Chef
wonders T
Small
A lack of space can concentrate a chef’s mind on how to dazzle their guests with grand gestures from close quarters. Rosie Conroy reports
hink miniscule kitchens and your mind probably doesn’t wander to restaurants turning out Michelin-quality plates or
cutting-edge street food, but many of Britain’s most inventive chefs are working from sur- prisingly small spaces. The confines of historical buildings or
barges means having to adapt kitchens within existing spaces, while property found in city centres is at such a premium that square footage is an expensive commodity not to be wasted on big prep spaces. While it might seem like a handicap, hav-
34 | The Caterer | 22 March 2024
ing a small space – as the chefs below explain – can be a catalyst for creativity, forming close bonds and perfecting consistency.
James Goodyear at Evelyn’s Table James Goodyear is head chef at Evelyn’s Table, a Michelin-starred chefs’ counter for 12 guests in a basement on the fringes of London’s Chinatown
It’s a big ask to take on a Michelin-starred kitchen and maintain its momentum, but having been mentored by Raymond Blanc,
worked at three-Michelin-starred Maaemo in Norway and as head chef at Michelin- starred Adam’s in Birmingham, James Goodyear was more than qualified when he took over in January 2023. In fact, his time at Maaemo came in handy
beyond the cookery – the restaurant’s petite open kitchen taught Goodyear to navigate the confines of a tight space. Like most things in life, it seems to all boil
down to good prep. “We have to consider the dishes carefully, because we’re performing in front of guests,” he says. “We can’t finish 10 different things at once like we would do in a normal service kitchen. We do 80% of the work beforehand, and then we carefully think about what we do in front of the guests to finish things off. It’s like going into a theatre performance every night. When that curtain is up at 6pm, we’re open. There’s no scram- bling around – we are ready.” He’s not blind with love for the space either
– of course he’d like more room, but equally he notes that “having restrictions increases originality and inventiveness”. And being so close to his compatriots maintains the quality levels of the food too, Goodyear thinks. “In a large kitchen, sometimes things can
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