WESTWOOD—Waitress Brenda Garcia saw you look around and touch the plate she warned was very hot last night. “I see people go down the same dark path every time I’m on shift,” Garcia said, donning her usual flame-retardant gloves to remove a crispy quinoa cake from the oven. “I’m a waitress who occasionally finds herself in the kitchen doing the cook’s job. When I tell you that a plate will be very hot, I know what I’m talking about.” At press time, Garcia was watching you from behind the tasteful potted plant in the restaurant’s foyer while you stacked half and half packets into an unstable pyramid.
