It's 2 days until Zizzi opens their doors and the waiting staff have been set a challenge! To understand just what it's like to work in the kitchen, the waiters and front of house staff are placing aside their notepads and reservation books to don a chef's hat and apron. The task ahead of them? To each cook just one perfect margherita pizza! What a great way to introduce them to the chef's working day. The orders are in (a dozen margheritas!) and the staff take to the kitchen to begin their culinary adventure.
The kitchen is soon filled with a buzz of activity as the staff prep their pizza bases and fuss over basil leaves. "I didn't realise how difficult it was going to be," one waiter admits. However, a member of the front of house team is in his element: "I love cooking, I really enjoyed that! I love being in the kitchen." His enthusiasm and passion for food is certainly well placed as his pizza is named as the winner. However, despite this, one of Zizzi's chef's cheekily comments that it was 'over cheesed'. All of the staff share a great love for Italian cooking and busily analyse each other's pizzas, before coming to the conclusion that after today, all the cooking will be left to the chefs!
I manage to sneak a slice or two of the winning pizza. It was delicious! I feel as if I should be paying and leaving a tip. It just goes to show the quality of the ingredients. Soon, there's a row of pizzas all lovingly created by the waiters and front of house team. I ask to take a picture but the team leader tells me that 'these aren't the real pizzas, just a little experiment!' I convince him that the experiment sure does look a lot like real pizzas and he agrees to let me take a snap, giving you a look at the team's creations. Now, I bet you wish you had my job today.
The chefs regain control of the kitchen and are soon testing out all the brand new appliances, quickly rustling up bowls of salad and pasta with ease. It's fantastic fun to watch. With the open plan kitchen situated in the middle of the restaurant, the diners are able to observe their meals being prepared. A daunting prospect for the chefs! The waiters and front of house time are now back out into the restaurant and have been split into teams. Team A – the waiters and Team B – the customers! They take it in turns to test out their waitressing prowess even in the trickiest of situations. These 'customers' are certainly making their waiters work hard!
Soon, orders are being called out in the kitchen in gorgeous Italian voices. Tickets are deposited and spiked. Waiters carry plates to different tables. The 'customers' are changing their minds. There's certainly no let-up in today's role-play session! I'm certain that at any moment now, Gordon Ramsay will swing open the doors with his camera crew. It's a real insight into the busy, vibrant restaurant that it will become in a matter of days. There's a sense of excitement amongst the staff as the managers oversee the restaurant like proud parents. This excitement soon escalates as the staff are treated to a banquet of Italian delights prepared by the chefs. All in the name of learning! The staff's knowledge of the dishes is soon put the test as they are asked to rhyme off the ingredients of the dishes they are tucking into. Luckily, they are Italian food pros, eating and answering with little difficulty.
In contrast to the hustle and bustle of the Zizzi team, artist Katy Thomson is quiet and concentrated as she continues her artwork. It's really starting to come together. What was once a sketch a mere three days ago is now much more defined as Katy goes over her work using black pen and paint. "It's coming along well, I just find that I'm spending a lot of time on small sections," our artist in residence tells me. Katy's dedicated to the work's completion, laughing that she'll just have to work harder this afternoon. I have complete faith that by the end of the week, the diners of Zizzi Inverness will be the proud audience of a beautifully intricate piece of original artwork. It's a real joy to work alongside someone with such passion and talent for their craft. Zizzi has given us young artists and writers a great opportunity and it's something that we're both very thankful for.
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