Career Path: Apprenticeship > Commis Chef > Chef > Military Service as Cook > Founder Waterside Inn (Michelin Guide 3 stars)
“The recognition I have received over the years has been wonderful, but seeing all the talent and my beloved Waterside grow has been my greatest joy"
My Story: I learnt to tell what day of the week it was by the smell wafting up the stairs. Everyday we had a different meal. It was from my mother that I got my love of cooking. I would beat three egg yolks with a fork while she poured in the stock; I was fascinated by the transformation as it thickened into a sauce. At age 14 I decided to follow in the footsteps of my brother. I got a job as an apprentice in a patisserie. I remember the intense fatigue I used to feel, we worked 70 hours a week, and there was no machinery. Even the vanilla ice cream was churned by hand. I then got a job working as chef to the Rothschild family before moving to England. My brother and I opened Le Gavroche, I would never have come if it hadn't have been for Albert, people thought that I was mad, I didn't even speak English.
Topic of Interest: I was asked to cook for her majesty the queen at Frogmore, for her 70th Birthday