
Vera Young, the 'Culinary Goddess', disappears. A year later, incognito, she works at 'The Grand Pavilion'. Selene Sterling (Howard's sister) creates a crisis to seize 'The Grand Pavilion'. Howard Sterling proposes a 'Culinary Deathmatch' with Selene (loser's hand tendons severed, expelled from Chefs' Association). The first round is knife skills. Selene sends Lachlan Chen. Vera Young uses divine knife work, winning the first round.