I was recently given a card congratulating me on the opening of Berlu. It was locally made and, fittingly, featured an image of David Bowie. The artwork looked familiar and it turned out that I knew who made the card. When I saw the giver of this card, I mentioned that I was friends with the artist, hesitating for a second as I didn’t really know if we were friends or if he was just someone I knew. He’s actually the boyfriend of a friend who I’ve kind of lost touch with. We’ve hung out plenty of times and share many hobbies. The next morning, I sent him a text asking him if he considered me a friend or an acquaintance; he never responded.
In the restaurant’s bathroom I have a short description of the meaning behind the bathroom decor, as well as my ethos as a chef; to continuously progress, while maintaining my identity. I’m constantly questioning who I am as a chef and searching for moments of evolution.
We’ve been open for six weeks now and for the most part guests have been happy, pleased, and intrigued.One guest who has been very supportive over the years, we’ll call them Jean-Claude, was a bit harder to win over. Although supportive, my food doesn’t really resonate with Jean-Claude, but Jean-Claude keeps coming back hoping that it will. The main gripe Jean-Claude has with my food is that Jean-Claude feels it is too simple. Jean-Claude wants more crunch and robust flavor. Internally, my response was that is who I am and that Jean-Claude will simply never love my food. After Jean-Claude left, I began the normal clean-up duties at the end of the night, one being tidying up the bathroom. The framed bathroom description always catches my eye, as I can’t decide if it’s crooked or not, but this time it caught my eye for a different reason, the reason of why it’s there which is to express my ethos as a chef. It got me thinking if this was a moment to evolve. Not just to please Jean-Claude, but to evolve from the “minimalist” to something more. We’ve slowly started to incorporate more, while still offering less (If that makes sense). Subtle depth I’ve become known for, with a little more splash.
Creatures evolve to survive. We’re hoping this small step leads more to us thriving, than simply surviving.
This week we will only be offering a vegan menu. We’re happy to accommodate dietary preferences nightly, but like to dedicate a week every season to a menu solely focused on a plant based diet. Dinner will follow a similar format to our omnivore menu, with tickets available through Tock.
We’re grateful for your support and hope our efforts make you proud.
