Neither four flights of flights of stairs nor the Chinese word for cilantro deters SALT Executive Chef Daniel Urdaneta from creating the best cuisine in Beijing.

Home

7:45 a.m. Scary alarm clock wakes me from relaxing in the Bahamas. Enjoy last bit of dream as I head to the shower. Mind switches to work mode and creates a revolving shopping list. I smell coffee: yum!
8:04 Get dressed, kiss my wife (I just found out she is pregnant with our first child!).
8:31 After four attempts, my old jeep starts. Head to markets for fresh ingredients.

Fruit and Vegetable Market

8:48 My complete inability to speak Mandarin once again sees me try to explain cilantro using sign and body language. End up with an herb I have never heard of. But it looks and smells great! Everything is super fresh today--I love this place!
9:05 Back to Jeep; it starts this time. Head to get fish. Check-in at work. Last night was crazy; seriously, there is no food left.

Fish Market

9:18 Survey the selection for inspiration. Find a brilliant catch of red snapper. Decide to use it as a main with scallops as a starter.

SALT

9:45 Supplies were on time and the guys are hard at work. Check the reservations; today’s lunch is almost full and double turn-over tonight. I order a double espresso in anticipation.
9:53 In the office I put on my chef’s jacket and Crocs clogs. Collect knives. Back upstairs I wonder why I signed on for a job with four flights of stairs between my office and the kitchen. Take a breath. Review yesterday with staff. No complaints, no repairs, no important calls. Phew.

Lunch Prep

10:00 The kitchen is buzzing, deliveries are arriving. I check orders, answer the phone, clean the snapper, roast some peppers, spot a 50 liter pot of beef stock boiling over. Brilliant.
10:30 The “mise en place” for lunch is going well. Back down to office to finish up the menu and print it out.
10:42 A supplier arrives to collect money. He shows me some new imported spices. Cool.
11:00 Upstairs to kitchen. Relax a little. Grab a coffee.
11:30 Finishing touches. Go through menu with waiters.
11:50 Call my pregnant wife to say Hi and see how she’s feeling. Not good. Nauseous and not hungry. The doctor told me to be patient and supportive. I’m trying!

Show Time

12:00 p.m. Music starts, doors open and round one begins. People arrive and adrenaline begins to build. In 20 minutes the house will be full, the crowd hungry and everything in a hurry. Orders come in thick and fast, I love my job!
2:05 Lunch rush abates, the second wave arrives. Chat with regulars, check other tables.
2:28 After feeding 95 people, it’s time to me for to eat! I make a steak sandwich. How creative.

Dinner Prep

3:00 Lunch officially over, the second round of prep begins. The guys keep cooking. I head downstairs to do the dinner menu and some emails.
3:26 Back upstairs to meet with Gaby. Great news: two caterings next week! I wonder in what spare minute she would like me to do this. We arrange schedules, talk new menus, ideas and events. Check tonight’s reservations and grab another coffee.
5:01 Call my wife, she says she feels better. I think she is trying to be nice to me.

Family Meal

5:10 A traditional time in restaurants, I eat with the guys; they talk in Chinese.

The Main Event

6:00 Dinner Service. From now until 10 p.m. it’s non-stop. Double turnover tonight. The kitchen is hot. People’s conversations are loud. The music (and my heart!) is pumping. It’s really hard work, but I love seeing people enjoying my food and having fun.

10:30 Dinner rush ends. Only one table left to order and a few rounds of desserts to go. Check on tables. Head downstairs for a cigarette.
10:43 Upstairs chat with Gaby. Enjoy a cleansing beer.
11:00 Desserts done, the exhausted staff clean the kitchen.
11:18 Sit with Gaby and a few friends; we share impressions of the night. All went well and the customers are happy. So am I.
11:35 The guys head home. Chat a little longer with remaining customers and friends.

Home

12:25 a.m. Kiss my sleeping wife and take a shower. Watch news on TV. Fall asleep. Tomorrow’s menu is forced out of my head. It’s back to the Bahamas for me.

THE VERDICT

So how’s Danny do it? “Five coffees, several red bulls, a cigarette or two and a couple of cleansing beers” are all that the SALT super chef needs to feed 238 people (95 lunch, 143 dinner) on a typical Saturday. Wow.