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Over the past few weeks we have been getting asked a lot by our Customers on what are the dimensions of our Chiavari chairs, how big is a stack of Chiavari chairs and how much space will they need to store 200 Chiavari chairs.

To determine your storage requirements there are a few key measurements that are needed to help with any calculation you will need to do.

1. What are the dimensions of a single (1) Resin Chiavari chair?

Our Resin Chiavari chairs and our Crystal Chiavari chairs each have pretty much the same basic measurement for the chair. That is, the chair is (approximately) 36” tall x 16” wide x 16” deep and the chair seat is about 17½” high at the front of the seat. Our wood Chiavari chairs are close to the same dimensions except they are about 17” wide (at the widest point).

2. What happens to these dimensions each time you stack a chair?

Each time a chair is stacked on top of another resin Chiavari chair it adds 8” to the height. So a stack of 6 chairs would reach a height of about 76” (formula: 36” + (5 chairs x 8” of additional height). A stack of 8 chairs would be 92” (formula: 36” + (7 chairs x 8”)). Interestingly, a stack of 8 of our Crystal Chiavari chairs reaches a height of 94” so each chair must be a fraction taller than our Resin Chiavari chairs.

In addition, because the seat of Chiavari chairs have a slight slope to them, a stack of 6 chairs actually has a slight bend to it causing the space requirements to increase slightly, resulting in a depth of about 22” for a stack of 6 chairs.

3. And finally, what happens when you pack a bunch of chairs into a storage area?

The area we decided to mock up as Chiavari Chair Storage Space is 9 ft 3 inches wide by 16 feet long x 107 inches high (photo below)

As you can see from the stacks of chairs we placed into the front lobby of our offices, the profile of the chairs resulted in 4 stacks of 8 Chiavari chairs (32 chairs total) taking up a space that was about 6ft wide x 2ft deep x 8ft high.

At 6 rows of 4 stacks of Chiavari chairs, the storage space footprint was 6ft wide x 12ft deep for a total of 192 Chiavari chairs;

To result in 200 chairs stored, only 1 more stack of 8 Chiavari chairs is required. The total storage space is 14ft long x 6ft wide x 8ft high.

4. In the event you need to increase/optimize the number of Chiavari chairs you store in a confined area, it is possible to place the top Chiavari chair upside down.

Doing so would result in the stack of chairs growing by an additional 2 inches in height and 4 inches in depth (due to the angle the back of the seat is inclined at).

To avoid damage to the chairs, we decided to leave the storage covers on the Chiavari chairs and not to have any cushions on the chairs. It is possible to leave the cushions on the chairs which of course would result in taller stack of chairs, but this leaves a greater chance of damages occurring to the cushions due to the weight of the chair stack during periods when the chairs are not in use.

H/t Reddit

Ask anyone who knows me and they’ll be quick to say I love a good book. Bookstores and libraries are my heaven and with summer shortly underway, with the help of the good chefs on Reddit, I’ve rounded up the best Chef autobiographies. Hopefully you get out from the hot kitchen and enjoy some time off reading some of the inspiring chef biographies listed below!

The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen by Jacques Pepin’s

This inspiring autobiography tells the story of Jacques Pepin’s rise from as a humble apprentice in an old world French kitchen to an Emmy Award–winning superstar complete with 21 cookbooks, 13 PBS cooking shows and dean of special programs at the French Culinary Institute in New York City under his belt. Recipes are included along the way as well as anecdotal stories that will equally make you laugh and cry.

A Taste of My Life by Raymond Blanc

“ …he details his life from a boy through to owning and running his incredible restaurants. It's not an autobiography exactly, more a 'taste' of his life, things that he wanted to write about and discuss, like defining moments from his life, cooking theory, certain recipes, and a lot of what he thinks and feels towards food in general.

It was a fascinating read and very inspiring.”

Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain

“Kitchen confidential is a fantastic read!”

One of the most notorious and outspoken chefs of our time, Anthony Bourdain is a household name to most. In Kitchen Confidential first written over 15 years ago, Chef Bourdain gives away secrets of the trade in his wickedly funny, inspiring memoir/expose. You won’t be able to put it down and will be sad when it ends.

Heat by Bill Buford

A fascinating look behind the scenes of a year-in-training at Mario Batali’s famous New York restaurant Babbo penned from the hand of highly acclaimed writer and Editor Bill Buford previously of The New Yorker. This book follows Bill after realizing his desire to learn how restaurant cooking differed from what home cooks do. He goes through “kitchen boot camp” and then onto Italy to discover the finer points of pasta-making and meat slaughter. Of course the book is filled with captivating narratives full of humour and stunning insights.

“It’s (an) amazing adventure- and he visits many places that are referenced elsewhere (including Kitchen Confidential)”

The Making of a Chef by Michael Ruhlman

The Soul of a Chef by Michael Ruhlman

The Reach of a Chef by Michael Ruhlman

A Return to Cooking by Eric Ripert and Michael Ruhlman

“Michael Ruhlman is a great author, I can recommend The Making of a Chef, The Soul of a Chef, and The Reach of a Chef, all amazing. The Making is a very detailed look at what a student faces at the CIA. The Soul shows what it takes to become a Certified Master Chef, and the Reach is all about celebrity and professional cooking. Really amazing books.

Also, Ruhlman co-wrote a sort of autobiographical cookbook with Eric Ripert called A Return to Cooking, which is huge, and beautiful, and you really get to know Ripert through the stories and recipes.”

The Perfectionist: Life and Death in Haute Cuisine by Rudolph Chelminski

“Another great book is The Perfectionist: Life and Death in Haute Cuisine. It's by Rudolph Chelminski. Really intense read. Recommended to me by a few chefs.”

Journalist Chelminski takes readers on a journey discovering the history of modern French cuisine, a look at how the Michelin family reached its gatekeeping apotheosis, and along the way traces his friend Bernard Loiseau’s career from high school dropout to chef of a former three-star restaurant. It’s a sad and cautionary tale while at the same time being a warm tribute to a man and his search for perfection.

Blood, Bones & Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton

“Blood, Bones, and Butter was a great book. Even if you're not a chef it was good.”

Gabrielle Hamilton's memoir is inspiring, addictive and passionate tinged with humour, honesty and grit. What sets Hamilton apart, though, is her ability to write with as much grace as sarcasm. The book follows Hamilton through her childhood, into her teens working 20-hour days at a catering company culminating in the opening of her NYC restaurant Prune.

Yes, Chef by Marcus Samuelsson

“It is a best selling autobiography about an Ethiopian adopted by a Swedish couple that made it all the way to win Top Chef and also cook at the White House for the State dinner. He has a unique life story. He also owns 2 restaurants in Harlem and the president has eaten at one of them.”

To recap this month’s recent inventory additions, we’ve added wedding chair covers, additional sizes and colours of highboy spandex table covers and last week announced the addition of 6ft fitted table covers in stock. This week brings the addition of 8ft fitted tablecloths into our inventory.

Available in 180 gsm polyester, our 8ft fitted tablecloths can be purchased in black or white. They fit an 8ft x 30" plastic or wood folding table and are ideal for buffet or display tables or catering companies. They feature a vertical slit on one side of the table cloth for easy storage of bins and boxes for caterers or other companies. While polyester is inherently flame retardant, no additional flame retardant coating is applied to our 8ft fitted table covers, making them safe for foodservice.

In the past month, we introduced the addition of 3 new spandex event linens: 24 inch spandex cocktail table covers, 36 inch spandex cocktail table covers, and 30 inch spandex cocktail table toppers. We’ve also added wedding chair covers to our inventory – stocking polyester chair covers and spandex chair covers for banquet chairs. We’ve been continuing to add additional event tablecloths to our inventory with the addition of yet another!

I’m pleased to announce we now have 6ft fitted table covers in stock.

Available in black and white, these spandex cocktail table covers fit wood or plastic folding tables with tabletops that are 72 inches (6ft) by 30 inches wide and 29-30 inches high. They’re a fantastic addition to any event space for registration desks, buffets or display tables. Caterers also love them as they provide easy access to storage space via a vertical slit on one side of the tablecloth.

Unless you’ve been living in a hobbit hole, it’s probably fair to assume as a chef or foodservice operator, you know who Gordon Ramsay is. Famous Chef, Father, Actor, Entrepreneur, Triathlete, and the list goes on, Chef Ramsay has lived the inspiring story of coming from humble roots and working his arse off to succeed in the culinary, business and entertainment worlds. This past January, Chef Ramsay went on Reddit to do an Ask Me Anything interview. As a company that provides restaurant supplies to foodservice operators and chefs, reading Chef Ramsay’s refreshingly open, honest, down to earth and likeable interview only made us love the celebrity chef even more. Like this gem of a quote which gives us pause for thought…“Someone said to me last night ‘Never trust a skinny chef.’ And I said ‘That's bullshit, never trust a fat chef.’ And she said ‘Why?’ And I said ‘Because they've eaten all the good bits.’”

Here’s 7 things we learned from Gordon Ramsay’s Reddit AMA

1. He stresses the importance of understanding Michelin Stars are awarded to Restaurant’s, not Chefs.

“So the stars are awarded to the restaurant. And sometimes the chefs think the stars belong to the chefs, but they belong to the restaurant. The service is just as important. Michelin's had a hard time in America, because it was late coming to the table. But if there's one thing I respect, it's consistency. They manage to identify consistently, and it's all there for the customer.”

2. He also pointed out that you can’t charm your way to a Michelin Star

“…you know, if there's one thing I've come to admire with the Michelin is that it's consistent. It's a guy who is judging you incognito. We have a lot of guys in this country, and Europe, who are a bit too familiar, too chummy with chefs, and they overindulge - food editors, they'll know, and tip off the chef. With a Michelin guide, you have no idea when they'll be in, or when they'll review you. And that's why they're the most feared and respected by chefs.”

3. Pork Chops with Rhubarb should be a strange food combination but really “Shit! It’s delicious!”

“I had an amazing doubled pork chop with rhubarb. Now rhubarb is something we literally eat with desserts, but this dish was incredible. It was in Spain. It was a double pork-chop that had been slow-roasted over an open pit fire with rhubarb. Absolutely delicious. This was one of my mates that was trying to show off cooking in his back garden in Spain when we were out filming for KITCHEN NIGHTMARES. I didn't think it was going to work, to be honest.

And then when I started tasting, I thought Shit! This is delicious!”

4. His witty insults surprise even himself sometimes

“Heh! Witty insults? Ehm... it just happens sort of spur-of-the-moment. I see red, I get frustrated, I let it go. I'm not very good at editing myself. I have to get things off my chest. If there's one thing my mum taught me, it's speak your mind, be firm, get things off your chest. I think it's a good way to work, and quite healthy to have that attitude. Do I think about it previously? No, they just come to me in a flashpoint. And sometimes even I sit back and think Did I just say that?”

5. He manages his time by multi-tasking very well and never staying too long in one place

“I...I multi-task very well.

And I am never in one place too long.

I think now with, you know, my own production company, I'm very lucky the schedule works around my diary. I work my ass off - you know, 15, 16 hours a day. I quite enjoy the time difference when I finish, for instance, last night we were taping MASTER CHEF until 9 or 10 PM at night, I'll have a quick bite to eat, and then I'll call the UK at midnight - because come midnight LA time, West Coast time, it's 8 o'clock in the morning. I'll say good morning to the kids, I'll catch up with my business in London, and then from 2-5 o'clock, I sleep, get up, go to the gym, and then start my day again.

So that's my daily slog.

So I stand by my convictions - when I opened up the restaurant, Gordon Ramsay, back in September 1998, I decided I was going to work my ass off. My flagship restaurant in Chelsea has never been open on a Saturday and Sunday - it's never been open on a week-end, because I thought if we're going to do this, I'd like to do this properly, so my staff needs time off. So I work hard, but I give myself time off on the week-end. I cut it off, and power down for 48 hours.”

6. His favourite Disney movie is predictably adorable while plugging a new video we had no idea about!

“My favorite Disney movie.

Ehm, come on?

Seriously?

It has to be RATATOUILLE.

I was very close, last year, when we had Bradley Cooper in the kitchen cooking up a storm for his new ADAM JONES movie coming up the end of this year, and understand his level of excitement about service, being on the line - he didn't want to tiptoe, he wanted to be in there, from first light to the last plate leaving the kitchen, and it was so nice to see how he respected the team. He didn't want pampering, he wanted to roll his sleeves up and dive in there.

He said "Gordon, I just want you to teach me to put food on a plate, because it's really magical how you put food on the plate the way you do."

So I'm very excited for this movie, coming out, called ADAM JONES. It's very exciting to see an actor understand what you do, and knowing that he can't learn how to cook in a few months, but absolutely nailing it when it came to the level of presentation.”

7. He offers a different take on the traditional advice for new or aspiring chefs

“Ehm, good question. The biggest piece of advice - you know, cooking is about character. It's about different cuisines. And I think sometimes we go into it a little bit blinkered-vision. Learn a second vision - I thought I really knew how to cook when I worked for Marco and then when I went to France, it really opened my eyes. So learn a second language, and travel. It's really important to travel. That is fundamental. because you pick up so many different techniques, and learning a second language gives you so much more confidence in the kitchen.”

You can read the whole AMA here.