Tommy Heaney is the chef owner of Heaney's in Cardiff. The chef wound up working in a kitchen when his mum, a schoolteacher, sent him to the US to work with his uncle in an attempt to temper his unruly behaviour. We spoke to Tommy about his rapid ascent to the position of head chef and his decision to go back and stage in Michelin Star restaurants, before finally opening his own restaurant. He told us about the people that were influential in making him the chef he is today, what they taught him...
Oct 15, 2019•35 min
Shaun Rankin held a Michelin star for 14 years before leaving his Jeresy restaurant Ormer in 2017, so he knows how the UK’s chefs will be feeling as the new guide is released.After a break from ‘the market place’ Shaun is back with a bang with his flagship restaurant, Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall and he is looking for two stars not just one!Talking to The Staff Canteen he says he is not afraid to say that the newly opened multi-million-pound project is on the hunt for the accolades he feels it ...
Oct 07, 2019•40 min
With just a week to go until Michelin reveal the 2020 UK Guide all anyone in the industry is talking about is stars. So, it seemed fitting to talk to Michael, he’s been through it enough times, and this year he is in the spotlight with his first solo venture.Michael took over The Angel at Hetton with his wife Johanna business partner James Wellock a year ago in 2018. He’s renowned for his savy approach to running kitchens and he spoke to us about the challenges of having your own place, what we ...
Sep 30, 2019•34 min
Hélène Darroze relaunched her eponymous restaurant at The Connaught last week, two months after reopening her flagship in Paris. We met up with Hélène, the chef with three Michelin stars (two forThe Connaught and another for Marsan) to talk about the changes made to the historic Mayfair hotel's restaurant - namely, her brand new chef's table.She told us a bit more about how she likes to run her kitchens, why she doesn't like her team to call her 'chef' and how she manages to maintain a work-life...
Sep 25, 2019•25 min
Adam Simmonds is the executive chef at The Capital Hotel in Knightsbridge, London. He took over in May after Nathan Outlaw let go of his eponymous restaurant at the historic hotel earlier this year. The chef's career so far has been an illustrious one: he went straight from college in Leighton Buzzard to an apprenticeship at Le Gavroche, followed by roles at The Ritz, Les Saveurs, l'Escargot and Le Manoir.His first head chef position at The Greenway saw him earn 3 AA Rosettes; he won a Michelin ...
Sep 17, 2019•24 min
Mark Donald is the head chef of Michelin-starred Number One at The Balmoral. The young chef's illustriuous career has seen him work at Noma, Restaurant Andrew Fairlie, Hibiscus and Bentley restaurant in Sydney, to name a few. We spoke to Mark about his early days working in pub kitchens, the chefs that inspired him and why he tries to scrupulously document every one of his recipes.If you enjoyed this we will be uploading a new episode each week - if you are not already become a member of The Sta...
Sep 06, 2019•8 min
In 2018, when Ikoyi teetered on the edge of closure, chef patron Jeremy Chan knew he had to do something radical. If he was going to go down, he wanted it to be in a blaze of glory. He stopped doing a la carte and introduced a tasting menu - which, as he saw it, meant he could give customers the best possible food. The bold move paid off: last year, the restaurant was awarded a Michelin star, bringing it back, in the chef's words, "from the brink of death." Jeremy chats to The Staff Canteen abou...
Aug 27, 2019•38 min
Ben Marks is the chef owner of Newington Green’s Perilla. A modern European restaurant which he opened with friend Matt Emmerson and backed by Claridge’s Martyn Nail and former GM Thomas Kochs and Elystan Street’s Phil Howard, whom Ben met when he worked at The Square.If you enjoyed this we will be uploading a new episode each week - if you are not already become a member of The Staff Canteen and keep up to date: www.thestaffcanteen.com/index/registerPlease support us if you like what we do: www...
Aug 19, 2019•39 min
Paul Newbegin started The Pass three years ago because he couldn’t find a podcast dedicated to chefs. He has since interviewed some of the best chefs in the UK, and what began as a hobby has seen him attend the GQ Awards.If you enjoyed this we will be uploading a new episode each week - if you are not already become a member of The Staff Canteen and keep up to date: www.thestaffcanteen.com/index/registerPlease support us if you like what we do: www.patreon.com/Thestaffcanteen Support the show...
Aug 12, 2019•34 min
Mike Tweedie is the head chef of The Oak Room at Adare Manor. Born in Devon, Mike honed his skills alongside prominent chefs including Hywel Jones and Michael Caines before taking on the leading role at the recently-renovated manor hotel and golf resort in Ireland. We spoke to him about the seasonal produce on his menu, his approach to menu design and love for simple dishes.If you enjoyed this we will be uploading a new episode each week - if you are not already become a member of The Staff Cant...
Aug 05, 2019•6 min
There's little doubt about it: In the past decade, Britons have changed the way they eat. Meat consumption has plummeted, and the number of vegans is said to have quadrupled in the past four years. The UK is now the vegan capital of the world.Consultant chef Alan Paton, discusses plant-based alternatives to meat and why chefs need to embrace veganism.If you enjoyed this we will be uploading a new episode each week - if you are not already become a member of The Staff Canteen and keep up to date:...
Jul 29, 2019•15 min
Alex Claridge doesn’t like to mince words.His shamelessly honest approach has earned him a few slaps on the wrist along the way, but it is integral to his persona. His charisma comes from his ability to say things as they are, with little concern for the consequences, and his food reflects this: it is irreverent, outrageous and unique.We spoke to him about how he wound up being a chef and how The Wilderness went from a pop-up in an art gallery in a back-street of Birmingham to being one of the c...
Jul 22, 2019•26 min
Dave Wall is the head chef of The Unruly Pig in Woodbridge, Suffolk.Since it launched in 2015, the gastropub has been the subject of wide acclaim, recognised in Estrella's Top 50, the Michelin and The Good Food Guide. Dave, whose formative years were spent working at Bibendum, Gordon Ramsay's Boxwood Café and Le Talbooth, was recently named 'Best Pub Restaurant Chef' of the year by the Craft Guild of Chefs.If you enjoyed this we will be uploading a new episode each week - if you are not already ...
Jul 15, 2019•17 min
When Brad Carter, chef owner of Carters of Moseley in Birmingham was asked to create a cookbook of recipes from the restaurant, he wasn't sold by the idea. What started as a way of populating the Michelin-starred restaurant's Instagram stories with fresh and fun content became his inaugural book, Staff, which he hopes will be the first of three. In an interview with The Staff Canteen Brad tells us about his first book and what we can expect from it.If you enjoyed this we will be uploading a new ...
Jul 08, 2019•12 min
Having watched as she trained in Gualtiero Marchesi, Shane Osborn, Phil Howard and Gordon Ramsay's kitchens, the world has long awaited Anna Haugh's first solo venture. There’s been some buzz about why she decided to call her restaurant Myrtle, so we asked her to explain and while the aim is to honour Irish produce, Anna said she refuses to call it a modern Irish restaurant.Plus, we asked her to tell us what she thinks is stopping more women from reaching high ranking positions in the kitchen.Sh...
Jul 01, 2019•39 min
