IN THE BEGINNING:-
Unlike most chefs I started cooking at a late age without giving away my age that was 13 years ago! Cooking was a way in which I could express myself, it also appealed to me because I hoped it would take me to places I had never been before. The first turning point was being appointed Head Chef at Edinburgh Castle, forcing me to discipline myself and cooking style, where before I was a fling it in and see what happens chef.
I arrived here at the Ferme in November 2008 looking to change my direction from mass catering to Michelin Standard food, with the ongoing support from Suzanne & Henry I have had the privilege of working in some of Britain’s best Michelin starred restaurants, from Andrew Fairlies at Gleneagles to The Square & Ledbury in London to most recently at Raymond Blancs Le Manoir Aux Quat’ Saisons.
Working along side these chefs and seeing the discipline and dedication it took to work in these kitchens has made me see food and cooking in a new light, Cooking was no longer a list of tasks, it became a passion driving me to become a better chef day after day.
MY COOKING:-
People often ask me “what is your style of cooking?” And I find this a very difficult question to answer; cooking is about evolving, but staying true to classic techniques with a modern slant.
When people visit our restaurant we work hard to create an experience that they find unique with lasting memories of a fantastic time here at Ferme de Montagne.
When creating new dishes, we consider many aspects, obviously seasonality combined with taste, textures and balance of each dish but no matter what cooking method we use, the food should, above all, taste great, I hope that when you taste our food the passion which the team and I produce excites you, and most importantly the passion transfers to the plate and palate.
EVOLUTION & THE FUTURE:-
Cooking is all about trial & error, trusting your palate we change our recipes every year, we are constantly striving changing and pushing for better results.
The amazing thing about having a restaurant in the Alps is that no matter how much you plan, organise and research, there are always unknowns and variables, sometimes the journey is exciting and intense that it seems the Ferme has been the one thing driving everyone and we are merely been passengers on the ride.
This year we have brought all the best pieces of the past four years together with my experiences of working in some fantastic restaurants and we feel this year will be the most intense but the most rewarding for both chefs and guests.
THE KITCHEN TEAM:-
This year looks to be our best most dedicated team yet, Gareth Alder, our Sous Chef, comes from a Michelin Star background, and is very dedicated to produce food of the highest standards and hopes to work in London at some point, Gareth is joined by Isobel Kerr, our Junior Sous Chef from my Home town, Falkirk, who like myself is from a mass catering background and is looking to change her direction as a chef to help her gain a position in a fine dining restaurant, but we hope they will stick around for a while here at the Ferme.
GARETH:-
I started out as a kitchen porter in my hometown of Eastbourne, whilst doing my A levels at college. Initially I had no ambitions of becoming a chef, when I finished college I had no idea of what kind of career I wanted and had not applied for university. When I was offered the chance to train as a chef, in the same kitchen where I was a kitchen porter I jumped at it, training on the job meant attending college one day per week, the kitchen was a good place to work, and my head chef was very supportive of me and taught me a lot during my time there.
After a couple of years in this kitchen I had moved into a senior chef role and was really enjoying my time there and hungry to learn more about fine dine cooking.
This led me to similar positions in a small fine dining restaurants in Eastbourne and Cranbrook.
I settled in Cranbrook, with a fantastic chef who has worked in numerous Michelin starred kitchens, this was a massive learning curve for me and I considered myself lucky to find myself working with such a great chef. Working here gave me a great understanding of classic techniques.
My cooking style is simple, working with great ingredients getting the best flavour from them and not over complicating techniques. My future plans are to own my own restaurant, but for now I just want to work in the best kitchens and learn as much as I can.
IZZY:-
My name is Isobel Kerr but most people call me Izzy, I am 29 years old and just like Alan I come from Falkirk in Scotland.
I started working in the service industry when I was 15 years old as a waitress in a restaurant, I was approached and asked if I wanted to work in the kitchen, ever since then I have been hooked and never looked back.
Most of my time as a chef has been in larger volume style restaurants and doing functions, the biggest challenge was when I was Head Chef at Falkirk Football Stadium being in this position pushed & challenged me into the management and business side of kitchens.
I worked with Alan before in a small fine dining restaurant called Bruntonside, near Falkirk, I am looking forward to working at the Ferme and learning new techniques and furthering my career in the fine dining side of restaurants.
My future plans will be to return to Scotland using this experience couple with my experience of running large kitchens to gain a role within a fine dining kitchen and continue to learn. Here are a selection of pictures from our staff tasting lunch last week.
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