Chef of the Week Sponsored by Pure Ionic Water: Will Dean, Head Chef at The Waterway

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‘.

Pure Ionic Water works in many kitchens up and down the country from the pinnacle of Michelin stars to 5-star hotels, uniting them all, the desire to serve the very best. Understanding the difference premium hydrogen enhanced alkaline water makes to food, to the kitchen team’s performance and ultimately to the business’s profits is easy, just ask around.

“I only trust Pure Ionic Water at home and in my restaurant.”
Sat Bains, Chef Parton, Restaurant Sat Bains, 2 Michelin stars

For more information about Pure Ionic Water CLICK HERE

How long have you worked at your current restaurant? :
8 months.

Where did your passion for cooking come from and where did you learn your skills?
As I child I was always adventurous and loved eating, what keeps the passion alive today is the ability to create happiness and joy with my skills. I learnt my basic skills at University of West London, after completing a practical cookery course after leaving high school. This led me to strengthen my skills in fine dining restaurants in West London such as Charlotte’s Place, The Glass House in Kew and Little Social.

What do you enjoy most about being a chef?
To do what I love as a job.

Name three ingredients you couldn’t cook without.
Salt, butter and a good olive oil.

Which piece of kitchen equipment couldn’t you live without?
A heavy bottomed, wide base, high depth pan.

What food trends are you spotting at the moment?
Smaller portion sizes, as a result of:

More health-conscious customers
Cost of ingredients
Weight loss jabs to suppress appetite

What do you think is a common mistake that lets chefs down?
To not recognise humility and consistency as a strength, over skill and knowledge.

Which of your dishes are you most proud of?
Sweetbread and Artichoke Salad

The dish was crispy lamb sweetbreads with bitter leaves and artichokes. I loved championing an unknown ingredient to our guests and utilising offal.

Truffle Cauliflower Soup

I’m proud to have created a dish which was vegan yet loved by meat eaters.

How do you come up with new dishes?
I follow the seasons and align it with my team’s skill set to create a consistent product. However, many ideas can come to me often when I can’t sleep that I jot down and look back on when the time/season is right.

Who was your greatest influence?
My grandmother, my earliest cooking memories are with her, making cakes etc.

Tell us three chefs you admire.