One-day-only exhibit depicts the magic behind the restaurant kitchen doors.
Story & artwork by Danie Connolly
Anyone can cook; at least, that’s what they say.
If you ask anyone in the food industry, they’ll tell you that learning to cook takes too many hours for not enough money or praise. You can’t buy pride, especially in the restaurant business, but passion changes everything.
The talent gleaned from loving what you do is priceless. It’s not found in the flashy TV shows that elevate celebrity chefs to sainthood. But it lives in the honesty of cooking from laughter that bubbles up in front of hot stoves, from stirring and sharing generations of recipes. It’s in the fail-proof ingredients found in favorite dishes that mend broken hearts through apologies or yearly celebrations of flavors that bring families together. It’s the spur-of-the-moment go-to dish concocted from whatever’s in the cupboard on a rainy night, not meant for a quick trip to the grocery store. It’s the can of beans in the back of the cupboard that’s perfect when an old buddy pops in. That’s what makes a cook.
Now, blend that sauté of soul with the wizardry of turning dirty
dishes around lickety-split so fast they could sue for whiplash. Add a prep cook who can chop faster than Superman’s speeding bullets and pair a line cook with a deep fry guy. Grab a savvy grill man who reads medium rare steaks better than your Aunt Sally can read your Uncle Freddy’s poker face.
That’s your food posse, and they reside in “The Back of the House.”
It’s a choreographed ballet the food crew performs; in – out, on tippy toes to reach the favorite pan. It’s where the language of food is expertly spoken.
Especially when there’s someone waiting out front in the dining room… starving.
Of course, the crew is working for the paycheck, but even more importantly, it’s for every time the waitstaff returns to the kitchen and says, “They loved it! It was delicious!”
On Monday, July 14, an art exhibition will celebrate the unsung heroes who create magic behind the restaurant’s kitchen doors. We invite you to enjoy this one-day event as our guest and appreciate the time, talent, and efforts that South Carolina’s most gifted artists have dedicated to creating exquisite, hilarious, and fantastic artwork depicting those food warriors who create culinary masterpieces in the “Back of the House.”
The artists have tread on unfamiliar territory, photographing anyone who stood for a nanosecond in front of a sink, stove, convection oven, open flame, or grill.
We can’t wait for you to see them.
You’re invited to “The Back of the House” on Monday, July 14 from 4-7 pm at the Restaurant Equipment Company of Bluffton, 1 Sherington Dr., Bluffton. It’s Free! Come enjoy some yummies for your tummies, some amazing artwork, and great music by Flatt Silly, South Carolina’s favorite bluegrass band. For more information call 843-422-6940.
