Chef of the Week Sponsored by Pure Ionic Water: Florence Cornish, Menu Development Chef for Hilton UK & Ireland
Chef of the Week sponsored by Pure Ionic Water celebrates the chefs that embody Pure Ionic Water’s core philosophy of ‘enhancing the culinary experience‘.
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How long have you worked at your current restaurant?
I work in the Hilton Food & Drink central team as Menu Development Chef for UK & I and I’ve been in this role for about 3 years.
Where did your passion for cooking come from and where did you learn your skills?
I’ve always had a love of eating and cooking, by extension. I never thought about doing it as a career until I left university and decided to train at Leiths School of Food and Wine in London. This really cemented how much I loved working with food and the huge wealth of experiences you could have through a career in food.
What do you enjoy most about being a chef?
Testing out new recipes and dish combinations. Sharing these with people and getting them excited about food.
Name three ingredients you couldn’t cook without.
Salt, extra virgin olive oil, and honey.
Which piece of kitchen equipment couldn’t you live without?
A heat-proof silicone spatula. I literally use this for everything, from scraping buttercream in a mixer to stirring vegetables in a ragu base.
What food trends are you spotting at the moment?
The thing with food trends is they tend to move a lot slower than, say, fashion trends. Something I am noticing a lot more is a focus on going back to whole foods and cooking from scratch – that is to say, embracing real ingredients and classic cooking. I also think there is a real push from people to know what they are eating, and the good or bad it does you. Something like the matcha spike, for instance, is a lot to do with the fact that it is a slow caffeine release and avoids the exhaustion crash you typically get from coffee.
What do you think is a common mistake that lets chefs down?
Ego. So many chefs are desperate to show that they know best, and they won’t take on a new perspective or see how the world of food is changing. When it becomes a competition of personalities trying to prove one is better than the other, it creates an environment that hinders progress and growth.
What is your favourite time of year for food, and why?
Spring – I love seeing things like asparagus, lamb, broad beans, rhubarb, fresh herbs. It’s such a bright time to eat.
Which of your dishes are you most proud of?
Either my Jack and Coke Pulled Pork – it’s spicy and sweet and my Mum still cooks it all the time. Or my Toasted, Buttered Banana Bread with a Dark Treacle Sauce and Toasted Hazelnuts. Topped with tangy crème fraiche it’s my absolute favourite dessert.
How do you come up with new dishes?
I try to always think of the person eating it and what they want from the meal. Do they want to be comforted or energised or indulged. And, what is the setting and what can we do really well there. Then, I tend to loop back to classic flavours and combinations and see where they can provide inspiration. Fish finger sandwiches, egg and chips, pie and mash, rhubarb and custard – these all are delicious combinations for a reason, and I keep coming back to them time and again.
Who was your greatest influence?
I really don’t know if there is just one. I think about lots of different colleagues I’ve worked with over many years and take influence from all of them in one way or another. The older I get the more I try to take inspiration from the behaviours of others I see around me and become the best version of myself I can be.
Tell us three chefs you admire.
Clare Smyth – she strikes me as someone who is truly herself and doesn’t subscribe to the ‘need’ to be loud and intimidating in a kitchen environment. She has undone a lot of the negative image that sits around fine dining chefs and shown that you can succeed without peacocking.
Skye Gyngell – the late, great pioneer of flavour first food. Famously saying that the Michelin star she won for The Petersham Nurseries Café was a ‘curse’, I admire so much how she rejected snobbery in favour of beautiful cooking.
Christina Tosi – unapologetically herself, with a glow and a warmth that shows you can build a culinary business without needing to be anything but yourself.
What is your favourite cookbook?
‘Make the Perfect…’ by Felicity Cloake. Unpretentious, well tested recipes that you can go back to time and time again.
Who do you think are the chefs to watch over the next few months?
Gaia Bartolini from Park Corner Braisserie at Hilton Park Lane – she’s definitely bursting with talent and has a long, exciting career ahead of her.
Dara Klein from Tiella – her food is just what you hope to eat at your favourite Italian restaurant. Deep in flavour with a real awareness of regionality in Italian cuisine.
What’s been your favourite new restaurant opening of the last year?
Tiella. I went to this when it was a residency in a pub in East London and I am so, so excited that it’s now a permanent venue. I can’t wait to go back.
