It's 7:15 pm and the restaurant kitchen is at its peak. The tables are full, the orders keep coming in, and the heat from the stoves is almost unbearable. Did you know it comes out a few minutes late? A customer complains. The chef yells into the kitchen.
In many professional kitchens, this moment happens almost every day.
For decades, shouting, pressure and almost military-like discipline have been part of the culture of popular restaurants. The debate recently returned to the spotlight after allegations against Noma's celebrity chef, René Rexhepi , but for many who have worked in the industry, it's a much older story.
A restaurant kitchen doesn't look much like the cozy spaces we've seen on television. It's a small, often very hot space where dozens of dishes have to be prepared at the same time. If someone makes a mistake, it's immediately obvious and the pressure is high.
In this environment, shouting has historically become part of the way of working.
A former culinary industry employee, reflecting on his years working in the kitchen, describes this culture as almost predictable.
"Yes, yelling was common. In some kitchens more than others. In some cases I was the one yelling," he wrote in a Facebook comment. "This industry is tough. 8 to 16 hours in a hot kitchen, preparing orders without a single mistake. A single mistake can endanger someone's health, even their life."
In fact, food is one of the few areas where a small technical error can have real consequences for the customer. Foodborne illnesses, allergies, or contamination are serious risks, and the responsibility falls on the kitchen and the chef who runs it.
This is why many chefs see the kitchen as a territory where they must rule with authority.
Another restaurant employee describes it this way: "Behind those doors is the boss's resume. He or she rules. The restaurant's reputation is theirs and there is no room for error."
Perfectionism is a necessary virtue in gastronomy of these levels. A misplaced flower petal, a sauce that's a little too salty, a dish that comes out of the kitchen a few seconds late - for many elite restaurants, these are details that can affect a Michelin star rating or the restaurant's reputation.
But when the desire for perfection collides with pressure, the line between discipline and abuse becomes blurred.
The culture of harsh kitchens has also become known to the public through television. Gordon Ramsay, for example, has become a symbol of this leadership style through the show "Hell's Kitchen", where his famous outbursts towards the chefs are part of the spectacle, although many people say that in reality, Ramsay is very polite. In various versions of the format, including the Albanian one where Renato Mekolli was, the idea of ??extreme pressure, shouting and even physical confrontations, were part of the program.
Some people who have worked in the industry see this culture as a way to cope with the pace of work. "It's not a place where you make cookies with your grandma," says one former chef. "If you can't handle the pressure, leave."
Others see it as a serious problem in the hospitality industry. A former waitress who worked in restaurants for years describes her experience as emotionally draining. "Abuse and humiliation were part of the daily routine. Yelling at a customer for a specific request was normal."
Changes in the way people eat today have also added to the difficulty of working in the kitchen. Vegan diets, lactose intolerance, allergies to nuts, gluten or eggs require constant attention.
"In a modern kitchen you have to manage everything: vegans, allergies, intolerances. It's not easy at all," says one industry worker. "The pressure is huge."
In this context, René Rexhepi's reaction to the accusations is a moment that many in the gastronomy industry see as part of a broader debate. The Noma boss publicly admitted to having had outbursts of anger in the past and said that the immense pressure of the restaurant had caused him to react in ways that he now regrets.
Of course, this is not the story of every kitchen. There are also restaurants where the chef's authority is expressed not with screams, but with respect and quiet discipline. There is definitely pressure there, but it does not turn into fear. However, for many people who have spent years in this industry, these remain more exceptions than the rule.
The discussion goes beyond a single kitchen or chef: is this harsh culture an inevitable part of elite gastronomy, or a tradition the industry should leave behind?
Because for many people who have spent years in professional kitchens, one thing is clear: behind the perfect dishes that appear in the dining room, there is often a much more tense world hidden than it seems from the outside.
