Rituals at the Table is a series from KINTO USA following chefs whose kitchens reflect the same attention to daily life that shapes our objects. Each installment follows one restaurant, one set of hands, and one way of moving through a meal. This installment visits Kiln in San Francisco.
A Room That Waits For the Table
Chef John Wesley and Julianna Yang, his co-owner and General Manager, opened Kiln on May 16, 2023, at 149 Fell Street in Hayes Valley. Before they found a space, the room was written into the business plan: cement floors, cement walls, no art, and no plants apart from one tree. Guests were meant to feel cold when they walked in, and only settle once they reached the table. The drop lights over each table exist for that reason. "All the attention is there," John says. "Everything else is white noise."
The Menu As an Album
John came to Kiln by way of three two-Michelin-starred kitchens: Commis in Oakland under James Syhabout, Baumé under Bruno Chemel, and Aska in Brooklyn under Fredrik Berselius. He describes his approach as pragmatic and ingredient driven, and finds the word inspiration overused. A dish begins with an ingredient that excites him. "The whole menu needs to be like an album," he says. "You listen all the way through and then you're done."
On an à la carte menu, every plate has to carry its own fat and acid. Across a tasting menu, a rich course can lean into richness because the next one may be sharply acidic. Once the sequence is right, no single dish needs to be dressed up.
Fish, Green Sauce, and Peas
A recent mackerel course shows what that looks like. Pickled mackerel, its skin charred, arrives with nasturtium vinegar, cultured cream, peas, and a nasturtium sauce, and no garnish. "It doesn't need to be more than that," John says. "And if it is, you're lost." In his words, everything at Kiln should be a stage for what is in front of the guest.