FSR May 2022

Perspectives

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partnering with social-ser vice organizations that have already done a lot of the vet ting and pre-screening for me, and they’re putting forth peo ple that have already reached

PART OF CHEF D’S MISSION WITH THE ART ROOM IS TO DEMISTIFY THE COOKING PROCESS.

ups are willing to do the same work that they’re asking you to do. :KDW DUH WKH EHQHƓ WV LQ VWDII ZRUNLQJ HYHU\ SRVLWLRQ" I think it unlocks potential they might not even know they have, and it increases accountability and willingness—not to mention pay because we use a universal tipping system. Every person who’s on staff that day or that shift shares equally in the tips (except as the owner, I take none). Whether you were working the hotline or making espressos or work ing the cash register or running food to tables, everybody’s sharing equally. With universal tipping at my existing restaurant, Mar Vista Grab & Go, we’ve been able to elevate our hourly rate by $4 an hour. So somebody starting at $18 is actually walking away with $22 an hour. +RZ GR \RX PDNH WKLV PRGHO Ɠ QDQFLDOO\ IHDVLEOH" Cutting food costs, renegotiating the lease, and controlling that overhead are some ways that restaurant owners can put more money into payroll. Ultimately, the place is only as good as its staff. I think a lot of restaurateurs will agree with that statement. I’m also getting away from a lot of the big purveyors and utilizing urban farm

ing, which is another thing we’re very excited about. Not only are the fruits and vegetables fresher, we can also get them to the restaurant cheaper. Our partners over at Alma Backyard Farms are opening a new location. They’ve got four urban farms going on right now, and they’re being staffed by the same population that I’m working with, which is really cool. Finally there’s the aspect of looking at a different type of candidate, going into communities that have not tradi tionally been in the restaurant industry and certainly not considered for man agement or front of house. But I think the timing may be right for change. Res taurants that are having trouble staffing post-COVID and the underemployed or unemployed that haven’t been invited into the restaurant industry—they can finally come together and be mutually beneficial. :K\ GRQōW PRUH UHVWDXUDQWV KLUH IURP WKHVH FRPPXQLWLHV" I think there’s still a really strong stigma that comes along with folks that have been incarcerated for one reason or another. But when you really take a look at the candidates that I’ll be considering for my next ventures, these are people that come through really great programs. I’m

those benchmarks within the programs. When you take a cursory overview of the idea, I think you might be missing that step; by the time somebody actu ally gets to you, you’re going to be deal ing with a person that’s done a consid erable amount of work on themselves and has really earned that opportunity. :KDW TXDOLWLHV GR \RX ORRN IRU LQ SRWHQWLDO KLUHV" What I’m looking for is a real passion for food and wanting to make this a career. I don’t really need a ton of experience, and I think that you’ll find a lot of these folks have experience in very surprising and unexpected ways. They could have been working at their sober-living homes or at their rehab or while they were in prison. They could have grown up in a very strong cultural food scene. So you find these bits of experience that are not traditional but are just as useful. Ultimately, it’s my philosophy that cooking is easier than we’ve made it out over the last 30 years. I believe there’s a culture that seeks to make cooking kind of inaccessible, like somehow you have to have magic powers to cook. I really want to dispel that; I want to bring it back to basics. Cooking is not that hard. You can get really beautiful, really delicious food without all the pretense.

THE ART ROOM (2)

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MAY 2022