It’s no secret that the kitchen’s cultural cachet is at a (stiff, meringue-white) peak. In a world where much of life happens online, restaurants offer an increasingly vital reason to gather and dress up. If New Yorker cartoons are any barometer for the cultural proclivities of the moment, a fairly recent one articulates our growing appetite for back-of-house subcultures. A sketch published after The Bear’s release in 2022 depicted a post-coital scene—a man, slightly concerned, asking a woman, “What was all that ‘Yes, Chef’ stuff about?”
A symptom of the attention increasingly heaped upon contemporary chefs is an interest—owed in part to the swagger of forebears like Julia Child and Anthony Bourdain—in the less technical aspects of their lives, from their tattoos to their gear. French brigade-style “chef whites” may not be on the runways, but kitchen mainstays like clogs, Stan Ray and Carhartt work pants, and canvas overshirts have infiltrated the sartorial lexicon of a crowd that appreciates the heritage, quality, and pragmatism of these tried-and-true pieces, even if they fail to employ them for their true purpose. In a fashion landscape defined by waste, there’s something appealing about stocking one’s closet with an enduring uniform that evokes an active yet aesthetic life.
To give the originators of such trends their due, CULTURED asked seven chefs to reflect on their go-to uniforms. After all, in the high-stakes, high-speed culture of the kitchen, clothing becomes an extension of a chef’s body, and their trusted tools—sharp knives, bench scrapers, seasoned wooden spoons—become badges of honor tended to with pride. While they work in varied culinary contexts, these chefs share a knack for seeking out and refining what works. It’s an approach that we could all learn from—in the kitchen or otherwise.
Margot & Fergus Henderson
Rochelle Canteen, St. John, London
CULTURED: What pieces of clothing or accessories are most important to you in the kitchen?
Margot Henderson: A bandanna to tie my hair up, and an apron! I can hardly cook without an apron on. I prefer navy blue in a stiff fabric with a pocket.
Fergus Henderson: An apron and Blundstones.
CULTURED: Would you say you wear a uniform of some kind when you’re cooking?
Margot: Yes definitely: trainers, an apron, and a stripey T-shirt. I do love a chef ’s jacket as well: cotton, white, crisp. It feels fresh and strong, and it probably helps my cooking as it straightens me up and makes me smarter, neater, and more efficient.
Fergus: A uniform is a security blanket; it gives structure to things.
CULTURED: Favorite kitchen footwear?
Margot: I have completely fallen in love with Salomon trainers.
CULTURED: Headgear: Yea or nay?
Margot: Yea. If I don’t have my bandanna, I’ll use a piece of string.
Fergus: It’s too hot. I need to let my head breathe!
CULTURED: How do you see chef style influencing what non-chefs wear?
Margot: Workwear is very much in fashion now—clothes that can be worn as armor, clothes that can be worked in and that move easily, that can be gently broken in. Dover Street Market has a great range from Labour and Wait.
Fergus: It’s everywhere—not to say that aprons are being worn in airports.
CULTURED: Favorite kitchen tool, at home or at work?
Margot: At home, my wok; at Rochelle, my knives. Knives everywhere—I do love my knives.
Fergus: Mortar and pestle at home; a knife at work.
Anthony Ha and Sadie Mae Burns
Ha's Đặc Biệt, New York
CULTURED: What pieces of clothing or accessories are most important to you in the kitchen?
Sadie Mae Burns: In Paris, I discovered the joy of a stiff, protective—sexy, even—apron. Most of the New York kitchens I worked in would order these flimsy, dinky white aprons. The straps never tied around my neck correctly and they made me feel dumpy—especially when wearing an ill-fitting porter shirt, the ubiquitous “New York cook’s uniform.” Now, I feel incomplete without one. (We order from Bragard, mostly classic dark blues and stripes—some even have an adjustable strap; a delight!)
Anthony Ha: A crisp T-shirt. I buy mine in bulk from Front Street General, our favorite vintage store in Dumbo. They get them imported from Japan, so they are a bit splurgy, but I’m hooked. I’ve also been cooking in old camo pants recently—digital or Desert Storm preferred.
CULTURED: Would you say you wear a uniform of some kind when you’re cooking?
Sadie: We mainly work events or travel to different kitchens, so we typically wear our own clothing. For me, loose pants and a button-up—ideally old-school Brooks Brothers—feels the best. This is my outside-of-work uniform as well.
Anthony: White or black T-shirt, baseball hat, Sven wooden clogs.
CULTURED: Headgear: Yea or nay?
Sadie: I lean nay—I prefer a tight bun. You’ll never catch me in a baseball hat.
Anthony: I wear a baseball hat every day of my life (Sadie is trying to break this habit). This makes me DOH-ready at all moments, I guess? I go through favorites, swapping them out from time to time and always looking for the next one to add to the arsenal. Usually they’re from our friend Josh P. Matthews’s brand, Comma.
CULTURED: Favorite kitchen tool, at home or at work?
Sadie: A plastic bench scraper. I work with sticky, floury dough a lot. Cleaning and scraping is the worst, and I dread it every time.
Anthony: Edlund stainless steel tongs. I’ve had my pair for years; they’re the only pair of tongs I use. I bring them to every event. I’ve hacked them by ripping off the lock mechanism on the top, so they never lock themselves by accident. In a busy service they’re ideal.
Luis Andrade
Le Cheval d'Or, Paris
CULTURED: What pieces of clothing or accessories are most important to you in the kitchen?
Luis Andrade: My Levi’s 501 jeans. I have been wearing them since I was 11. I also never take off my two bracelets, which I’ve worn for the past 20 years.
CULTURED: Would you say you wear a uniform of some kind when you’re cooking?
Luis: My friend designed a chef’s shirt for me, so that is my new uniform. Headgear when it feels right.
CULTURED: Favorite kitchen footwear?
Luis: My Birks.
CULTURED: How do you see chef style influencing what non-chefs wear?
Luis: Chefs have direct contact with diners in most restaurants nowadays. Years ago, diners would not even see who was cooking your food. Now, our individual styles come through in a dining experience, and that definitely affects and inspires people.
CULTURED: Favorite kitchen tool?
Luis: I love knives, but my favorite utensil is a spoon. I need it for practically everything I do.
CULTURED: What pieces of clothing or accessories are most important to you in the kitchen?
Chinchakriya Un: My eyeliner, lip liner, and lipstick. I’m also really obsessed with my red paisley bandanna from Front Street General.
CULTURED: Would you say you wear a uniform of some kind when you’re cooking?
Chinchakriya: When I’m cooking I always have to feel like me. I love to wear my favorite CFGNY Deconstructed Work Pants. They have so many pockets and are so sturdy. I will wear these with a white, ribbed tank. I love to wear bike shorts when it’s appropriate, usually when I’m cooking outdoors and it’s summer. I like to feel like a THOT amongst the open flames. My work clothes, if I’m able to keep them clean enough, can almost always transition out into the streets.
CULTURED: Favorite kitchen footwear?
Chinchakriya: Blundstones, Dansko clogs, black Adidas shell-toes, or the Salomon Speedcross 3s.
CULTURED: How do you see chef style influencing what non-chefs wear?
Chinchakriya: I love how worn my clothes become over time from my job. I love every oil stain, every hole, because it represents an experience, which makes me feel more attached to my clothing. I see a lot of new clothes being sold with artificial markings and stains to recreate certain lifestyles, which tells that me that chefs, as well as other trade jobs, have heavy influence on the fashion game.
CULTURED: Favorite kitchen tool, at home or at work?
Chinchakriya: Mortar and pestle forever. Cambodian food is based on a lot of paste-making and I generally use this tool to produce my curry pastes and spicy sauces. Really, most things should be smashed.
Dan Barber
Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Pocantico, New York
CULTURED: What is the piece of clothing or accessory that is most important to you in the kitchen?
Dan: My blue towel.
CULTURED: And the runner-up?
Dan: My second blue towel.
CULTURED: Favorite kitchen footwear?
Dan: Shoes without rubber soles.
CULTURED: Do you think chef style has influenced clothing trends more broadly, and what non-chefs wear?
Dan: If my wife knew you were asking me trend-setting questions she would howl with laughter. So I will respectfully refrain from commenting!
CULTURED: Do you think your location impacts how you dress in the kitchen, and kitchen uniform culture
Dan: No, not at all. I would be this standard and this conservative and this boring wherever I cook.
