The Chef

The Midnight Article "A Recipe to DIE For" was written by u/pirassopi and posted to r/MidnightPaper.

The text of the Article was as follows:

A RECIPE TO DIE FOR

Cooking shows seem perfectly harmless, right? After all, who wouldn’t like to relax on their couch, watching a chef prepare mouthwatering food, and maybe even hear a few life stories? However, they aren't as harmless as it seems.

A story has been spreading online about a "cursed" cooking show that takes the lives of those who watch it. At first, it was labelled as a hoax by internet users, claiming that it was just “some made-up story to scare teenagers.” But after two children died because of it, they were immediately proven wrong.

On October 17, 2020, approximately 9:00 PM, Darla McKinnon left behind her two children, ten-year-old Shelly McKinnon and twelve-year-old Thomas McKinnon, in their small apartment, as she was going to work a night-shift at [REDACTED].

At around 9:30 PM, Shelly was looking through TV channels, Thomas asleep beside her. This was supposedly the time where Shelly came across the show. It seemed innocent enough, a little girl watching a normal cooking show. But her brother soon awoke and to his horror, quickly realized the opposite.

This is a transcript of what Thomas said during the 911 call he made after seeing Shelly:

"Hello? Please send help immediately, this is Thomas McKinnon, I- I live in [REDACTED]. It's my sister, she-she's acting weird. She's starting at the TV, it's just a blank white screen. She won't move and her eyes look dead and- cold...Like a robot. Blood is pouring out of her mouth. I already called my mom, please help me-"

Their mother, Darla McKinnon, arrived at approximately 10:00 PM, a few minutes before the paramedics arrived.

She ran over to Shelly, frantically calling her name. What met her eyes was a horrifying sight.

“She was vomiting,” Darla said. “She was vomiting blood, and it got everywhere... I could see things moving in it. I took a closer look and- and I could see maggots and worms squirming. Thomas.. he- he was lying in a pool of blood, and I looked at him and he wasn't breathing…"

The paramedics arrived at the scene, and brought Shelly and Thomas to a hospital where Shelly died of shock shortly after arriving. On October 25, they were both buried in [REDACTED] Cemetery, following their mother's wishes.

After the funeral, Darla McKinnon came home to see an unexpected note in her apartment. It read:

" To: Ms. McKinnon From: The Chef

How delightful! Your daughter found my special recipe quite delicious! Too bad her brother wasn't as cooperative, so I had to force feed him. A shame, really. He seemed more intelligent than his little brat of a sister, he would've been useful to me... Oh well, at least my worms have taken care of them-

-𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆'𝘃𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗮 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲…"

Description:

The "Cursed Cooking Show" is a phenomenon tied to an Oddity known The Chef. Exactly what kind of Oddity The Chef is unknown, but they are most likely either a Biological-Type or an Entity-Type.

The Chef appears on what was referred to as the 'Cursed Cooking Show' online. The show's real name, if it even has one, is unknown, but it appears to be present on either local broadcast or cable television.

Broadcast:

In the Article, 10-year-old Shelly McKinnon was described to have been 'channel surfing' at around 9:30 PM when she came across the show. It can be surmised that the show itself either hijacks an already-existing channel or uses one of the many inactive channels that may be present depending on a customer's cable package.

It appears that the show displays itself as a white screen to some viewers, but others perceive it as a cooking show. How, or why, the show or the Chef select which viewers to target is a mystery. It is also unknown if the distinction between white screen and cooking show broadcast is made only for the person who is first exposed to the broadcast, and that all subsequent viewers will only see a white screen.

Whatever the case may be, the show's presence on regular TV broadcasts is incredibly dangerous. Anyone, could stumble upon the Cured Cooking Show simply by changing the channel, and there is seemingly no way to protect viewers from this unless they abstain from watching television.

"Eating" Through the Television:

One interesting aspect about the Cursed Cooking Show is that its viewers can somehow 'eat' The Chef's 'special recipe.' It is unknown how exactly this process is carried out. However, according to the note, Thomas had to be forcefully fed. It can be inferred, through this, that Sherry voluntarily consumed The Chef's meal.

The process of 'eating' may be as simple as the Cursed Cooking Show introducing a close-up shot of The Chef's finished meal. These types of shots are all but necessary during the process of filming and broadcasting a cooking show, as a shot presenting the dish in its complete state is one of the staples of any cooking show that is meant to inform and incite the appetite of its viewers. A viewer who wishes to voluntarily 'eat' The Chef's dish may simply need to approach or lean into the television screen at The Chef's request. A viewer who involuntarily 'eats' may simply have to turn around and look at the screen, most likely after The Chef addresses them directly.

If this is indeed the way a viewer 'eats' while the Cursed Cooking Show is on their screen, all The Chef had to do to incapacitate both McKinnon children was simple show Sherry a close-up shot of the completed dish, then, after Thomas dialed 911 after noticing Sherry's state, The Chef simply had to display another close-up shot to Thomas while he was trying to help his sister.

Effects on the Body:

Shortly after watching the show, Shelly began experiencing several physical symptoms that prompted her brother Thomas to dial 911. The speed with which these symptoms manifested themselves is frightening. Viewers of the Cursed Cooking Show will appear to freeze and stare at their television screen and blood will begin protruding from their mouth. Blood coming out of a person's mouth is almost always related to a lesion or a serious disease of either the digestive tract or respiratory system. However, in this case, the blood is related to a viewer consuming The Chef's special recipe.

By the time that their mother had arrived, both McKinnon children had succumbed to the symptoms. Shelly began vomiting blood that was so saturated with maggots that they could be seen moving at a distance. Thomas was lying a pool of blood that he had ejected similarly.

After eight days of their bodies attempting to fight off the condition, both children tragically perished.

Motive:

It can be surmised, from the information shared in the Article, that The Chef is a dangerous Oddity who delights in causing suffering to his or her victims and their immediate families. The Chef could have simply killed the McKinnon children and never interacted with their mother, if that was his or her goal. Instead, when Mrs. McKinnon returned home from the funeral of both of her children, she found a note in her apartment. A note that The Chef had placed there, specifically on the day of the funeral, to illicit the greatest amount of pain and suffering.

" To: Ms. McKinnon From: The Chef

How delightful! Your daughter found my special recipe quite delicious! Too bad her brother wasn't as cooperative, so I had to force feed him. A shame, really. He seemed more intelligent than his little brat of a sister, he would've been useful to me... Oh well, at least my worms have taken care of them-

-𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆'𝘃𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗮 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲…"

The note included a disturbing detail. In it, The Chef mentions that Thomas was 'more intelligent' than Sherry, and that he 'would've been useful' to The Chef. This mention of some of the show's viewers being 'useful' raises more questions than answers. Does The Chef kill every viewer who isn't 'useful?' How does The Chef determine a viewer's worth? And, most importantly, what exactly is The Chef doing with the viewers who are useful and also compliant?

Origins:

The origins of both the Cursed Cooking Show and The Chef are entirely unknown. How long the Show has been on air, just waiting for anyone to change the channel, is not known. It is possible that the Show isn't a normal broadcast, one that can't be traced to a specific location or broadcasting system. Instead, it is entirely possible that The Chef, or another unknown Oddity, is 'transmitting' the broadcast through means that do not involve technology in any way. It is possible that The Chef is telepathically sending the show to televisions either locally or over a massive area.