Chef Scot: Chef of the Year

First of all congratulations on winning the Eat Out Chef of the Year award. Were you expecting to win? Did you have an acceptance speech planned?

It was a huge surprise for me - I had nothing planned, so it was a shock! I don't see it as 'Chef of the Year', I see it as 'Team of the Year' because without them behind me, it would not have been possible.

What are your thoughts on this year's Eat Out Awards?

It was a great event this year, probably one of the best I have attended. The venue, the food, the chefs - they were all phenomenal.

What is it like working in the prestigious La Colombe? Has the new venue inspired you?

The new venue has inspired the entire team. It has been a big move for us. Every day we look at food and service in a different way - and we strive to get better.

I hear you're quite a level-headed and calm type of chef. Why do you think top chefs are often labelled as having fairly tempestuous personalities?

I may be a calm and level-headed chef out of the kitchen, but my chefs will tell you when service starts, all hell breaks loose. We are under so much pressure every day to deliver at the highest level, that tempers do flare on occasion, but after service, its back to the calmness and planning on how to improve.

What local chefs and restaurants inspire you?

There are so many at the moment, all the top-20 nominees inspire us. To me, the more the better. The more competition there is, the harder we try to be the best. A few recent inspiring dinners I had were at the Potluck Club, The Test Kitchen and Jordan restaurant.

How do you plan a new dish?

Every dish is planned in a different way, The most recent one came to me at 4am whilst I was lying restlessly in bed. Out came the notepad and I started jotting down ideas. Other dishes start with a new piece of crockery. Just yesterday, I found some ceramic sea urchin shells in little shop in Simon's Town, which had me thinking that they could form the canvas of our next creation!

What foodie trends do you think we will see in 2016?

The curing and fermenting of produce.

What was it like working at Gordon Ramsay's Savoy Grill?

I worked more with Marcus Wearing, Gordon rarely came to the restaurant, but he was inspiring every day. Working at the Savoy Grill taught me more about discipline.

If you could cook only one more meal for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?

Anything on the braai with good wine and friends!

For a full list of the winners click here

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