In a busy restaurant kitchen, great food is only part of the equation. Timing matters, consistency matters and having the right tools to keep everything moving matters too.
For the next stop in Where Great Energy Meets Great Chefs, our series with Pensacola Energy, the local natural gas provider, we stepped inside the kitchen at Reservoir with Executive Chef Justin Gaudin to see how natural gas helps power their fast-paced professional kitchen and one of the restaurant’s newest dishes.
Chef Gaudin prepared seared scallops served over a mushroom velouté, red pepper rouille along with grilled asparagus, turmeric-pickled onions and microgreens.
Lucky for Pensacola foodies, this isn’t just something we got to try behind the scenes. The scallop dish is a new addition to Reservoir’s menu and is now available for both lunch and dinner.
For Gaudin, the benefits of cooking with natural gas come down to a few things that are especially important in a professional kitchen including safety, efficiency and effectiveness.
Natural gas is easy to work with and provides the immediate heat chefs need to keep a busy service moving. For Gaudin and his team, that efficiency also plays an important role in keeping ticket times on track and getting dishes out to guests when they should.
That speed and control are especially important when preparing something as delicate as scallops. Achieving that golden sear requires a hot pan, precise timing and the ability to respond quickly as the food cooks.
It’s the kind of reliability that allows a chef to focus less on the equipment and more on what ultimately matters, the food.
Gaudin recently took the helm as Executive Chef at Reservoir after serving as Chef de Cuisine at Union Public House. He was also recognized as the Pensacola News Journal’s Best Chef in Pensacola for 2025, bringing with him a passion for exceptional food, creative cuisine and building strong culinary teams.
Since joining Reservoir, Gaudin has been working behind the scenes developing new dishes and helping shape the restaurant’s evolving menu.
The seared scallops are one example of that direction. Thoughtful ingredients, strong technique and a dish that feels both elevated and approachable.
Watching Chef Gaudin at work was also a reminder of how much happens behind the scenes before a plate arrives at the table. In a professional kitchen, efficiency and consistency aren’t optional. From maintaining heat to keeping ticket times moving, dependable natural gas helps give chefs the tools they need to do what they do best.
At Reservoir, that means pairing efficiency in the kitchen with creativity on the plate.
This feature is part of Where Great Energy Meets Great Chefs, a Local Pulse series in partnership with Pensacola Energy highlighting the chefs, restaurants and culinary professionals helping shape Pensacola’s food scene.
