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Kitchens takes us into the robust, overheated, backstage world of the contemporary restaurant. In this rich, often surprising portrait of the real lives of kitchen workers, Gary Alan Fine brings their experiences, challenges, and satisfactions to colorful life. A new preface updates this riveting exploration of how restaurants actually work, both individually and as part of a larger culinary culture.

Climate change and sustainable development have become critical global issues. The foodservice industry and its supply chain are among the sectors with high carbon emissions. As such, many foodservice businesses are actively implementing carbon reduction initiatives. This study established professional competence indicators for carbon-reducing culinary practices from a sustainability perspective. Using the Modified Delphi Method, 14 food service experts were invited to participate in a three-round survey questionnaire to develop a competency framework applicable to kitchen operations. The findings identified three major dimensions of carbon-reducing culinary professional competence: knowledge competence (19 indicators), attitude competence (13 indicators), and technical competence (13 indicators), totaling 45 indicators. Attitude competence was deemed the most critical, followed by knowledge competence. Regarding the attitude dimension, the most important indicators included selecting suppliers aligning with carbon reduction and sustainability goals, commitment to sustainability initiatives, green procurement, energy management, and water conservation practices. Understanding inventory preservation management regulations and principles was the most essential indicator in the knowledge dimension. In the technical dimension, using seasonal ingredients and accurately managing inventory levels were the key factors. The findings provide a reference for government agencies, the foodservice industry, and higher education institutions in promoting sustainable culinary development. Strengthening chefs’ awareness and competencies in carbon reduction is essential in advancing sustainability within the food supply chain.

Background: The food safety climate within an organization represents the job environment that affects the safe management of food and reveals the characteristics of employees. This study aimed to help establish a food safety climate in hotel kitchens that would reduce job stress and increase job satisfaction and employee engagement. Methods: This study was conducted with 570 chefs in 12 five-star hotels in South Korea using a questionnaire-based survey. A total of 570 questionnaires were distributed; 504 usable responses were used in the empirical analysis. Results: The results of this study are summarized as follows. First, among the food safety climate factors perceived by hotel chefs, leadership, resources and communication affect job stress. Second, all five factors of the food safety climate affect the job satisfaction of hotel chefs. Among these factors, leadership, responsibility and communication have positive effects on job satisfaction, while risk awareness and resources have negative effects. Third, the leadership and resources of the food safety climate have positive effects on job commitment. (4) Conclusions: This study has useful recommendations for the service industry, especially the hotel industry, for better human resource management, emphasizing food sustainability in kitchen staff job performance enhancement.

Avoiding food waste has become an important development trend nowadays, and the concept of sustainable cooking is becoming more and more important. How to integrate the concept of surplus food into the catering industry is, in reality, a topic of concern in all walks of life. This study discusses the indicators of professional competence that kitchen staff should have in cooking, from the perspective of surplus food. In this study, literature review, interviews, and the modified Delphi method were used to evaluate the importance of the indicators. After three rounds of the Delphi method analysis by 22 experts, the indicators of the professional culinary competence of kitchen staff, with regard to surplus food, were summarized in the results. The research results showed that there are a total of 58 indicators in professional culinary competence, which are divided into the following four dimensions: 13 items were knowledge competence indicators, 13 items were attitude competence indicators, 23 items were skills competence indicators and 9 items were problem and difficulty indicators. Among them, attitude was the most important indicator, followed by knowledge and skills.

The concepts of culinary sustainability and avoiding the waste of surplus food have become important sustainability trends today. How the handling of surplus food can be integrated into the catering industry is a topic of concern in the industry. Kitchen staff are the vital soul of any restaurant, and we intend to discuss how kitchen staff actually behave and explore factors that influence their behaviors in order to develop an implementation model for food waste prevention. Therefore, this study explored a model of ethical sustainability, professional competence, self-efficacy, sustainable food preparation objectives, and sustainable food promotion and behavior focused on limiting food waste, using structural equation modeling (SEM) to understand the relationship between various constructs. This study used a questionnaire and surveyed employees who had been employed for more than 6 months in Taiwan. From May to August 2022, 500 questionnaires were distributed; 415 valid questionnaires were retrieved, yielding a 90.2% recovery rate. According to the structural equation modeling analysis between the dimensions, ethical sustainability should have a positive influence on professional competence in food waste prevention and self-efficacy. Professional competence in food waste prevention affected self-efficacy and behavioral intentions during food preparation; self-efficacy also significantly affected behavioral intentions towards sustainable food preparation. Similarly, behavioral intention had a positive influence on promoting sustainable behaviors. There is a significant relationship between all constructs in this study. Professional competence in food waste prevention was found to be the mediating factor between ethical sustainability and behavioral intentions toward sustainable food preparation, and self-efficacy was the mediating factor between professional competence in food waste prevention and behavioral intentions toward sustainable food preparation.

Objectives The influence of occupational physical activity on pregnancy duration and birthweight was examined. Methods In this prospective study information on levels of occupational physical activity was collected during a personal interview before pregnancy, and possible changes were registered during follow-up, which lasted until after birth. Data on pregnancy duration and birthweight were obtained from midwives, physicians, and obstetricians. The occupational energy expenditure was operationalized in intensity and fatigue scores, which were studied as such and in combination with workhours and work speed. The occupational biomechanical load was operationalized in a peak and a chronic pressure score. Results The participants were part of a group of 260 cleaners, kitchen staff, and clerical workers enrolled from 39 Dutch hospitals between August 1987 and January 1989 before they became pregnant. One hundred and twenty-eight of these women were eligible for study because they became pregnant, they worked at least six weeks during pregnancy, and information on work aspects during pregnancy and pregnancy outcome was complete. Work with a high intensity score, and to a less extent work with a high fatigue score, had the most outstanding effect (up to 18 d shorter) on pregnancy duration when the work speed was high. None of the studied aspects of occupational physical activity showed a relevant influence on birthweight when adjusted for pregnancy duration. Conclusions This study indicates that the levels of occupational physical load found in the work of nonmedical hospital staff, especially when combined with high work speed, can lead to a shorter pregnancy period.

Food safety plays a key role in the prevention of foodborne illnesses. Mastery of the correct way of handling food is required especially in hospitals where meals are prepared for patients with low immune function. Food safety knowledge among doctors and dieticians is important because of the fundamental role these professionals play in transferring this knowledge to people who need it. The objective of this study was to assess food safety knowledge and practices among health care professionals and food handlers working in the kitchen of a Moroccan university hospital. This cross-sectional study included 72 doctors, dieticians, hygiene technicians, and hospital kitchen employees, who completed a questionnaire to assess their knowledge on hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) systems, food poisoning, cross-contamination, and food storage and their practices in terms of food safety. Of the participants in this study, 56% said they had received food safety training, and 74% knew the correct definition of HACCP. The overall food safety knowledge mean score was 0.54 ± 0.15, which corresponds to 54% of questions answered correctly. The food safety knowledge areas with the highest mean scores were cross-contamination and food storage, with 0.58 ± 0.20 (58%) and 0.55 ± 0.20 (55%), respectively. The food safety knowledge scores for dieticians and hygiene technicians were higher than those for hospital kitchen workers and doctors. Knowledge about food storage was significantly associated with gender, age, occupation, and level of education (P < 0.05). Correct food practices were observed among 93% of the hospital kitchen staff and 50% of the health care professionals. These results indicate the need for preventive and corrective actions such as training and education about food safety to improve the knowledge and food safety practices of hospital professionals.

Este artículo piensa la cocina y el cocinar como escenarios de producción, circulación, negociación y subversión de conocimientos. Igualmente, señala la necesidad de una “antropología de la cocina” que reconoce el acto de cocinar y la cocina misma como asuntos importantes para la reflexión teórica. Para ello, se pregunta qué es una mantecada vegetariana y describe su preparación en una clase de cocina en Bogotá, Colombia. Primero señala que la receta escrita, a pesar de ser un dispositivo en apariencia estable, es infinitamente adaptable y está en continua transformación. Luego, mediante la recreación de la receta, se detiene en el proceso de traducción y negociación de su preparación para reflexionar sobre la cocción como un acto de coordinación entre cuerpos, ingredientes, utensilios y ambientes, y analiza cómo en tal proceso se comparten, emergen y negocian conocimientos. Finalmente, propone que cada preparación es un ensamblaje efímero que se completa solo cuando cada comensal lo lleva a la boca y nos recuerda a quienes nos dedicamos al saber académico que aún nos faltan palabras para referirnos a lo sensual y subjetivo.

The purpose of this research is to analyze empirically the transaction profitability derived from sporadic and frequent customers in the e-retailing sector of minor home appliances in Brazil. A company's database was analyzed quantitatively to assess the transaction profitability derived from sporadic and frequent customers purchasing via the firm's digital channel, namely its web site. Besides, qualitative evidence was also collected from interviews with the main professionals involved in marketing and e-commerce in the firm and through analysis of the company's web site and e-mail communications with customers. It was found that the commercial transaction profitability associated with sporadic customers can be higher than that derived from frequent purchasers. The study concentrated on a single company within a specific industry (minor home appliance e-retailing) based in a specific country, namely Brazil. The benefits of Web consumer retention would only seem to be advantageous for digital companies that are client-centric, which can interact with these consumers. Furthermore, the mere fact of using transactional practices, low differentiation between products and the emphasis on promotion of price on the web would seem to increase sensitivity to price on the part of the consumers, particularly those who make purchases more frequently. The value of this research is to enable practitioners and academics to grasp fully the real value of frequent and sporadic clients, in order to allow digital companies to develop coherent strategies for them.

Purpose - This study aims to determine the hygienic conditions of nursery schools' kitchens in Ankara, the capital of Turkey.Design methodology approach - The research sampling was obtained from 87 nursery schools. The research data were collected through a questionnaire and face-to-face interviews and observations. The questionnaire contained 59 questions and total of 100 points, the nursery schools' kitchens being graded as follows: 56-100 points good, 41-55 points acceptable, 40 points and below bad. The data were analyzed with SPSS 10.0 for Windows. Mean, standard deviations of all scores and percentages of responses in each category were calculated and presented in tabular form.Findings - A statistical analysis of the scores shows that 0.3 per cent of the kitchens investigated were rated as good and put in this category, 57 of them (65.5 per cent) were found to be acceptable and the rest (24.1 per cent) were rated as bad. The nursery schools' kitchens were given the lowest score in staff training, while the highest score was given in dishwashing hygiene.Practical implications - The hygiene of the food served in nursery schools is of great importance in terms of children's health. It is therefore essential to increase the number of studies carried out regarding the food served in nursery school kitchens and regarding hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) issues, and to concentrate on the education of the kitchen staff.Originality value - This paper focuses on hygiene issues in nursery school kitchens in Turkey.