Chef of the Week: Connor Godfrey, Executive Sous Chef at Royal Garden Hotel in London
How long have you worked at your current restaurant?
I have worked at the Royal Garden Hotel for 3 years.
Where did your passion for cooking come from and where did you learn your skills?
My dad is a chef, so I’m sure that’s where my passion started, being in and around the kitchen from a young age. I did a junior apprenticeship whilst still at college in year 10 and 11, so I was already going to University of West London.
What do you enjoy most about being a chef?
The people. I think so many people get into cooking for the love of food, and then it develops into the love of seeing people learning and growing in the kitchen and in themselves. I don’t cook a lot now but seeing the passion in people at work keeps me invested.
Name three ingredients you couldn’t cook without.
Butter, passion and enthusiasm – I appreciate two of them are not physical ingredients, but they are must haves for any good meal.
Which piece of kitchen equipment couldn’t you live without?
My watch. Timings are everything. When you’re dealing with some of the biggest sports teams in the world, everything has to run like clockwork.
What food trends are you spotting at the moment?
The lifecycle of food is always coming back around, the dishes that stand the test of time will always be trending.
What do you think is a common mistake that lets chefs down?
Panicking. We are cooking food, not doing open-heart surgery. Don’t place so much pressure on yourself.
What is your favourite time of year for food, and why?
All year! There are so many beautiful ingredients available all year round to get the taste buds pulsing.
Which of your dishes are you most proud of?
Over the last few years, watching the junior members of the team come up with new dishes and constantly raise their own bars is the thing I am most proud of.
How do you come up with new dishes?
Open discussions and collective information sharing.
Who was your greatest influence?
Being a chef is so much more than food; it’s about being a leader of people. I am reading ‘Leaders Eat Last’ at the moment. A very good book, to get the most from people and lead from the front to influence others.
Who do you think are the chefs to watch over the next few months?
Erin Jackson Yates, a chef who I used to work with. She is coming back to the UK on a new venture after being away in Australia working for Joshua Niland. She is a great chef, and this is a really exciting opportunity for her.
What’s been your favourite new restaurant opening of the last year?
It isn’t open yet, but Erin Jackson Yates is opening a new restaurant for Isaac McHale called Barvalatte, I’m looking forward to that.
