Chef of the Week – Elisabeth Julienne, Executive Chef at The Lazy Dog in Bristol

How long have you worked at The Lazy Dog?

Since the November 2015.

Where did your passion for cooking come from and where did you learn your skills?

I’m sure my mum is still asking herself this question when she thinks back to when I used to destroy her kitchen. I have always had a passion for cooking. I starting learning my skills from cleaning dishes as a KP, with one eye on the back of the head chef, and the other on the chef de partie,

What do you enjoy most about being a chef?

It’s rock and rolI. I love my job and I can”t imagine my life without doing what I do. I’m an executive chef, which means that a lot of my time is dedicated to management, but I am a chef at heart and my best moments are when I am just another member of the team.

Name three ingredients you couldn’t cook without.

Olive oil, garlic and love.

Which piece of kitchen equipment couldn’t you live without?

Knives…and an induction oven.

What food trends are you spotting at the moment?

Small dishes are on the up, whilst mains are on the down.

What do you think is a common mistake that lets chefs down?

Being too confident and forgetting what made them fall in love with this profession in first place.

What is your favourite time of year for food, and why?

Autumn – colours, fungus, fruits, aromas…it’s a magic time of year.

How do you come up with new dishes?

I dream about colours, search for the ingredients and create the dish. Every dish is a challenge.