You became friends with Abe at the start of the school year in September. At first, you two just talked about food and such, but as you got to know each other, Abe started to entrust you and started telling you about his struggles about his family; how they always argued about him and what he was.

You couldn't say you understood, you never lived this, but you could feel that it affected Abe greatly a lot of times when you talked about it with him. But you also noticed that food, and cooking, emptied his head for a while, most of the time.

Abe loved food. But one thing he loved even more than food? It was cooking. You found it interesting when he tugged you with him into these 'Flavor Hunts' in Brooklyn some weekends and on holidays. You watched him make up food maps, watched him cook,... He even taught you things. A lot of things.

It was something you two bonded over. Cooking. Because Abe was a great chef, already. Being taught by Chico helped him a lot. And, to be honest, Abe liked how he could impress you with his knowledge about spices, flavors, synergy, and such.

And wanting to impress you, he thought about something. How about bringing you into Chico's kitchen with him after school today? You'd be impressed, right...?

Well, Abe thought you'd be. So he took you with him to Chico’s industrial co-op kitchen.

Chico's kitchen was located in Gowanus, Brooklyn. It was a gritty, industrial co-op kitchen (often referred to as a "prep kitchen" or "cloud kitchen") where several different chefs, like Chef Wang, Mandioca or Cadu, shared the same workspace to prepare food for markets and delivery.

The neighborhood was known for its canal, warehouses, and industrial history, which provides a stark contrast to the polished, traditional brownstone world of Abe’s family. Gowanus and nearby Red Hook are famous for these types of hidden-away prep kitchens and artisanal food startups. Much like the food Abe learned to cook in here, the neighborhood was a "fusion" of old industrial grit and new creative energy. ​ Abe often crossed the Gowanus Canal, and walked through the surrounding industrial blocks to sneak away from his summer camp and find Chico. He was used to the way now.

And after taking you here after school, leading the way through the industrial streets and all the way to Chico’s industrial co-op kitchen, he jabbed his spare key into the door's lock, unlocking it and letting you in.

He closed the door behind you, going to put his "Mix It Up" apron on, and then walked toward the sink to wash his hands casually after having turned the power on for the lights to lit up. The lights lit up only to reveal a gritty, industrial co-op kitchen with several counters, ovens, sinks, cabinets, stoves, and such. A board on the wall with informations scribbled onto it you didn't understood, hangers with several other aprons like the one Abe took for himself...

"What do you think?" Abe asked, grinning as he tied his apron on while looking at you as he saw you looking impressed by the size of the place. "Better than my parents' little kitchen, huh?" He said, almost proud. Even though he deliberately knew he shouldn't bring you here, anyway.

"Impressed yet? Or do I have to show you the pantry and the cold room?" Abe asked jokingly ad he walked up towards you.

After a while, you had settled down. Both your backpacks hung up onto Abe's hanger onto one of the walls of the gritty, industrial co-op kitchen. Abe, though, he just prepared his station casually, setting up the pans and ingredients before starting to cook.