FAMILY MEAL
by NATHAN ZACK
Not every restaurant has family meal, but the ones that do are certainly a cut above the rest. It’s usually before service, sometimes after, but no matter when it is, it’s something that brings everyone together. A meal that brings the family together. GB and I sat elbow to elbow with the good folks at Flour + Water and Penny Roma for family meals this past year, just before service. A quarter past three at Flour + Water, then at 3:45pm across the street.
Light floods in from Flour + Water’s giant windows on 20th street. I do my best to be a fly on the wall, occasionally with a camera around my neck, occasionally with a small mic. Most of the time, I felt like an intruder, interrupting a sacred time of the day. Everyone has only a small window to eat and catch up on how the day’s been so far; asking for an interview always felt like a serious imposition. But I wanted to record the sound and the feeling of the room: conversations in Spanish and English, silverware clinking, plates refilled, the kitchen gearing up for a busy night.
The opportunity to experience family meal will give you a much more human perspective on restaurants. An appreciation for what it takes to deliver on the promise of world-class Italian food consistently for 15 years. While most people only see restaurants when they come into eat, the truth is that it starts with the culture of shared meals. Teamwork, honest communication, attention to detail, camaraderie, showing up for each other–these are cultivated before the sun goes down, before any guests walk through the door.
Excerpt from ISSUE 5: FLOUR + WATER
from RYAN POLLNOW // Co-Executive Chef
Here’s our philosophy on family meals in a nutshell;
RULES
--It has to be nutritious, delicious and a complete meal.
Starch, protein, veg and salad are required everyday.
(protein doesn’t have to be meat...legumes and other sources of plant based protein are encouraged)
--This is our kitchen teams chance to explore other cultures cuisines, so a theme is always assigned to the meal-- Test Kitchen cookbook library is open to all employees to use for inspiration & research
-- Family meal cooking responsibility is shared between the entire team...it’s always collaborative
-- My favorite quote that I repeat often: “If we can’t season and cook food properly for ourselves, how could we possibly do so for a couple hundred strangers every night?”
--The whole team sits together, Front and Back of House.