Staff Meals: Uchi

Whenever I brought up the staff meal, I found that chefs were very eager to talk about it, so I decided to make a short film series that explores the staff meals (often called Family Meal) at different restaurants around the country.
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I've been shooting in restaurants for the better part of a year, documenting much of the local food scene in Austin, TX, and meeting some amazing chefs. While shooting, something that always interested me (and something that wasn't often talked about) was what the staff themselves ate before a long shift. Whenever I brought up the staff meal, I found that chefs were very eager to talk about it, so I decided to make a short film series that explores the staff meals (often called Family Meal) at different restaurants around the country.

The first stop is Uchi in Houston, TX where Executive Chef Kaz Edwards and visiting Chef Paul Qui (winner of Top Chef and, more recently, the James Beard Award) talk about what goes into making the staff meal at the Uchi restaurants and how taking time out to make this meal each day brings a sense of unity and pride to the people who work there. "It's a pride issue we try to pass onto our staff." says Chef Paul Qui. "It's a big deal, staff meal is the opportunity for you to cook for your chef and your peers."

You can see more of my food films at Food Narrative.

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