I'm just peeling mushrooms for the lamb d'etat now.

Peeling mushrooms.

Yeah.

It's just a nice little fun detail so when the diners see it, they know that someone spent a lot of time on their dish.

Do you want to have a go?

Great.

OK, so hold it like this.

Knife 1,300.

Grab the end and just peel, like that, so slowly.

Yeah.

1,300, huh?

Yeah.

Do you serve?

Dad did.

Yeah, same.

Staff Sergeant.

Corporal.

A lot of standards.

Yeah.

Turns out I like standards.

Do you move around a lot?

Yeah.

You?

I know Carmen.

Yeah, I know.

I'm sorry that he pulled a favor.

Not at all.

I don't do favors.

How was that?

That was great.

Can I do another one?

Yes, please do.

So why do you do this?

I do it for a living.

No, but, like, don't you have stodges that do this shit?

Yeah, well, I like starting the day with this.

Why?

Respect.

It feels attached.

I think time spent doing this is time well spent.

Time well spent?

That's what it's all about?

Yeah, I think so.

When did that start?

Oh, I tried to open a giant place years ago.

I had all these accolades.

I was younger.

I was on fire.

I was arrogant.

And I tried to move too fast.

Couldn't keep the place open.

And the market crashed.

And I got killed.

And you know what?

I don't know.

I don't know.

I don't know.

I don't know.

I don't know.

And then I was killed.

A public wipe-out?

Oh.

Yeah.

The most public wipe-out.

So how did this place happen?

Well, that was on my—it was my 38th birthday.

Mm-hm.

I was out walking all night, unemployed, angry, depressed, blaming everybody else for all the time I'd lost and the money I'd lost, all of it.

And it was raining.

And I was walking through Lincoln Park.

My phone had died.

And so I stood under this awning waiting for the rain to stop.

And I just stood there and stared, and eventually the sun came up, and it turns out I was right there.

And then I walked round to the front, and I saw the sign.

It was an actual sign.

It was a restaurant-for-lease sign.

Like a never-too-late kind of thing?

Yeah.

Never too late to start over.

Yeah.

How'd you get the money to open?

Well, my dad had died the summer before, and only child.

My mum sold the house and put it in here.

Oh, family business.

Yeah.

You close with your ma?

Yeah, she's my best friend.

You?

My best friend's ma was like my ma.

Oh, yeah.

What about your dad?

Oh.

Yeah.

Yours?

Yeah, it's funny.

I learnt the most about him when I was packing up his house.

All his belongings, like his whole life.

And I found this stash of pocket notebooks that he must have taken with him when he was on tour.

And full of all these details, like the palm trees he'd seen, or escargot he'd tried, or this time the ocean looked purple.

And the way he wrote everything, it was like a reminder, like, don't forget this moment, or don't forget this interesting, strange detail.

Hundreds of these entries.

Chef Terry?

And he'd sign each one off the same way every time.

Chef?

Yes, Chef.

Arno upstairs.

Oh, thank you, Chef.

Don't be a stranger, Richie.

Say hi to Carmen for me.

Yeah, won't do.

Thank you.

He believes in you, you know.

What makes you say that?

He told me.

He said you're good with people. He's not wrong.

Nice talking to you, Chef.

Likewise, Chef.