The Guests are Gone

I wonder if every chef gets this feeling? It's hard to put into words...

At the end of the night when you look into the empty dining room, where a crowd of hopeful diners sat, just a little while ago. You remember how they walked through the doors, some curious, some excited, and some were dragged along with their party. However, from whichever direction they came, it did not matter, they still shared one thing in common. They all were here to have a wonderful meal. A meal that perhaps marked a very special event such as a birthday, anniversary, graduation, engagement, promotion, and/or simply a romantic dinner for two. Some made reservations months in advance and others modestly came on a whim.



The percussion starts..... Oh wait, that's the ticket printer drumming in the orders. The adrenaline kicks in and soon you become an army of one. It's orchestrated choas. Four Filets! Three Mahi's ! Crab Cakes! Caprese Salad! Samon Rockefeller! The servers sneak a step into the kitchen to let you know who's here and their story. Some had driven long distances for the osso bucco, some came to check out the real size of our filet mignon. "Is it really that big?" And for about four hours straight: nature is turned into culture via cooking. People have arrived to share conversation, food, and wine. It's show time! As a chef, you can only hope to make fireworks spark in this small unpretentious dining room. One hour down, and your servers pop in to let you know one table has said that this was the best meal they've ever had. Blushingly, you take a breath and continue cooking. One hundred covers, four hours, ten birthdays, and three anniversaries down! What a night! The night in wrapping up and you bravely come out to greet the guests that have lingered till almost eleven, "Thank you for coming to dine with us this evening. It was a pleasure serving you." Now, you're filled with excitement and gratitude as your eager diners tell you how wonderful everything was. It's yet another injection of adrenaline as you go table to table thanking everyone, and everyone thanks you.

We're closed and the lights come up in the empty dining room; the GUESTS are GONE. I stand there in my dirty chef's jacket with my hands on my waist and think to myself: " I wonder what set of hopeful diners will come in tomorrow? Food is truly beautiful."