Food & Beverage
20 25
People behind the plates BY MONICA D. SPENCER
Mandy’s Wine Bar
Step through the swinging double doors of any restaurant, and you enter a world most diners never see: the back of house. For some, it exists only in the heightened chaos of shows like The Bear or Hell’s Kitchen . For others, it’s the muse and playground of culinary icons like the late Anthony Bourdain. For most, though, it’s a workspace where the daily grind is king and the drama is far less theatrical than the media suggests. Every kitchen has its quirks and personalities, but the cast is often familiar: chefs, line cooks, dishwashers, bussers and servers working in rhythm to meet relentless customer demands. Here’s a glimpse into what life looks like behind the scenes in two Maricopa kitchens.
Much like the neck of a wine bottle, the kitchen at Mandy’s Wine Bar is slim and narrow. That’s partly because wine is the emphasis here, but food elevates that experience. With more than 20 years of restaurant experience, Chef John Howard heads the small kitchen crew here. He said, no matter the size, working back of house is almost always the same: “Demanding, but completely fulfilling.” “You have tickets that come into your window, and you have four items to knock out right away. So, you have to think, ‘How am I going to tackle all these different tasks?’” he said while plating dishes. “That translates to the same stresses in everyday life. The stress and the demand that you learn here in the kitchen, you take it home and translate it to life.”
InMaricopa.com | September 2025
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