Chef Thomas Leatherbarrow, founder of TLC Gourmet and partner with Loch Duart Salmon gives some insights into the fast moving and sometimes challenging world of being a Chef and what it takes to work in a Michelin star restaurant.
Training
“I first started working in a hotel and spa resort down in Essex. Then I decided that I was going to take the big plunge and jump straight into one of the best restaurants in London, at the time, which was Pollen Street Social, under Jason Atherton. That was where my Michelin journey started.
“Following on from there I did the whole London scene and I did a lot of Jason’s restaurants. I was able to build up my experience and knowledge for what I wanted to achieve and build a foundation.”
@_jasonatherton @_littlesocial Cured Loch Duart Salmon avocado creme fraiche salmon caviar https://www.instagram.com/_littlesocial/reel/CoaUUYVIYMF/ |
“How was it?…awful (he jokes)…no it was really good, but for the first few weeks it was definitely an adjustments, going from the kitchen that I’d been in for a couple of years where the crack and banter was really different outside London. Coming into London it was culture shock and a ‘maturity’ shock, I grew up very quickly in a very short space of time, to be able to survive in the industry. You can’t just be Jack the Lad…there’s a lot more to it and you have to be focussed, Service first, food first, respect the ingredients, respect the team and the laughs and the jokes come afterwards.”
You’re only as good as your last meal
“The biggest lesson I learned from working in London was that you’re only as good as your last meal. It’s something I pride myself on and try to build into the team we have now, whether it’s our chefs or our front of house and office teams. The understanding is that food is joy for a lot of people, especially for the level of clients we cater for.
Every dish has to be as good as the first.”
@gordongram On the menu at @savoygrillgordonramsay: artichoke velouté beef tartare and Loch duart salmon – just beautiful ! https://www.instagram.com/p/C1wMG_6IX9b/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== |
London’s global status
“In the global status for food London is one of the top three cities. It is not only a city of versatility for food, it is a city of opportunity for people in the industry. You’ve got Michelin restaurants, you’ve got hotels, resorts, private members clubs.
@le_gavroche_restaurant Our Torched Loch Duart Salmon Kohlrabi Miso Puree Pickled Ribbons & Salmon Caviar is paired with two different Ginjo sake of the Dewazakura brewerie; either the Oka or the Izumi Judan! @jodihindsphotographer https://www.instagram.com/p/Ch-efb2ouga/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== |
There’s such a wide array of opportunities for people to grow. If you can do a couple of years in London hospitality, it can give you a high level understanding of what the industry has to offer.”
Culinary commitments
“I think the reason Chefs do the job is that they have a love for what they do. Being a chef is a life choice, it’s a commitment to the industry. If you stick it out you can miss a lot of personal events like Christmases, New Years, family events, birthdays, even funerals and you could be 190 miles away about to do 300 covers for dinner. So you can find yourself going outside for a cry by the bins…but then you wipe the tears away and come back into the kitchen and the camaraderie that’s there between chefs and the teams that work there is unwavering.
You could walk into a kitchen and be having the worst day ever and you need a little pick me up or a boost and that’s what chefs do for each other. It’s a very, very tight industry and the chefs that you’re with, you spend more time with them than you do with your family. They become your extended family to an extent. That’s why we do it and have the love for the industry. I think it’s very powerful and that’s what food can do.”
You grow up fast
“You grow up fast in a kitchen and you have to mature quickly. There’s lots of stress and there’s difficulties and challenges to overcome. You have to be willing to put the work in.
You get home at one in the morning and you’re back up at four to go back to work. It’s not for the faint hearted. The job is what the job is; you know it’s going to be long hours and you know that’s what you’re getting into. But it’s the experience, the learning and understanding. But you grow as a person and as a chef. Your foundations grow, your talent grows, you understand food and you get to be creative on a daily basis. So I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
@privatechefsinc Sat+Bains’+Loch+Duart+Salmon+Photo+John+Arandhara+Blackwell @satsatbains1 https://www.instagram.com/p/DAMNj2UyJrn/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== |
The London food scene
“I think the London food scene is an ever changing world. It evolves almost weekly. Currently, there’s some really good restaurants and there’s also those restaurants that have always been consistent.
“One example is Royal Hospital Road…22 years with three Michelin stars which is incredible.
There’s some fantastic chefs currently working in London and there’s some new chefs that are trying to break the mould and hit that scene outside of London. But I think the London scene is just massive. It grows and changes exponentially, week on week…trends are one of the hardest things to predict in London.”
Watch the Chef Thomas Leatherbarrow on Loch Duart’s YouTube channel here.