Thanks for the constructive criticism DeeboAvocado!
You are right that this didn't have much playtesting outside of those of us that worked on the game and a handful of friends. For a game that I was building for production, I would definitely do that more.
I designed the level layout you called the "worst design decision" in this jam. I do genuinely appreciate the honesty.
I have little experience designing levels for platformers, so this was my first real stab at it. I think there are some things that work, but I agree the flow does get a bit congested and could definitely be improved. With that said, I designed it to be frustrating to the point of making you want to rage quit (especially the area you called out). I wanted to build the tension between the chef catching you and navigating through that claustrophobic corridor, while trying to precisely jump over the boiling soup spills. If at the end of the day it left you frustrated, but you still succeeded (although it doesn't sound like you did), then that was my goal. I assure you, it is beatable.
If given more time, I would teach the player through the level design over the course of a few levels, so by the time you reached this level you would be equipped to survive it. It is definitely difficult, and perhaps the unevenness of the level design contributes to that.
Thanks for playing and rating!