Gregory,
My sense of the dream is you lack the ability or refusal to provide emotional nourishment to others/another because you were never provided it in your childhood. Food/meal is symbolic of emotional nourishment. The chef would be the persons who raised you {father/mother}. The Master of Ceremonies would be the governing energies within your psyche and/or parent{s}. Passing time would be the present time and you are governed by existing emotional energies from early life. The request for you to cook the meal would represent a requirement you provide emotional nourishment and questioning it would be an inability to do so. You are eating/governed by what was provided in early life by the chef {father?}.

The dark kitchen is your early life where emotional nourishment was prepared/provided. The light coming through the entrance door is the opportunity to overcome the 'darkness' but because emotional nourishment was 'scattered' at best in your childhood. You are unable to provide proper nourishment to others because this is the way you are programmed.

As for the dream statement 'The burners were still lit as though the kitchen had been quickly abandoned'. Were abandoned by a parent or important person in your early life? Because of a lack of proper emotional nourishment your emotional life has been bland and is a sample of how you feel/act as an adult. It could be you are in a current situation that requires you to provide positive nourishment but because of your programming you are unable to do so. It may be because of your personality {with foundations lacking proper emotional nourishment} you tend to find alternative ways to provide what you emotionally are incapable of providing {for yourself and/or others}. Bad choices or actions, addictions as substitutes as examples may be some of the alternatives.

Does this describe {or closely} your life? Let me know your thoughts and with additional personal information I will be able to provide a more precise analysis {not possessing personal info limits my ability to merely providing an outline of your emotional energies}.

Jerry

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 69 Altoona, Fl