Customers come to a stylish restaurant in Marbella, sit down in comfort, order a drink, a meal.
It’s all serene and elegant, but meanwhile, back in the kitchen…
Preparing the Kitchen for a New Day
A day in the kitchen starts early. The team will have scoured and scrubbed after
dinner service the night before, leaving everything ready for the housekeeping team
led by Isa Méndez to clean once again and prepare everything for the kitchen staff.
They also take care of the laundry, so there will be fresh new outfits to don, as well
as sparkling cutlery, glasses, dishes, pots, pans and every kind of utensil required to
cook up a storm in one of the best fine dining restaurants in Marbella.
Prepping Gourmet Ingredients
The chef’s team therefore enters a pristine kitchen, ready for the intense action that
is to follow in the coming hours. The day begins with the prepping of the various
dishes, starting with preparation of the ingredients such as vegetables, salads,
sauces and the seasoning of meat and filleting of fish. Shellfish dishes are also
prepared meanwhile, along with the garnishing that adorns plates.
It’s a process of highly organised chaos in which sub-divided teams work together at
speed with an efficiency touched with good humour and camaraderie. When you
work this hard for so many hours there has to be a good vibe and a true sense of
teamwork, with the chef at the creative and operational helm. He or she will spur the
team on, putting just enough pressure on them to make sure they perform as
required.
Rising to the Challenge
Everything will be ready to go by the time the first customers arrive. The waiting staff
will be prepped as well, bringing back the first orders as the team springs into action.
This time it’s for real – gone is the ‘more relaxed’ pace of preparation. Now the chef
and sous-chef will make sure that everything is put out to service within the right
timeframe and prepared and presented to perfection.
As the evening wears on the pace quickens even more, reaching a fever pitch
between 9:00 and 11:00 p.m., as the orders come in thick and fast. It’s a coming
and going of kitchen staff and waiters, bringing dishes to and fro with the intensity of
a busy logistical centre before the tip has been reached and things begin to slow
down a little.
Closing the Kitchen
The last hour is slow by comparison, but no, as the cleaning and
clearing away process has already commenced, taking over after the last dessert
has been delivered and the kitchen’s focus shifts to the arduous task of leaving itself
spotlessly clean for the next day.
A Tribute to the Team Behind the Scenes
Spare a thought for these dedicated professionals behind the scene next you tuck
into one of Breathe’s signature fine dining dishes in Marbella!
