Management style

[Gavin Jones]

Thankyou for answering our questions.

We all appreciate that being chef of a michelin-starred restaurant is about ensuring a whole group of people work/cook/serve food well together.

There are also 'horror stories' of the ways in which discipline is maintained in high-level kitchens.

What is your particular style and how does this manifest itself in the atmosphere in the kitchen?

[Heston Blumenthal]

Gavin,

Its a pleasure to answer your questions, I just wished that I could type a little faster!

I personally don't believe in screaming and shouting in the kitchen. I have a fantastic team of eleven chefs that work for me. They are all extrememly hard working and dedicated and love what they do.

I try and drive home the point that why spend so many hours taking care in the preparation and then try and send something out of the kitchen that is just sub-standard.

I would much rather a chef realised that he messed up and also admitted it.

Even if it means re-doing a table. Obviously I wont be over the moon but I would be far happier than if elements of a dish come up to the pass that are sub-standard.

Likewise I take the same attitude with the front of house staff. I would prefer that they brought a dish back to the kitchen that had, for example been knocked over rather than take it to the table!

Also I rekon that if the kitchen is relaxed, so to will the front of house be.

This is particularly important with the food at The Fat Duck.

I do realise that, to some people in particular, the menu can seem a little daunting, even a practicle joke. This couldnt be further from the truth but how do I explain this to the customer without risking being condescending

or sounding pretentious; something that is so far removed from my personality.

Because of this, the front of house team have an even harder job on there hands; they have to try and make the customer as relaxed as possible from the moment that they walk into the building.

How can they be relaxed with a chef screaming at them in the background?