Oliver Gerlach on how his real life experiences in hospitality inspired The Restaurant at the Edge of the World
At around the time when I was just starting out as a comics writer, I worked as a junior chef in a pretty good restaurant (long gone), for a terrible man (probably still around). Both of them will remain nameless. I learned a lot in that kitchen, about both food and people.
Kitchens can be rewarding, but they’re difficult and unstable work environments. The people in them do what they do from a fierce passion for food and for feeding others, and many of them are indestructible and relentlessly caring. The people in charge of kitchens, though, can be some of the worst tyrants in any workplace. High stress environments, substance abuse, fire, and knives make for a lethally unstable power dynamic. But, despite all that, you only work in a kitchen if you really love the act of making something with your hands and bringing joy to others. It’s a strange mix.
My new graphic novel, The Restaurant at the Edge of the World, cocreated with artist Kelsi Jo Silva, came from that period of my life. I think it probably started on one of the days when the boss had decided that instead of coming in for his shift he’d go and play darts instead, leaving me (junior chef, no professional qualifications or safety certification) as the only person in the kitchen for a busy service. These were not infrequent, and it took a long time for me to realise that this was not normal, and was in fact the boss cynically taking advantage of whoever was on the receiving end of it. Our tiny kitchen saw four chefs come and go in the space of two years, with those of us at the bottom of the pile always in firm agreement that the latest departing chef was probably doing the right thing in leaving.
The Restaurant at the Edge of the World tells the story of Soup, a girl raised in a kitchen, coming to realise that her boss is a monster, and setting out to take him down with the help of all of his other victims. It’s a fantasy, but her journey is one that will be familiar to practically all of us who have worked in kitchens at some point in our lives. We cook because we love it, but all too often the rest of the kitchen environment is untenable. Young cooks deserve better, and power dynamics make it very difficult for anyone but those at the top to make things better.
The book tones things down from the reality. Half of what takes place in a professional kitchen simply cannot be printed in a young adult graphic novel. The undercurrents and themes, however, are entirely real, and more than a few of the incidents are drawn from life with a little fantasy seasoning added on top.
It’s my hope that our book might equip younger readers to spot the patterns of abuse endemic to the industry before they’re ground down by them. We can’t reshape the industry from the bottom up like Soup and her friends can, but if we’re aware of the problems we can at least keep ourselves safe from them. There’s so much joy to be found in cooking for others, but you shouldn’t have to push past the pain to find it.
The Restaurant at the Edge of the World was published by Faber & Faber on 2 January 2025
