As you walk, roll, glide, and sail through Rogueport inPaper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, you’ll eventually run afoul of Zess T., the grouchy chef. After you’ve smoothed things over with her, she’ll whip up unique dishes for you using the items you find on your journey as cooking ingredients.
Zess T.’s dishes are some of the game’s best healing/buffing items, so you’ll want to familiarize yourself with the best and worst culinary combinations. Here’s a round-up of every recipe inPaper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.
How to get Zess T.’s Contact Lens in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
You can run into Zess T when the game frees you to explore Rogueport Plaza. Head west from the gallows, and you’ll run into Zess T. stomping about. She’s lost her contact lens and tells you to stand still until she finds it, lest you step on it with those Goomba-spore-stained clodhoppers of yours.
What happens next is inevitable. Zess T. never finds her contact lens, and even if you reverse course and walk away the exact way you came, you’ll end up squishing it. Like any grouchy grannie worth her salt, Zess T. demands immediate compensation, ordering you to get her a new contact lens before blocking the route to Rougeport’s West Side, holding progression hostage until you repay your debt.
Head to Toad Bros Bazaar (next to Zesti’s shop) and talk to the owner. He’ll tell you he doesn’t have contact lenses and will put in an order for some. The contact lens will show up after you’ve beaten Chapter 1, so I recommend placing the order before you head out to Petelburg. The Bazaar will email you on your Mailbox SP once the contact lens comes in, so check it often.
Once the contact lens is in, you can buy it for ten coins. Once you’ve given it to Zess, T., she’ll return to her kitchen. Now you’re free to head into Rogueport’s West Side, but more importantly, you can talk to Zess. T and have her cook for you!
Every recipe in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Zess T. can cook a whopping fifty-eight items inPaper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, each with a corresponding recipe you’ll need to follow to bring it to life. The game doesn’t tell you which item/item combo creates which dish, so if you don’t plan on looking up a guide, you’ll have to get experimental.
Here’s a breakdown of every recipe inPaper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. We also threw in what each of the dishes they make and how much each of them sells for in shops. If you can’t eat ‘em, make a mint off of ‘em!
How to get the Cookbook in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
At first, Zess T. can’t cook more than one item. You won’t be able to do anything about this until after you’ve finished Chapter 4. Once you’ve reached this point, a new side quest will become available at the Trouble Center on Rogueport’s East Side, “Seeking legendary book.”
You can complete this side quest during your first trip through Creepy Steeple. Once you enter the front door, head north and roll into Tube mode. It’s hard to see, but there’s a hidden hole you can squeeze through. This leads you to what I can only assume is Doopliss’ secret crash pad. The cookbook is in the chest on the right.
Once you’ve got the cookbook, return to Rogueport and bring it to Zess T. She can now cook two items. She also gives you a Honey Mushroom for your trouble—a free sample!
