Do you think about the person cooking your food?

A chef in a kitchen is what a pedal is to a pushbike - in other words, essential! Without one, the other doesn't work, and it certainly goes without saying that a restaurant without its chef won't be serving many meals.

As important as a chef may be, however, the members of the public who eat out don't necessarily spend much time thinking of those who work behind the scenes. After all, many people work full time and go to a restaurant to have a good meal and a relaxing evening, so it stands to reason their first thought will be on the food they are eating and the company they're with.

It does seem, though, that more time should be spent thinking about those who cook for us when we eat out; after all, they work hard at what they do and we should learn to appreciate them more. For example, when you last ate at a restaurant or diner did you think about the chef who cooked the meal behind the scenes?

Some eateries, perhaps for style or in an attempt to integrate the public with the chefs, have actually began to open up the kitchen area to enable the public to see them at work. This of course puts extra pressure on the chefs, but does mean that we get a first hand glimpse of what they do. This also means that the attire a chef is wearing needs to be as clean as possible at all times, and match in with the style and design of the restaurant. For example, a chef jacket looks very professional, and is available in various styles and colours. A typical chef jacket will be short sleeved, to allow the person room to cook in comfort, and can be personalised with company logos is desired. Long sleeved chef jackets are also available, but when working in a hot kitchen, a short sleeved version may be preferable, especially if the public are able to look in and see the chef at work. It wouldn't be very presentable to see the chef in question sweating, so in this situation, a short sleeved chef jacket may be much better. The majority of chef jackets are fastened using press studs all the way down, which makes them easier to take off quickly.

In addition to jackets, other smart clothing that may be worn when a kitchen is exposed to the public includes hats, neckerchiefs and aprons - of course, this attire is also worn by chefs who don't work in kitchens open to the patrons, but for one that is, they are definitely worth bearing in mind. For any chef who has long hair, it is also essential they wear it in a bun with a hair net over the top - these are available in natural colours so they blend it as much as possible. A name badge is also good in these kinds of situations, as many people like to know the name of the person cooking their food.

back