Tim Hayward is right to point out that “in an open kitchen you only show half the show”, but the other half is not, as he claims, sitting next to the bin (Spectrum, Life & Arts, 29 June).
Diners can think of the open kitchen as a window into the “finishing touches” of every dish, whether it's the plating of an appetizer of mandoline-fried artichokes over a dip of roasted, peeled, seeded, blended and cooked peppers, the baking of flatbreads made from dough kneaded, proofed, measured and sorted by the bakery team downstairs, or the grilling of calamari that was skewered and scored the day before. But the open kitchen does a better job, more or less, of showing the frenetic dance of chefs sharing the same space perfecting and serving dishes, all the while replenishing ingredients and keeping the space tidy.
That means the other half of the restaurant, at least from what I could see, belongs to the myriad spaces where food preparation takes place: the open kitchen before and between service, the 24/7 prep kitchen in the basement, and the walk-in refrigerators where ingredients are stocked until the crack of dawn each day.
Sure, there are chefs who take a 30-minute break between lunch and dinner and sit by the trash cans, but the space is empty most of the day. I like to walk around the area or have a quick meal during my break. I'd say less than half of my coworkers are smokers. But we all have an incredible work ethic, work extremely long hours, and serve guests with very high (and understandable) expectations.
Cheryl Chan
Chef de Partie, London SE1, UK
