Member Info
What is the name of the current restaurant you work at and how long have you worked there?
D&D Bluebird Chelsea/White city. I have been the executive pastry chef for Bluebird Chelsea and white city for 17 months. A returning veteran after many London restaurant and hotel adventures.
Give a brief overview of your career.
I am from the beautiful city of Bath and I started my culinary crusade when I was 14. I was working in a very old school restaurant that served everything with a triple carb salad on oval plates called The Walrus and Carpenter, it still brings brilliant memories now. I worked my way up and after 2 years the owner encouraged me to broaden my skills, that’s when I took on the role as a Pastry cCommis at The Bath Spa Hotel. Bath is a tiny place and as a teen I needed out so I thought id try my luck in the big smoke, as soon as I hit 18 I moved to London. Everything became very fast I moved across various well known restaurants in London, as well as openings for hotels and development across company sites, I took my first Executive Pastry Chef role at 22, before my welcoming returning to D&D I was the Group Pastry chef for Tom Atkins.
Where did you learn your skills/culinary education?
I studied at Bath Spa Catering College whilst working part time at The Walrus and Carpenter, funnily enough I hated pastry and it took a lot of persuading from my tutor to get me in on a class.
What do you enjoy most about being a chef?
What I love most about being a chef is the commitment involved in not just pleasing customers or a company but pleasing and challenging yourself, it never ends, food is such a fast moving fashion and its really rewarding keeping up with something so big.
Which of your dishes are you most proud of?
Knocking out 50 souffles for Michel Roux Jr Birthday was a pretty proud moment for me.
How do you come up with new dishes?
I always go back to childhood or say family favourites, taking certain flavours, ingredients and sometimes finding news ways to use them or keeping them as they are and going right back to basics. Over all of this it probably just depends on my mood, haha, don’t catch me on a bad day.
Who was your greatest influence?
Really tricky question this. Antonio Bachour, Charlie Trotter, Gordon Ramsay, Simon Gregory and Daniel Blucert.
What is your favourite cookbook?
La Rouse, Perfection in Imperfection by Janice Wong and The Elements of Dessert by Francisco Migoya.
