The kitchen, however, is a different story. A mass of sous chefs and waiters are crowded into the bustling, overheated room, jostling each other on their way to various errands laid out for them by head chef Ron Siegel.

Ron began his career as a busboy at age 15 and has since worked his way up in the culinary industry, filling the role of head chef at many prominent restaurants, including French Laundry, and even winning Iron Chef Japan in 1998 before opening his own venture, MadCap, this summer. MadCap is influenced by his past experiences in the industry and serves an American-Japanese fusion style that focuses on vegetables. Read more about Ron’s background as a chef here: http://redwoodbark.org/2017/07/15/whats-cookin-chefs-recipes-success/.

“I’ve grown up like that; it’s always been about restaurants. My dad and mom met at the French Laundry where my mom was a waitress and my dad was a chef, so they’ve always been involved in restaurants,” Kelsey said. “I knew that when he opened up his own restaurant I’d probably be working there with my siblings.” Kelsey, along with the rest of the staff, is adjusting to the challenges of running a restaurant, which Ron anticipated.

“We come in here when we are closed on our day off, and end up spending 14 hours here, and then leave and still have a million things to do. So it’s difficult in that sense,” Ron said.

On the other hand, the freedom of self-employment has allowed Ron to make decisions that best suit his needs, such as the location of MadCap.

“It’s nice to have your own thing and do what you want to do. It’s close to my house and I really enjoy cooking still, so the whole thing has been very enjoyable,” Ron said.

Being employed in a family business also has its perks for Kelsey, who works there about three days a week. She and her boyfriend, junior Tommy Freiburger, who is also a waiter at MadCap, are able to end their shifts at a reasonable hour in order to complete their homework.

Neither of the two have experienced difficulties in balancing their job with other commitments, partially because of the flexibility they have. Due to the limited time they do have for schoolwork, both Kelsey and Freiburger find that they are more efficient getting their work done on time.

“After [work] we really have to get it done because there’s no room for screwing around,” Kelsey said.

Although neither Kelsey nor Freiburger have a long-term interest in the restaurant industry, they find certain aspects of their job enjoyable. In Kelsey’s case, it’s customer service.

“I like meeting interesting people and learning about what they do,” Kelsey said.

The high quality of the food at MadCap, which has been praised by prominent local food critics such as Michael Bauer, leads to Ron having equally high expectations of his staff. Some of the duties may appear tedious but are an essential element of the service.

“After every course that they get, no matter what they get, we have to clear all the silverware and set it up for the next thing they’re having, in advance. So we have to memorize what silverware goes with what dish. You definitely have to know the menu in order to do that too,” Kelsey said.

Tensions can escalate due to the pressure of running an upscale establishment.

“My dad goes ham in the kitchen. If there’s a plate that needs to be going to a certain table and it’s sitting there, he gets so angry. It’s a lot of work he put into this dish and if it’s just sitting there and no one’s taking it out on time he does get mad,” Kelsey said.

Kendra Stanley, another hostess, is well aware of the importance of presenting the meals on time.

“Everything’s got to be timed perfectly, which is tough. He’s been doing this for so long, and [timing] is the key ingredient, getting everything on the table in a timely manner, and making sure your guests aren’t waiting for anything and everyone’s getting everything that they ordered at the same time,” Stanley said.

The elite clientele who frequent MadCap anticipate a high quality evening according to Stanley, who is sympathetic to the pressure that prominent chefs face in delivering the best possible experience to guests.

“The guests are all sitting here watching what we’re doing, and so they’re very in tune with anything that is not on target,” Stanley said. “There aren’t a lot of restaurants like this in Marin, so the people that come here are pretty high-end diners.”

Kelsey has worked with her father in various restaurants over the years and is well aware of the expectations placed upon the wait staff.

“There’s pressure to make sure everything’s going well and some people expect everything to be perfect,” Kelsey said. “They’re spending money here and everything should be perfect, there shouldn’t be any problems, but we’re all human and make mistakes.”

Kelsey said that both she and Freiburger are making an effort to keep up with the momentum of MadCap.

“We’re definitely the slow worker bees of the restaurant,” Kelsey said.

Having only worked at MadCap for three weeks, Freiberger is still adapting to the frantic pace of the restaurant, a dramatic shift from his previous job experiences as a guitar teacher and employee at a garden center.

“It’s a lot more stressful. I know a little bit about guitar, know a little bit about plants, but I don’t know anything about food or restaurants,” Freiburger said.