Back of House - Melbourne

 

Back of House is the term used by the hospitality industry to describe the area's that are not on view to the general public. In restaurants particularly, it refers to the kitchen area and was a perfect title of Jeff Martin's recent exhibition.

In early 2007 Jeff Martin decided to celebrate the industry that had afforded him his position as a professional artist. He had more than 17 years experience working in the hospitality industry to pay for canvas, paint, pencils, etc.... His fascination with the machinations of the commercial kitchen turned out to be great fuel for a new body of work.

It started as a simple idea, to sketch Melbourne's chef's during service to try and capture the movement of people at work. That simple idea evolved into a major solo exhibition at Gould Galleries which was listed as part of the Melbourne 2008, Food and Wine Festival.

The restaurants included were  Abla’s, Bacash, Bottega, The Botanical, Da Noi, Ezard, Fenix, The Flower Drum, Grossi Florentino, Jacques Reymond, Pearl, The Press Club, Three Two One, Rockpool Bar and Grill and Vue de Monde.