An automated kitchen assistant system inspects a food preparation area in the kitchen environment using a plurality of sensors or cameras. A trained model computes the identity and the location of the food item. In embodiments, the food items are on a grill, and the automated kitchen assistant system is operable to compute the time remaining to remove or flip each of the food items. The output may further be utilized to command a robotic arm, kitchen worker, or otherwise assist in food preparation. Related methods are also described.