Reframing fine dining: What has to change? An honest conversation with chef Stephan Duhesme

Speaking from your own experience as a chef/restaurateur, do chef René Redzepi’s sentiments resonate with you? Why or why not?

Absolutely. I always found the model of Noma over-the-top in scale; having 50 per cent of your workforce as unpaid interns is not sustainable in any business model, regardless of the industry. I won’t lie though, I never thought there was anything wrong with it either, as many of the top restaurants function with some degree of unpaid interns.

I read a statement that resonated with me deeply during the Noma news: “All labour that is essential to the proper functioning of your business must be adequately compensated or it is modern-day slave labour.” That statement alone made me ponder a whole array of questions that stem from the root of unpaid labour (or shoddy labour practices), which we have normalised through the romanticism of the fine dining industry.

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What does “sustainable fine dining” look like to you—financially, environmentally, physically, emotionally; however you may choose to frame it?

I’m not sure what the ideal model is, but this is what we do at the restaurant and what we are constantly trying to improve on:

Our impact on the current environmental crisis
We try to go beyond international requirements. For example, we do not use bluefin and yellowfin tuna unless there’s a proven hard certification on its provenance and how it was caught, which is difficult to find. We source from farmers who adhere to sustainable agricultural practices, and we try to promote common local ingredients which grow easily in the country. The same goes for seafood and meat, which we try to minimise as much as we can as it negatively impacts our carbon footprint—we didn’t have to re-invent that aspect of Filipino food though, as the traditional Filipino diet is already vegetable-centric. Lucky us!

I think restaurants need to be fair and respectful to their suppliers and farmers. Restaurants should not negotiate prices, especially considering the state of our agriculture; this is not the flea market, this is about the welfare of the people who grow our food. 

Sustainable labour practices
I denounce any chef that revolves around verbal and physical abuse such as demeaning, grabbing, insulting, raging, and just outright hitting in the kitchen, often associated with the classical French brigade systems. It’s outdated and, big surprise, does not create a positive working environment. It generates a high percentage of turnover that diverts the chef from focusing on other important aspects of the business such as the food, the guests, and really, everything we are talking about in this interview. 

At Metiz, the general idea is to foster an environment that generates growth (financial, creative, professional/career), gives the team enough time to rest and spend time with loved ones (paid vacation leave), and emotional stability (burning out is at the opposite spectrum of cooking out of passion). I try to look at Metiz as a creative space that serves food. I look at my teammates as colleagues and friends with whom I share a singular vision of how we wish to project Filipino food. Since our concept is based on notions of novelty, everything can be debated—there are no strict rules, unlike in classical French haute cuisine. We encourage debate, discussions, and open communication as we utilise each other’s strengths and try to understand each other’s weaknesses. 

Financial feasibility
Restaurants are for-profit organisations; they need to generate income, or it just isn’t sustainable. I do believe a delicate balance can be achieved between generating income, having a positive impact on the environment, and being socially responsible. 

Social impact and relevance
Being sustainable is a mindset and lifestyle. It transcends generations. It needs to be a core value of your restaurants (or group) to be passed on to all those who work within your establishments. Promoting good practices is important, too, such as how Toyo Eatery does it. You also need to keep your prices in check—it’s hard to have a positive impact if only 0.000000001 per cent of the population can dine at your restaurant. 

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Do you believe that we face similar dilemmas in the Philippine fine dining scene? Why or why not?

Yes, of course, as the majority of fine dining restaurants in the Philippines are modelled after European ones. There are also a lot fewer enforced laws in the Philippines that safeguard against these issues. If in Europe it is still easy to bypass these laws, then more so in the Philippines!

In terms of internships and stagiaires, having them uncompensated re-enforces the social class divide within kitchens in the country, which opens up the next question of fair opportunities. How can you create fair opportunities when you have privileged chefs who’ve worked in top restaurants for free, while many aspiring chefs can’t afford to do that?

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How do you think we can resolve these issues?

By spreading awareness, almost like an unwritten code of conduct. For this to happen, you have to first look at what is wrong with your model, and acknowledge that there is something wrong with it. Only then can you set objectives for improvement.

As an example regarding the labour issue:

At Metiz, our rule of thumb has been two interns maximum per cycle, but they never were compensated for their work or their contributions as fully functioning team members of the restaurant. Which was wrong, we were a part of the problem. Since January of 2023, we have abolished uncompensated interns at Metiz. Our current intern, who is in culinary school, is given an allowance of PHP 6,000 per month. Interns who have experience and are out of school will be compensated PHP 12,000 per month. The internship duration is a maximum of six months, and then we either have to hire them or let them go. 

[I think] internships should be done on a first-come, first-served basis, as opposed to through CV selection—otherwise, it still contributes to the problem of elitist selection. 

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The nature of fine dining has changed in recent years. How can we work towards a more sustainable form of fine dining? What has to change?

I think that as chefs, patrons and restaurateurs, we need to look not just at the food that is being served, but at the manner in which it is served, too. We have to go beyond just being establishments serving good food. 

In terms of social responsibility to the employees but also to the suppliers, Toyo Eatery is probably the most impactful, socially responsible restaurant in the country. They actively promote and support the local farming community. From a labour perspective, we know that they are progressive—look at all these genuine smiles from team Toyo. Toyo Eatery has proven that you can be at the top of the game without compromising integrity. They are a prime example of the type of restaurant model we should all be following.

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