New challenge and thanks

So after nearly 4 years at the Best Western Ship hotel it's time to move on, the next chapter in my career is set to be the biggest challenge by far. This post is not about my new job or about the ship but with the amount of time spent looking to for my next step I realised how many people have helped me get this far, and I just wanted to thank them. 

First up is a chef called Neil Wackrill, he was my chef for 9 years and showed me that there was more to cooking than pushing big numbers in Brighton seafront hotels, under his guidance I rose from what I considered a good young cook to his senior sous chef at a large country house hotel, taking in some amazing events and fantastic times between 2001 and 2010. He gave me the courage to cook my own food and encourage the whole brigade to use there own ideas and create not to copy what everyone else was doing. 

The other chefs I want to thank are Ben Miller who I consider the best cook I have ever had the pleasure of working with full time, watching his passion and drive at Lythe hill hotel inspired my to push on as hard as possible and The French Maestro Christophe Ferraro for taking me under his wing and also giving me a proper hard time but teaching me some invaluable life and cooking lessons, he is also responsibale for my ridiculous cookbook addiction I have, after showing me - cooking by the sea by Danny Horseele I knew I had to have it and have bought a monstrous amount since ( cheers frenchy game of caps later with miller) 

 

Also my first sous chefs at the Thisle hotel, Brighton 

Gary Thompson and Andrew Farrell, Andy was a proper task master but was fair and hard a drive that made you want to work hard for him and to succeed in making the sort of food we did there.

Gary was different in his approach to training me but taught me what I needed to know so that I could learn the rest throughout my career, he also was the voice of reason in a very macho kitchen snd all the apprentices really loved him for that. I'm still learning now big man 

Finally 

Lizzie my amazing wife that has put up with the life a chefs partner has to deal with, not seeing each other at Christmas, Mother's Day, birthdays and all those other celebrations and events that most 

people take for granted. She has always encouraged me to push myself and believe that whatever you want you can get and for that support I am forever grateful. I love you Lizzie

So thank you to the people above for helping to shape the chef and person I am today. 

I know today's post is not what I normally write about and normal service shall be resumed very soon as I have amazing meals at Mark poytons Alimentum and Alyn Williams at the westbury to post about.

Remember live to eat don't eat to live