Anna Tobias for Service Works

Anna Tobias for Service Works

An interview with Anna Tobias at Cafe Deco on the challenges of simple cooking and the importance of a good work uniform.

The menu at Cafe Deco somehow feels new whilst remaining timeless, how do you remain classic whilst still developing interesting dishes?

I think we remain classic, but hopefully still feel modern enough. Mostly because I love classic food, and I find that there's a real joy and comfort in a dish that has kind of earned its respect, and therefore has kind of already proven that it's good. And if we can reproduce it respectfully and using amazing ingredients, then I think we're doing our job. Timelessness comes from a kind of confidence in the dish itself, and from a peaceful perspective of not needing to change it.

Is simplicity easy?

Simplicity is both easy and difficult. On the one hand, a simple dish may not be difficult or time-consuming to prepare. But what is difficult about a simple dish is it can so easily be average. And there is nothing more disappointing than an average simple dish, in my view. So the real challenge is to make sure everything is executed perfectly and to make sure that your produce is good enough to be prepared in a simple way. I think that's really at Café Deco the key for us, is that the produce has to be outstanding, so that the simplicity can also be impressive.

What do you look for when buying clothes for work - is comfort and durability important to you?

Clothes at work have to be comfortable for sure because you're in them for an awfully long time and you're doing physical tasks. So if they were tight or just didn't fit in a nice way, that would just be a disaster. Durability, also important because, they go through the ringer and they're going to be washed a lot and reused and re-worn. But also what I'd add to that is they have to be really practical. They have to be safe as well. You can't have trousers that are tight because if you spill hot water or anything hot on them, you need to be able to pull the fabric away from your skin. So there's also some kind of basic practicalities that I think kitchen wear has to live up to.