Ever since Tia tasted her first chicken and potatoe stew she dreamed of becoming a chef where people traveled far and wide to taste her cuisine. But living with her demanding stepmother and three spoiled stepsisters, Patty, Maddy and Sue, left her with little time to cook for herself.

Every night, Tia and her stepsisters cooked dinner, although Patty, Maddy, and Sue weren't very good cooks. They ignored the hundreds of spices and herbs that their stepmother collected from the market over the years and every night their meals came out bland and flavorless. Tia always wanted to use them, but never had a chance to.

One night, Tia tried to add spices and herbs to the food, but her stepsisters scolded her. “Don't waste our food by thinking you're some great cook!” Patty said.“Make it the way we say,” Maddy said.“Don't be a show off,” Sue added.For fear their stepmother wouldn't like the food, Patty, Maddy and Sue added more unsuitable ingredients themselves, attempting to fix Tia's mistake.

When it was time for dinner, her stepmother sat down and took a big bite off her plate. “Who made this meal? It tastes awful!” “Tia did!” Patty said.“It was all Tia's fault!” Maddy said.“She ruins everything!” Sue added.Her stepsisters chanted, snickering and pointing fingers at Tia. Just as Tia was about to speak up, her stepmother screamed, “Silence all of you! Now, clean up the kitchen and go to bed.”

They all shuffled out of the kitchen, leaving Tia behind with a huge mess. “Everything's always my fault,” Tia said. “Someday, I'll run away. I'll go some place where I can cook fabulous meals and everyone will be happy!”

Before cleaning up the kitchen, Tia took another bite of of the bland food in front of her and cringed. She was hungry, but didn't want to eat that. So she went to the stove and turned on the burner. Adding the chicken and potatoes to the pot, she put in some herbs. Then she added olive oil and garlic. With mushrooms, carrots, and onions, the food created a wonderful smell that made her stomach growl with hunger.

Tia stirred and mashed and chopped. She added a pinch of salt, a splash of broth, and sprinkled more herbs and pepper. The olive oil simmered. The broth bubbled and boiled. Tia tasted her creation. “This is the best chicken and potatoes I ever tasted!” she said to herself.

When Tia's bowl was completely empty, she cleaned the kitchen and headed to bed, stuffed for the first time in a long time.

The next night, Tia and her stepsisters made a bland dinner like usual. Tia smiled to herself, remembering the delicious meal she made the night before.“What's with you?” Patty said.“At least she's following directions,” Maddy said.“She's so strange,” Sue said. Tia ignored them, planning in her head the meal she would make later while everyone else was fast asleep.

As they ate, Tia wondered if her cooking could ever be good enough for her stepmother and stepsisters. She swallowed a bite of food and cleared her throat. “Stepmother, do you think I could make a special meal for you tomorrow?” Tia asked.Her stepmother laughed, almost choking on her chicken. “Why on earth would you ever think your food would be good enough to eat? Besides, there will never be anyone to taste your food. I never want you to bring this up again, do you understand? Now, remember, tomorrow is Saturday. Tia, I need you to come with us to the market. But make sure you finish all your chores or you are not coming.You can start by cleaning up this mess.”

As her stepmother and stepsisters went upstairs, Tia remained at the kitchen table. “I wish someone would give me a chance. If only there were more people to try my food,” she said to herself as she began cleaning the kitchen. “At least I get to visit the market tomorrow. I have never been there before.” And she quickly cleaned the kitchen, setting aside her late night cooking ritual so she could wake up early and finish her chores.

The next day as they all walked through the market, Tia couldn't believe how many tables there were with jewelry, art, clothing, and food laid out for all to enjoy. The food looked delicious and smelled so good that it almost pulled her towards the tables. Suddenly, she had an idea. The market! I can cook and bring my meals here! Everyone will want to try it! But I must make sure stepmother and my stepsisters don't find out. I'll cook at night while they are asleep and only come when I know they won't be visiting the market.

As Tia struggled to carry her stepmother's bags filled with clothing and jewelry, she noticed an empty area where mud collected underneath a tree. An old bench rested against the trunk, looking as if it would break in half. That is where I will set up my food, she thought to herself. And as they made their way out of the square, she skipped home with excitement.

Late that night, the stove overflowed with pots and pans as she cooked her special scrumptious cuisine that she hoped everyone at the market would love. This time, her steps came without thinking. One after the other, ingredients were added; the salt shaker shook, the oil flowed, the parsley floated before it landed in the pot. Everything melted together like an artist's canvas that Tia created herself.

The next day, as Tia set up her stand, a man walked by and immediately stopped. He sniffed the air and said, “What do you have there, my dear?” he asked.“It's a dish I made, I call it Sensational Chickpotay Stew” she replied. “May I have a taste?” the man asked.

The man picked up a fork and took a big bite. As he chewed, his eyes widened with surprise. He swallowed, sighed and then took another sample. His eyes opened wider this time. He put the fork on the table and said, “What is your name, dear?”“Tia,” she said.“I am Mr. Bruyere. Thank you for the snack. You have a nice day, Tia,” and he tipped his hat and walked away without another word.

Tia sat on the bench, so sure that he didn't like it. “What if he didn't like it?” she said to herself. “One of these days, people will line up for blocks just to taste my food.”

The next few days, Tia stood at her stand as people walked by without trying her food. She tried jumping, making jokes, singing songs. But no one stopped to listen.

One afternoon, while Tia set up her stand, she noticed people pointing at her and whispering. She felt embarrassed and wanted to run, thinking they were laughing at her. As she began packing up her things to leave, a group of people started walking towards her stand.

“It is her!” one said.“It's the girl in the paper,” another said.“May I have a taste?” one said.The girl in the paper? Tia thought to herself. She was confused, but she smiled and offered her dish to everyone.

They took their time chewing. Then all at once, they smiled at each other in approval.“Delicious!” one said.“This is the best chicken I've ever had!” another said.“Where can I get more?” one asked.

Tia was so happy they liked her food that she offered them as many samples as they wanted. In the distance, she noticed the man with the hat standing at a table. He smiled at Tia, tipped his hat, and walked away.

When Tia got home that night, her stepmother and stepsisters were sitting at the kitchen table waiting for her. Tia's heart raced when she saw her stepmother holding the piece of paper with her picture on it. Oh no, the paper! She thought to herself.

“Tia, you are in the newspaper. Why are you in the newspaper?” her stepmother asked.“I was just in the market handing out...” Tia began, but was interrupted.“It says here that you are the youngest and greatest cooking sensation to ever hit market square! You went behind my back by cooking and giving people MY food! This will not happen again, do you hear me?”“Yes, stepmother,” Tia said as tears formed in her eyes.“I forbid you to ever go back to that market!”

Days passed and Tia felt as if her dream would never come true. “How will I ever become a chef if no one will be able to taste my food?” she asked herself.

Bright and early one morning, there was a loud knock on the door. And another... and another! Soon Tia heard faint voices arguing outside her bedroom window. Tia rushed downstairs to find groups of people standing outside her front door asking her stepmother to let them see the youngest and greatest cooking sensation.

“There she is!”“Tia, Tia!”“Come back to the market!” But Tia's stepmother slammed the door and refused to answer it.

While Tia did chores that afternoon, there was another faint knocking at the door, but her stepmother ignored it.“Stepmother,” Tia said. “There is someone at the door.”“For heaven's sake,” her stepmother said as she marched to the door and threw it open.

“Excuse me, but... oh, Mayor Bruyere! I apologize, it is nice to see you. What can I do for you?”“I am here to see Tia,” he told her.Her stepmother paused and laughed. “Tia? Why on earth would you want to see Tia?”“Because she is the best cook I have met in years,” he said.

Hearing her name, Tia came to the door, pushing aside her stepmother who was frozen in the doorway from shock. When Tia saw the man with the hat, she smiled.“Hello again, Tia. I am Jean Bruyere, owner of the French Bistro next door as well as mayor of this city. I must say, your food was exquisite. I have never tasted anything so delicious in my life! How would you like to help my chefs cook your dish as a special at my Bistro tonight?”

“Yes, I would love to!” Tia said. “It was you who helped get all those people to my stand the other day, wasn't it?”“Yes. I made sure everyone in the city knew about you and your scrumptious cuisine! They all love your food and I bet they'd come from all over to taste it!”

On Friday night, the busiest night for Jean Bruyere's French Bistro, Tia wore a white jacket and a white chef's hat in the finest kitchen in the city. They called her dish Tia's Scrumptious Cuisine, and it was the most ordered meal of the night. “Tia, there is a line around the block of people waiting to taste your food! How would you like to help us make delicious dishes every Friday night from now on?” Mr. Bruyere said.“Oui, oui!” she responded. “Yes, yes!”

After months of cooking every Friday night, Tia finally became the head chef at her own restaurant, Tia's Scrumptious Cuisine!