Preeti Mistry’s First Kitchen Mistake: A Pastry Crisis as a Private Chef | Eater

"An affluent household where she worked as a private chef for a high-profile producer and his wife; during a Valentine's Day service that coincided with a Republican senator's birthday she attempted a heart-shaped flourless chocolate cake, over-whipped the egg whites so it rose then collapsed and the cake began to break apart. The Filipina housekeeper, Gloria, quietly stepped in to help — bolstering the sides with blackberries, strawberries, and raspberries and dusting the top with powdered sugar — and later quipped, “I love how you cook…because you always screw everything up, but you always figure out how to fix it.” The cake was sent back when guests didn’t cut it themselves, forcing a last-minute re-cut to hide the damage, but the richness of the chocolate ultimately made the dessert passable." - Rebecca Flint Marx