The story of Alex

Even now, Alex’s notebook goes everywhere with him – from dinner parties at colleagues' houses to his own nightstand. You never know when you might come up with a brilliant combination of Berloumi and chard in the middle of the night, right?

Perfect" is the keyword in Alex’s restaurant. The service must be perfect, just like the timing and presentation of the plates. And if the guests found the food less than perfect, something went wrong. For Chef Alex, perfection is key – how else will he ever earn his first Michelin star?

The restaurant opens at 7 p.m., sharp. The first guests trickle in – the place is fully booked. Alex thrives on the speed of the service, the compliments the waiters shout toward the kitchen, the excitement when the evening reaches its peak. But he couldn’t do it without his meticulous preparation. Some call him extremely fussy, but for Alex, it’s the only way to the top.

Food has been an obsession for Alex since his youth. As a teenager, he already had a notebook in which he recorded every dish he ever had at a restaurant with his parents – also foodies. He even came up with his own star-rating system for them. Even now, Alex’s notebook goes everywhere with him – from dinner parties with colleagues to his own nightstand. You never know when you might come up with a brilliant combination of Berloumi and chard in the middle of the night, right?

“ Someday, this will be a cookbook. ”

Usually, Alex sleeps in after a long shift. But not in the last week of the month. That’s when he really gets to work: it’s time to develop a new menu. Alex only works with local, seasonal products, so by 7 a.m., you’ll find him at the farmers' market for fresh vegetables, herbs, meat, and fish. With his “catch,” he spends hours in the kitchen perfecting his new recipes. Until they… are perfect. Once they’re just right, he writes everything down – every single detail – in his de KEMPEN notebook. Ingredients on the left, work schedule on the right, and a Polaroid of the final dish at the front. It’s Alex’s collected work and a guide for his sous-chefs. If a customer has feedback on a dish, Alex jots it down immediately. The fact that his notebook is now filled with smudged pages and tomato sauce stains is the best proof that his system works. And hey, someday, this will be a cookbook, and they’ll just have to deal with the splatters.