Say Behind
The respect a chef gets, without saying a word.
If you can read this, say behind.
In a working kitchen, "behind" is the unofficial motto. It's how we stay safe around the heat. It's how a crowded line moves like a dance, with cooks passing, turning, and plating in the same few feet, all to get the food out and share what we love. It's also a code word. Say it, and everyone knows you're one of us.
At home, nobody parts for you. Nobody dances around while you plate. Until you put this on.
Sunday supper. By five, the kitchen is already full of people, kids underfoot, the cat is on the counter, someone's uncle in the fridge and the game is blaring in the next room.
You put your shirt on this morning and haven't thought about it since. That's the point. The 100% combed cotton is soft and cool against your skin, light enough to move in and solid enough that you can feel it's built to last. The collar sits flat under your apron string. The body runs 75 cm in a medium, so when you reach into the oven, the hem stays put. Skip the apron if you like. It's just as comfortable without one.
The oven door opens as you feel the heat roll over your forearms. The smell of roast chicken and browned butter fills the room. You lift out the Dutch oven with both hands. It feels heavy like dinner for twelve should. You move toward the table with your back to everyone.
You can't see them, but you don't have to. They see you and that's all that matters. You step backwards. The noise in the room drops, then you hear them as they step aside. One at a time they read your back and softly say: "Behind."
Everyone finds a place the way a line does when a cook comes through with something hot. The room dances and moves with you.
The pot lands on the table, and you haven't said a word.
That's the respect a chef gets, without asking for it.
Tonight it's yours.
I've spent my life in kitchens, and I cooked on Top Chef Canada. "Behind" keeps people safe around the heat, and it tells every cook who hears it that you're one of them. I put it on a shirt so you can say it without saying it.
Who it's for
- The home cook hosting dinner. Get the room a chef gets, without raising your voice.
- The cook on a day off. Show your affiliation without the whites. Cooks will know what it means.
- Anyone who'd rather not be bumped into. A crowded kitchen, a packed party, a busy market. The shirt demands space so you don't have to.
Say the loud part quietly.
Don't get burnt.
The details
| Fabric | 100% combed cotton, about 5.3 oz. Light enough for a hot kitchen, solid enough for real wear. |
| Front | "My Cooking Shirt" embroidered across |
More details
- 100% combed cotton
- Marles color is 85% cotton and 15% viscose
- Heavyweight fabric: (5.3 oz.)
- Yarn diameter: 28 singles
- Pre-shrunk
- Regular fit
- Crew neck
- Side-seamed construction
- Double-needle topstitch on the sleeves and hem
- Ribbed collar
- Shoulder-to-shoulder taping
- Tear-away label
EU GPSR Product Information:
- Manufacturer contact information
- Name: Chris Shaften Shop
- Email: contact@support.shop.chrisshaften.com
- Postal address: PO Box 5696 Santa Monica, CA 90405
- Additional information: This product is made for adults. Meets the flammability, lead, cadmium, phthalates and formaldehyde level requirements. 2 year warranty in EEA and UK, established by Directive 1999/44/EC.
Quality Guarantee & Returns
- Quality is guaranteed. If there is a print error or visible quality issue, we'll replace or refund it.
- Because the products are made to order, we do not accept general returns or sizing-related returns.
Say Behind Size Guide
| Size label | A | B |
|---|---|---|
|
S
|
28
|
18 1/2
|
|
M
|
29 1/2
|
20 1/2
|
|
L
|
31
|
22.25
|
|
XL
|
32.25
|
24
|
|
2XL
|
33
|
25.23
|
|
3XL
|
33 1/2
|
26.75
|
