The staff meal, the family meal, as we call it,
is literally a family meal.
I see these people more than I see my family.
And since I was fifteen, this has been the main meal of my life.
I'm 35, so almost 20 years, the main meal is
the time that we sit down and eat, so...
So, it's really important to me that we actually sit down and relax,
and try to have a few moments of, you know, of togetherness.
I think generally, the meals, the sit-down time, is quite lively.
You have all these chefs that are working constantly all day long, and
there is some banter in the kitchen during that time,
but when they sit down, I think that's the time where they really release.
Our staff is 22 nationalities, so their recommendations are anything from
tacos, to Chinese congee, to frikadeller (Danish meatball).
And the only thing I'm interested in is that we have a delicious meal.
I don't care what it is. It has to be well flavored,
and cooked with patience and commitment.
And, you know, I want something warm,
I want a dessert, and I want a salad.
I particularly enjoy light meals, that's not protein-rich,
more vegetable-based, because I get the fuel I need
for yet another eight hours of feeding people,
and the stress that there is. And then I feel light.
At staff meal, we always discuss food.
Sometimes, you know, specific ideas for the menu.
Other times, we just discuss the flavors of the food.
And it's funny, while eating food encourages more talk about food.
So I would say that around the table, we discuss food, as a general rule,
because it's close to us. But not so much the ideas.
You know it's rare, actually, that we talk about specific new dishes.
We have so many people in the kitchen from different countries,
and periodically, we call on these different nationalities
to cook something indigenous from their home country.
But I think the special part of having this many people in the kitchen
is that we will have such a wide range of staff meals.