A Dish To Die For

Shows content about the final level of the DLC

Chef Saltbaker fighting Ms. Chalice

**A Dish To Die For** is the final level of the DLC, and is the level where Chef Saltbaker is fought. It is located on Inkwell Isle Four in the cellar beneath Saltbaker's Bakery, and is unlocked once the player has gathered all the ingredients for the Wondertart.

## Strategy

### Recommended

Using Ms. Chalice helps a lot due to her Parry Dash, Dodge Roll and Double Jump.

If not using Ms. Chalice, Heart Ring is a recommended charm, as it can help you build up HP throughout the fight.

Any of the three DLC shots, Twist Up, Converge and Crackshot will also definitely come handy in this fight.

Ms. Chalice's Vertical Energy Beam can help a lot, as it can skip 3rd phase and deal heavy amounts of damage to 2 of the Pepper Shakers at the same time.

### Battle

* Phase 1
* Phase 2
* Phase 3
* Phase 4

"Marinate in your defeat while I complete this astral treat!"

—Chef Saltbaker, Phase 1 death screen

As the battle commences, Chef Saltbaker will tug on his ascot and then push aside some Desert Limes or Icy Sugar Cubes.

In this phase, Chef Saltbaker will use the ingredients against the player(s), while a flame (two on Expert) will occasionally jump downwards to damage them when distracted by another attack:

* **Gnome Berries**: A basket of gnome berries will run across the table, as Saltbaker then squeezes it, releasing all of the berries, as the basket cries away. The berries then rain out onto the table and onto the player(s) in a cross fashion. Twelve berries will rain in Regular, while Sixteen will instead rain in Expert.
* **Distillery Dough**: Saltbaker will conjure a dough while summoning his trusty rolling pin, as he then flattens it, before using cookie cutters to make animal crackers. He then brings the cookies to life as they then bounce onto the table. Each cookie can be damaged and defeated.
* **Icy Sugar Cubes**: Saltbaker will take out a large sugar cube, and then use a stake to break it into pieces. He then blows the cubes away as they float across the screen. Some sugar cubes can also be parriable.
* **Desert Limes**: Saltbaker places four limes onto the table, while the limes try to run. Saltbaker then slices them in half before dicing them up some more, and then will push their remains with his knife. The lime slices then boomerang across the screen.

After taking enough damage, Chef Saltbaker will have enough, by slamming his hands on the table, before taking out a mushroom, and proceeds to grow inside and destroy his bakery, as he grabs the player(s).

"My power grows with much aplomb! Your end is here, upon my palm!"

—Chef Saltbaker, Phase 2 death screen

The player(s) will now battle a slightly cracked Chef Saltbaker on the palm of his hand, as the chef then summons four pepper shakers each in a corner of the screen, before he maniacally laughs. Alongside that, the flame(s) will also land on his palm and will continue to jump and land onto the player(s) spot. The attacks in this phase are followed:

* Saltbaker will grab a handful of Pineapple Mint and toss it onto the screen, as it slowly drifts downwards. In Expert, more mint leaves will fall.
* Each pepper shaker will sneeze out a peppercorn, with some being parriable.

To defeat Chef Saltbaker in this phase, the player(s) must individually damage the pepper shakers, as once damaged enough, they will fly directly at him. Since each blow deals 47 damage, the player(s) must strike twelve pepper shakers at him in Regular, while they must instead strike fourteen at him in Expert.

After taking enough blows from the pepper shakers, Chef Saltbaker will notice the bakery is starting to collapse, as he then shrieks in agony before his body cracks and produces a white glow. Meanwhile, the rest of the pepper shakers and the flame(s) disappear.

"Your futile efforts were in vain, this world will be my salt domain."

—Chef Saltbaker, Phase 3 death screen

In this phase, the players will be teleported to a salt domain, as the salt from Chef Saltbaker's body creates two salt clones, which will then be launched onto the battlefield.

Here, both of the salt clones will bounce around the stage, as a sawblade (two in Expert) will take the grounds of the stage. In Expert, the clones will bounce higher and much quicker. Each indivisual clone shares the same health, thus making this phase last shorter.

After the clones take enough damage, they, along with the sawblade(s) will deplete into the ground, as Chef Saltbaker then uses his body to transform into spiraling pillars, as his heart then attempts to deal with the player(s) for the last time.

"The mark of my salinity shall scar thy fired glaze!"

—Chef Saltbaker, Phase 4death screen

In this final phase, the ground will then disappear, as pieces from Saltbaker's cracked body will slowly descend into the pit. The battlefield is also limited by two pillars. The player(s) must indirectly damage his heart which is always moving up and down, and will bounce off the pillars. The heart can also be parried, which will allow the player(s) to either gain more height if too low, or correct their jump if they misplaced it.

After taking enough damaged, Chef Saltbaker will be done for good, as the pillars and his heart are all destroyed.

## Trivia

* In the official soundtrack, the track of this level is called "Baking the Wondertart" and the theme leading up to the fight is called "The Finishing Touch." This may have been done intentionally to mislead players into believing that the Wondertart would actually be baked, when in fact, Chef Saltbaker was betraying Cuphead, Mugman, and Ms. Chalice.
	+ The theme changes to 0:47 when the player reaches the second phase.
	+ The theme changes to 1:57 when the player reaches the third phase.
* This one of the only boss soundtracks to include vocal, being the choir. The others are Bootlegger Boogie and High-Noon Hoopla.
* Holding left and right trigger when you re-enter the level will let you replay the basement scene.
* This is the only stage which the theme is not named after the stage.