Forward-looking front cooking

Bernd Trum: The origins of front cooking go back to the 1950s. Back then, there was a trend that was reserved for haute cuisine: flambéing. This way of preparing food was practised in front of diners, and the principle of front cooking was born.

Bernd Trum: Front cooking is extremely transparent – after all, diners can see exactly how the dishes they order are prepared. The act of preparing the food becomes something special and turns dining into a real experience.

However, front cooking is also a form of infotainment. Diners can see how their dishes are prepared and also learn information from the chef. Front cooking therefore involves the guest in the action and creates communication between diners and the chef.

Communication can be both verbal through dialogue and non-verbal through the use of cooking utensils. A good example of this is teppanyaki, an increasingly popular Japanese style of front cooking, in which the chef's flair turns the cooking process into an art form. Teppanyaki chefs create a breathtaking spectacle for diners through their masterful handling of ingredients and utensils. This makes waiting on food an experience in itself.

Bernd Trum: Front cooking has witnessed revolutionary growth in recent years. Just think of the food truck trend that had us all enthralled before the pandemic.

Front cooking is even on the rise the fast-food sector. However, this is one area in which it is especially difficult for front cooking to be successful. After all, it has become apparent that front cooking is only of limited suitability when it comes to the mass production of food. For restaurant concepts that are designed for the rapid preparation of lots of different dishes, front cooking can often be difficult to implement.

Bernd Trum: It all depends on what you want to prepare. A pastarista needs completely different equipment to a teppanyaki chef. For me, the success of front cooking depends on the concept behind the station. My motto is: you always need a concept! And this concept has to meet three criteria:

For me, the human factor is just as important as the technology.

Bernd Trum: The sky is the limit. As long as you keep to the principles of front cooking, all dishes are suitable. Meals like pasta, wok dishes, burgers, steaks and wraps are obvious candidates. But breakfast dishes like scrambled eggs or muesli counters are also great.

Preparing entire menus probably isn't the best idea given the length of time required. On the other hand, individual items of a grill platter such as poultry, steaks or prawns are an excellent choice.

Bernd Trum: The entire catering industry was impacted by the pandemic more than practically any other. The restrictions forced restaurants to close their doors. But of course, if diners are not allowed to eat in, there is no point in front cooking. Many companies then tried to keep afloat by offering out-of-home and to-go concepts.

The pandemic also caused many workers in the catering industry to lose their jobs. Now that the pandemic is over, companies find themselves facing a tricky situation. The shortage of skilled workers is the biggest issue currently affecting the industry. However, this is precisely where front cooking can have a positive effect. In our academy, we train employees to independently run a front-cooking station in just five days. This helps to combat the current staff shortages. The training course teaches both technical and interpersonal skills. In other words, participants not only learn how to prepare food, but also how to interact with guests. They don't have to be chefs, but they should enjoy working with people.

Bernd Trum: There are three main reasons. Firstly, the communication between guests and the person behind the station. Secondly, the opportunity to watch and experience food being prepared in person. And thirdly, the flair and skill of the person operating the station. These are the main success factors that turn a front-cooking station into an experience.

For me, the communication or interpersonal skills of the person operating the station are particularly important. Talking to guests, responding to their requests, preparing something for them while they are at the station and meeting their wishes – this creates an emotional bond with diners. And for me, this is front cooking par excellence.