Walking in the back alley behind West restaurant on Granville Street, you could very well stumble upon an arresting and aromatic scene. Dressed in kitchen whites and server-black attire, cooks, servers and other restaurant staff often have their “family meal” (staff meal) out there, standing up and lined up along a ledge behind the restaurant.
In summer and often into the winter, that’s where they eat and decompress after the lunch service. Usually, it’s a meal cooked by chef Quang Dang or sous chef Alex Ho using low-cost protein — ends, trims, economy cuts. Chefs at West are alchemists in turning cheap cuts into mouth-watering meals. Staff meals are a matter of pride and competition for them.
The tradition of family meals began in Europe, where restaurant staff still sit down to a civil, unhurried, often three-course family meal. At the hallowed French Laundry in Yountville, Calif., owner/chef Thomas Keller began his career cooking staff meals in a hotel restaurant. Vancouver restaurateur and chef Rob Belcham worked there a dozen years ago and says those meals were important. “We ate twice a day because everybody worked such incredibly long hours. The quality was high and they used the best ingredients but still, they were the leftover cuts that couldn’t be used on the menu.”