Chef of the Week: Rebecca Bensusan-Bash – Head Pastry Chef at Alexander House & Utopia Spa in Sussex

How long have you worked at your current restaurant?
2 years.

Where did your passion for cooking come from and where did you learn your skills?
My passion for cooking began at a very early age. I used to cook and bake with my grandmother and mother pretty much as soon as I could walk. I have very strong memories of standing in my grandma’s kitchen on a little stool, helping her make our family strudel recipe, biscuits, cakes, ruff puff pastry and many other family recipes.

When I got older and began to ponder my future career it seemed clear to me that what I wanted to do every day was going to be something creative, which lead me to Bournemouth and Poole College to study a 2-year Foundation Degree in Professional Culinary Arts. It was during this time that I decided to specialise as a pastry chef.

From there, I moved back to London and began my career in several Michelin Star kitchens including Benares, The Square and Kai Mayfair. Although full on at times, these gave me a great basis of knowledge and skills which I have benefited from throughout my career.

At the end of 2015 I moved to Brighton and continued to hone my skills as a Pastry chef, as well as in the main kitchen, in a variety of different restaurants and hospitality businesses. For a few years I worked as an agency chef which brought its own challenges and learning experiences.

Near the end of my time as an agency chef, I realised that I missed being a dedicated pastry chef and so I returned to working in restaurants and hotels with a dedicated pastry section. Here I was able to stretch my creative muscles once again and really express myself and my passion for pastry and desserts.

What do you enjoy most about being a chef?
I love that each workday looks different and is never totally predictable. It brings me joy to express myself creatively and feed people with something I have created and developed from an idea in my head.

Name three ingredients you couldn’t cook without.
Chocolate, sugar, and double cream.

Which piece of kitchen equipment couldn’t you live without?
The Kitchen Aid mixer and a cheeky thermometer!

What food trends are you spotting at the moment?
Dubai chocolate seems to be everywhere!

Small plate restaurants seem to be becoming a very common fixture of the food scene, particularly in Brighton. Personally, I thoroughly enjoy these, it gives me the opportunity to share multiple dishes with friends and family and taste so much more of a menu, than simply ordering 2 or 3 dishes to myself.

What do you think is a common mistake that lets chefs down?
A lack of attention to detail, rushing through prep jobs and letting the time pressure get to them. Take a few extra minutes and some more attention to detail, then mistakes can be avoided, which saves time in the long run.

What is your favourite time of year for food, and why?
Summer, all the beautiful fresh produce and fruit that comes into season during the summer months in the UK allows for so much freedom and creativity in developing new dishes, with great quality, local ingredients.

Which of your dishes are you most proud of?

My take on a banoffee pie: ‘Banoffee and Salted Peanut’
A little afternoon tea cake: ‘Rhubarb and Custard Tartlet’
Blackcurrant Parfait with Violet, Blackberry, Matcha and Crème Fraiche
Cherry Bakewell Ice Cream Sandwich

How do you come up with new dishes?
I usually begin with an ingredient that has come into season, or that has inspired me in some way. Or perhaps an image I have seen in a book or on social media, might inspire me for the starting point of a new dish.

Then I will scribble. I make lots of rough notes of flavour pairings. I might read through some of my recipe book collection for further inspiration. Then I will think about playing with textures and balance of sweetness for the dish. I will begin to do sketches bringing together the flavours I have outlined and a variety of textures and go through my mental recipe portfolio to match my chosen flavours and textures with the different recipes I want to bring together.

I make a first draft of my dish, taste it and make any tweaks to improve it and continue to develop it until I am happy. I also like to collaborate with other chefs within my team and will always encourage my colleagues to taste my dishes in development and give their thoughts or ideas for improvement. We always learn from other people, even after 14 years in the industry, there is always something more to learn from the other chefs around me.

Who was your greatest influence?
When I first entered the industry my initial excitement and inspiration was Heston Blumenthal, his creativity and slightly off the wall, unexpected, playful dishes undoubtedly inspired my style as a chef. There are many other exceptionally talented chefs who have inspired and influenced me over the years, both those who I have worked with personally and those who I have followed on TV programmes like The Great British Menu, or MasterChef: The Professionals.

Tell us three chefs you admire.