, Izzy produced a lemon meringue pie, which had been keeping warm, and asked Millie to fetch a jug of single cream from the fridge. Willie took one look and said, “We had that on Arvia in the summer, but it was cold and we had vanilla ice cream with it.”
“I remember,” said Izzy, “and you loved it. Well, this time we are having it warm and with pouring cream. You can tell me whose is best, mine or the ship’s.” Izzy placed the warm pie on a mat in the middle of the table and used a pie slice to cut a wedge of pie for each of the twins. Willie looked at the wedge in the bowl in front of him, with its delicately browned meringue, and said, “This meringue looks different to the one on the ship.” Izzy replied, “That is because this is French meringue, and on the ship it was Italian meringue, which is soft. This one is crisp on the outside and soft in the middle.”
Millie, who was pouring cream onto her pie, said, “This dinner will make a good review.” Jinnie laughed and said, “But you two want to be restaurant reviewers, not Izzy dinner reviewers. Not many people will ever get to eat Izzy’s cooking.” “Well, they should,” replied Willie, “this pie is ace, much better than on Arvia.”
The family retreated to the living room for their after-dinner hot drinks. As had become the norm, the twins had mugs of tea, strong with a dash of milk and no sugar. Willie said, “That dinner was epic. We have a new favourite meat, crispy roast lamb.” Jinnie sipped her coffee and said, “You are right, that lamb was really good, but most restaurants do roast leg of lamb, not shoulder. I think I prefer shoulder. This coffee is good tonight, with a drop of cream instead of milk, perhaps we should always have some single cream in the fridge.” Izzy sighed and said, “OK, I will add it to the shopping list.”
***
Jinnie dropped the twins off at school as she headed to Maple House. As she drove, she thought about how enthusiastic the twins were to go to school. They seemed to soak up lessons like a sponge, and the more that was thrown at them, the happier they were. They were thriving under the new school regime. Jinnie sat at her desk, sipping the coffee that Janet had just delivered, and scanned the emails in her inbox. One from Trattoria Trevi Wine caught her attention, and she opened it.
Charles said this was an interim update on the business before the December monthly report, as so much was happening. The report started with the French business and said it looked like it was going to be a vintage year. The grape harvest had been excellent, and they had processed the most grapes ever. They had produced and already sold more vin de table wine than ever and had laid down a vast amount of AOC wine, but because of the limits placed on AOC production, some had to be reclassified as vin de pays. Charles commented that he suggested that the Sybaritic chain might be interested in these wines, as they would be of a similar quality to the AOC wines but cheaper.
He then said that, in conjunction with TT SuperBurger Events, the division had started wine tours, and these were proving very popular with both domestic and foreign tourists. A snack bar had been very busy, and the decision had been made to add a restaurant as soon as it could be built. He was in discussion with Brooke to open France’s first Sybaritic. Jinnie stopped reading for a moment and wondered if Sybaritic was right for France, it was very British. Should she float her idea about a French chain, “Les Jumeaux”? Jinnie put a note to talk to Brooke on her to-do list, and after a little more thought, also added “Miranda, French Events Centre.”
Jinnie returned to the report and learnt that Charles was suggesting he talk to Rick about an on-site hotel. This jogged Jinnie’s memory, she remembered questioning where 600 people at a conference at the South Down Winery were staying and thinking about an on-site hotel. Another note, to talk to Rick, went on the to-do list.
The report moved on to the South Down winery and events centre. For the second Christmas running, it was hosting Christmas parties for the month of December, but this year they had got permission to have an on-site funfair and had booked Cooper’s Travelling Fair. Jinnie was dragged away from the report by her internal phone ringing. The screen displayed “Chris Jones calling.” Jinnie answered the phone, saying, “Good morning, Chris. How can I help you?” “Could you spare me 10 minutes? I have some news.” “Of course,” replied Jinnie, “if you come up now, I am only going through emails.”
Chris Jones slid into a meeting chair and said, “Good morning, boss. I am happy to report some good news. I suppose I should tell Jorja and Seb first, but they are back in Barbados, and it is still night-time there. I have just got the order for in-house catering at USA Gas and Oil.” “Well done,” said Jinnie, “but you could have told me that over the phone.” “Well, it is not just that, I need some help,” continued Chris. “We bid to a client’s specification, and we included a few things that need some cooperation and coordination with other group divisions.”
“Go on,” said Jinnie. Chris added, “Well, the specification said that about 50% of the 1,200 office staff ate lunch in the staff restaurant daily. Of the others, their survey showed about 25% bought a sandwich at local sandwich bars, 20% brought in food from home, and the remainder said they did not eat lunch or went to the pub. The company subsidises the restaurant by £1 per dinner a day. They sell various coloured tickets that can be exchanged for a starter, a main course and a dessert, so they have actual sales data and know how much subsidy to pay at the end of the month.”
“We did not propose changing the system, but we did propose adding to it,” said Chris. “We proposed dividing off a portion of the restaurant and adding an enhanced menu, a waitress-service area, for a small additional charge. They do not believe in a separate directors’ dining room, but a pay-extra area is acceptable, as anyone can use it. Then we proposed an in-house sandwich shop, which could also supply buffets for meetings. We take over the contract from the incumbent in January on the first working day of the year, so we have the Christmas office shutdown to prepare. We need Wright Refurbishment to build the waitress area and the sandwich shop, we need Brooke to advise on and run the sandwich bar, and we need to hire and train additional staff.”
Jinnie said, “We need to get this moving quickly so that we can get the work done over the Christmas holidays. I will be speaking to Brooke shortly. I need to speak to her about something else, so I will tell her she needs to talk to you about an in-house branch of Artisan Sandwiches. Do you think we could open the shop early for breakfast sandwiches and coffee? Is there room for a few tables local to the shop for people to eat their sandwiches and drink their coffee? I assume the shop will also be selling coffee.”
“I had planned to sell coffee and tea,” said Clive, “I like the idea of a small ‘coffee area’, but I would need to run it past Gas & Oil’s management, they might hate the idea.” “Try selling it as a casual meeting area where staff can meet people without taking them into the main offices,” said Jinnie, “and while I think of it, ask her about selling Artisan doughnuts. Americans love coffee and doughnuts.”
While Chris was still with her, Jinnie got Belinda to join them. A smiling Belinda arrived and put several A4 sheets stapled together in front of Jinnie. “I thought you might be interested. It is a purchase order from US Gas and Oil Inc. for refurbishing the boardroom and its anteroom, five directors’ offices, and the reception. We are talking £750,000, including new audio-visual equipment for the boardroom.” Jinnie replied, “Gas and Oil’s purchasing department have been busy. Chris has received an order for in-house catering, and it means more work for you.”
“Good,” said Belinda, “have they gone for the waitress area and the Artisan Sandwich outlet?” “Yes, both,” replied Chris, “but we have to be ready to take over the in-house contract on 3rd January, the first working day of the new year.” “Damn,” said Belinda, “that means I am going to have to bribe people to work over the Christmas shutdown and to sort out and order materials before we close down, as most of our trade suppliers are also closed. I hate having to get things from DIY supermarkets that stay open.” Jinnie rang Brooke and told her about the contract wins and how Bearcat and Belinda now needed her input, and a meeting between Belinda, Brooke and Chris was arranged at Maple House the following day.
***
Alone again, Jinnie went back to the report from Charles and carried on reading about the South Coast winery and that he had ordered wine-making equipment to be installed before next year’s harvest. Charles stated that he did not expect anywhere near a ‘normal’ crop next harvest. He was hoping for a substantial crop and to be able to make it into wine. He doubted it would be excellent wine, but at least it would be drinkable and could be sold as English table wine through supermarkets.
Charles continued, saying, “The events space at this winery seems to be doing good business, but it is another division so I cannot be certain. However, I do know it is adding customers to our vineyard tours and souvenir shop. I think this is the example I want to follow in Bordeaux and California.” Jinnie thought, ‘I agree’.
The report moved on to talk about California. Charles wrote, “This estate is in the early stages of the planned development. I have hired a prospective winery manager who has experience at a small local operation. Heather has been taken on as office manager and is proving very capable, while Hank and Cliff are getting on with what they understand, the growing of grapes. We have sunk two additional boreholes and, to be honest, now have far more water than we need. Heather suggested a lake, picnic area and a small snack bar as a start to our winery tours business, and it seems to work.”
Charles continued, “We planted an additional 50 acres of vines before the winter arrived. We have started planning for the planting of the remainder in the spring. So far this is a cost centre, but we have introduced the Sonora Valley wine brands across the Group’s outlets in North America, and it is proving very popular, and we are selling at a higher price than into the wholesale trade.”
“Finally,” wrote Charles, “I have signed a preliminary agreement to take a 999-year lease on a winery in Lower Silesia in the Oder Valley. All the vineyards in Poland were under the control of the Germans, and the Poles are anxious to get these vineyards back into production as soon as possible. The winery I have agreed to take on is around 35 hectares (about 87 acres). I understand that they have been producing about five tonnes of grapes per acre. That means 435 tonnes of grapes, or over 650,000 bottles of Riesling a year, if we cannot increase grape production. I think we can streamline production and, with modern equipment and ideas, we can do much better. In fact, I am looking at a nearby winery that specialises in Pinot Noir, however I might need some Group funds.”
Jinnie spoke to Alberto. “How do you feel about having a regular supply of Riesling in our TT restaurants?” “We used to have a regular supply when we were part of the Nazi empire, and it sold quite well, but I have not seen it on the UK market for years. Where would it be coming from, your new world winery? That would be expensive to ship.” “This would come from an ex-German winery in Poland,” replied Jinnie. “I am interested,” said Alberto. “We are buying another winery in Lower Silesia, and I was wondering if there is a market for it in the UK,” said Jinnie.
“Oh, there is a market if the price is right,” replied Alberto. “I somehow think the price will be very decent,” said Jinnie, “prices are very low in Poland.” “What about shipping?” asked Alberto. “I have an idea,” said Jinnie, “we are planning on shipping loads of stuff to Poland to supply our chains, and those trucks and containers are coming back empty. What if we filled them with cases of wine?”
***
Jinnie had just finished her turkey salad bap and coffee lunch when her mobile rang. When she saw the display showed an unknown caller, she feared the worst. She swiped to answer the call and said, “Hello, Jinnie de Luca speaking.” The voice on the phone said, “Good afternoon, Dame Jinnie, it is Clara, C’s PA. Can you hold the line for a moment while I connect you?” After a few clicks, Alan said, “Good afternoon, Jinnie. I am happy to tell you that the Yanks have finally got their arse in gear and the ammo is ready. Consequently, the mission is on. I do not think there is any point in your coming in for a briefing, as the planning is being done in the States.”
“I am inclined to agree,” said Jinnie. “I expect that there will need to be two briefings, one in California and one in Virginia.” “Yes, you and your sister’s missions are very different,” said Alan. “However, both missions are to take place at the same time, and I hear the Yanks want both briefings to take place in Norfolk, Virginia. We have a slight problem in that there are no direct flights from London, so we have booked you on Virgin to New York and Delta to Norfolk. The airport is right next to the Naval Station and the SEALs base at Little Creek.” “OK,” said Jinnie, “when do we fly?”
“Saturday,” replied Alan. “You do not need any special paperwork, your passport will do. I will make sure Penny has your airline ticket when she leaves the office on Friday. I do not expect you to be out there long, but I have told them to make it an open ticket for the return flight.” “That works for me,” said Jinnie.
Chapter 33, Venezuela
© WorthingGooner 2026
