Chef of the Week: René Muller, Head Chef at Thurlestone Hotel in Devon
How long have you worked at your current restaurant?
2 and a half years.
Where did your passion for cooking come from and where did you learn your skills?
Learnt a lot of skills from my grand mother (granny’s food was always best).
What do you enjoy most about being a chef?
Love that every day is a learning day, and being able of bouncing ideas of one another.
Name three ingredients you couldn’t cook without.
Salt, potatoes and meat.
Which piece of kitchen equipment couldn’t you live without?
My knife.
What do you think is a common mistake that lets chefs down?
Over doing a simple but lush dish.
What is your favourite time of year for food, and why?
Autumn as I love the game season.
Which of your dishes are you most proud of?
Our venison dish we served last Monday at The Chefs’ Forum lunch we hosted at Thurlestone Hotel.
How do you come up with new dishes?
Research and try things out as you go along.
Who was your greatest influence?
Alfons Schuhbeck.
Tell us three chefs you admire.
Harald Wohlfahrt, Alfons Schuhbeck and Raymond Blanc.
What is your favourite cookbook?
Rick Stein’s Seafood.
