FEAST 2012: A Celebration of Regional Scottish Food

THE CHEFS

• John Paul, The Marine, North Berwick
• Tony Borthwick, Plumed Horse
• Stuart Muir, Harvey Nichols
• Tara Ferguson, Jewel & Esk College
• Neil Forbes, Café St Honore
• Derek Johnstone, Greywalls
• Yogesh Utekar, India

John Paul at the Marine

I started my kitchen career as an inexperienced Commis Chef in a small but influential restaurant called ‘La Bavarde’ in Glasgow. This opportunity allowed me to gain a real insight into the running of a busy but well organised kitchen. The time spent at ‘La Bavarde’ helped confirm my passion for cooking.

Following this stint in Glasgow, I headed south to the Scottish Borders, where I spent three years further defining my style of cooking. Having put in a lot of hard work, I was promoted to Head Chef at the age of 22. It was an honour to be finally running a kitchen. The most important lesson I learnt from my time in the Borders was the need to use fine fresh produce and to have a complete understanding of your suppliers.

Moving away from Scotland, I continued to push myself. I was lucky enough to be accepted in Raymond Blanc’s cook school at ‘La Manoir aux quat Saisson’. My time at the school allowed me to gain a real understanding of classical French cooking, as well as techniques from some of the great cooking masters.

Upon leaving the Cook School, I asked if there were any jobs available in Raymond Blanc’s kitchen. I gained a position of Commis Pastry Chef. This was a huge acceleration to my confidence, and allowed me to hone my skills in one of the country’s greatest kitchens.

Moving on again, I returned to Glasgow, and began work for Gordon Ramsay at ‘Amaryllises’. After a very tough nine months we had gained our first Michelin Star. My time with Gordon was a whirl wind of ups and downs. I also spent a short while with Martin Wishart and came away from both experiences focused and ready to take on the challenge as Executive Chef in ‘Albernach’ in London’s Trafalgar Square.

I now had to pull together all my training and experience gained in some of the country’s best kitchens, and deliver! We were awarded 2 Rosettes. One of my most memorable moments at ‘Albernach’ was cooking the world’s most expensive haggis at £250.00 a plate!

Following the birth of my son, I returned home to Scotland and secured the role of Executive Chef at The Macdonald Marine Hotel and Spa in North Berwick. My restaurant is an 80 cover fine dining restaurant, where I blend my influences with the very best of Scotland’s larder. While at the Marine, we have had the honour of cooking for the Board of Directors, Mr Macdonald himself and Princess Anne.

Tony Borthwick, Plumed Horse

Tony has not always been a Chef.  He used to work for the Yorkshire Water Authority until a serious accident prompted him to change his career.

 In 1987 Tony broke his neck and decided, whilst recovering in hospital, that he would do what he’d always wanted to do – cook.

As is the way of ambitious "young" chefs, Tony moved jobs frequently to gain experience. His knocking on London doors and fast growing reputation gained him positions in various places from a brasserie in the Fulham Road to The Savoy.

He moved to Glasgow in 1990 working in some well-known restaurants but was disappointed with a lot of the standards and working practices.

Six years later he moved back to the countryside - this time in Dumfries and Galloway - a part of the country still very close to him.

After two years of working locally and on temporary assignments further afield, Tony opened the Plumed Horse. A small restaurant in the village of Crossmichael, three miles north of Castle Douglas.

Life was tough in Crossmichael.  The rumours of high prices and fancy food dictated that the Plumed Horse initially lacked general local appeal.

Michelin Star Edinburgh

However, things changed dramatically in 2001 when he and Michelin jointly put the sleepy but beautiful Crossmichael firmly on the map with a Michelin Star which was never lost to this day. Tony was later awarded Scottish newcomer of the year in the Good Food Guide 2002, and Scottish Chef of the Year in 2005.

The Plumed Horse was very successful. However, Tony knew that to make any further progress he had to take his restaurant to a more urban district. Where better than Edinburgh?

In 2006 the restaurant was relocated in Leith, one of Edinburgh’s most up and coming areas both socially and gastronomically.

Moving from a very rural location to the capital, where he and his small new team are on a totally different stage has not phased him.  He believes that hard work, ability and consistency will always pay off.

He loves living and working in Leith, it’s just like a village, so he’s happy there. 

Moving onwards and upwards, the ever-growing reputation of the Plumed Horse is steadily bringing in a loyal and varied clientele and its Leith incarnation has won even more awards than the Crossmichael one.

Stuart Muir Executive Chef Harvey Nichols Edinburgh

Stuart Muir has been Executive Chef at the Forth Floor Restaurant in Harvey Nichols since opening in August 2002 where he’s earned a reputation for producing constantly exciting dishes created using the very best, personally sourced British produce.

Stuart acquired his love of cooking from his childhood spent in South West Scotland, fishing and shooting with his father on the local rivers and moors and preparing and cooking the fresh produce with his mother.

Stuart was awarded a Michelin Star and 3AA rosettes at the age of 22, whilst Head Chef at Knockinaam Lodge, the youngest chef to win this prestigious accolade in Scotland at the time.

After a brief spell travelling the world gaining a wealth of experience from a number of other Michelin Star Chefs, Stuart joined the team at the Balmoral in Edinburgh as Head Chef at Number One and Hadrian’s.

From here, Stuart went on to become Executive Chef at the famous Old Course Hotel in St Andrews before returning to Edinburgh to launch the award winning Forth Floor Restaurant at Harvey Nichols. With Stuart still at the helm, The Forth Floor Restaurant, Bar and Brasserie has just undergone full refurbishment in anticipation of its 10 year anniversary this summer.

Matching modern flavours with classical technique to create his dishes, Stuart is passionate about using Scottish produce wherever possible and issues of sustainability. We are delighted to announce that following a recent audit, the Sustainable Restaurants Association has just awarded the Forth Floor 2 Star Champion status for 2012, demonstrating excellence in this field.

Chef Tara Ferguson

Tara Ferguson was born and raised in Toronto, one of Canada’s most multicultural cities. Inspired by the incredible diversity of flavours available, she enjoys celebrating ingredients that are local to the area. She has been cooking professionally for the last 14 years.

She apprenticed at the luxury Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto and has worked at other iconic hotels and resorts across Canada; including Chateau Lake Louise in Alberta, The Algonquin in New Brunswick, and Mission Hill Family Estate Winery in Canada’s renowned Okanagan Valley.

Tara visited Edinburgh for Hogmanay 2010 and decided to venture to Scotland where she worked at the five star Fairmont St Andrews. Most recently she joined the Culinary Team at Jewel & Esk College in December 2011 where she is excited to share her passion for food with young culinary students.

In her spare time, Tara enjoys gardening, cooking for friends and family, travelling, exploring regional cuisines, and discovering new wines.

Neil Forbes, Head Chef/Director, Cafe St Honoré, Edinburgh

Neil grew up in a family of chefs in the Highland town of Pitlochry. He has since worked alongside some of the world’s great chefs including Raymond Blanc and Michael Roux. In February 2011, Neil was named Scottish Chef of the Year at the acclaimed Scottish Restaurant Awards and he was particularly praised for his use of Scottish seasonal produce of which he is an avid promoter. His Saturday morning visits to the Edinburgh Farmers’ Market form part of his kitchen’s culture for regular communication with suppliers.

Tel. 0131 2262211 www.cafesthonore.com

Derek Johnstone

Having left school at the age of 16, Derek went on to study for three years at Glasgow College of Food Technology (now the Glasgow Metropolitan). After Leaving College with a HNC in Professional Cookery, Derek worked in some of Scotland's most prestigious hotels.
 
Derek was a finalist in the Scottish Chef of The Year 2007 resulting in a bronze medal placing. He was also finalist in the Scottish Food Scholarship 2007 before going on to be the inaugural winner of the BBC ‘Masterchef the Professional’ which was judged by Michel Roux Jnr in 2008.
 
Since then Derek has graduated as a Roux prodigy after completing 15 months at Le Gavroche in London. He has also spent time in charge of the team at Roux Brassiere at Heathrow airport. He is now head chef Chez Roux at the beautiful Greywalls hotel in Gullane, East Lothian.

Yogesh Utekar

Yogesh Utekar is Principal at the ITM Institute of Management in Mumbai. Passionate about teaching, he passes on to his students his love of the use of regional products local to Mumbai. Developed through his interests in food and travel, Yogesh specialises in cuisine from the North West Frontier, Awadhi and Dakshun regions of India as well as European and fusion dishes. He is a regular on TV screens in India where he is regarded as one of the country’s most talented chefs.

FEAST 2012: The Festival

Festival goers will be treated to an exciting line up of culinary demonstatinos from stars including:

TBC

Chef Timings:

Tutor Led Tasting Sessions

Times TBC

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