Preparing for the “Next Steps” – looking for a “Mentor” & visits to Newcastle
2008 hardly started and I have had 2 trips back home already to see my family in Newcastle Upon Tyne. One visit was for pleasure, the other for more personal and painful reasons (which I will cover in another post when the time is right). During this extended time in Newcastle I have been able […]
Stage en Entreprise – end of 2nd period at La Fontaine Gaillon
At the end of my second period at the Fontaine Gaillon, working with Chef Audiot and his team, I’m feeling more at home there, understanding better the relationships that exist within the team, seeing more calm in the chaos of the midday service. I’ve spent all of this time “au chaud”, as I explained in […]
2008 and back to La Fontaine…up and down with Brittany (asparagus) Spears and Gerard Dépardieu
3 days into my first week back at La Fontaine Gaillon after the New Year break back home in Newcastle, and I’ve already been “ok”, “down and pensive” and “up”. The good news is that I have finished my Wednesday session with a positive day where I managed to find my place in the team […]
Paris restaurants during the festive period……
This week I started my 2nd period of training in La Fontaine Gaillon kitchen – Wednesday to today (Friday) to be more exact. I was a bit apprehensive on Wednesday morning whilst going to work, but in the end, I picked up pretty much where I left off over 6 weeks ago. The team hasn’t […]
chefsdiary in Barcelona
My wife has whisked me off to Barça for 4 days….this is our Christmas present….no kids, lie-ins, tapas, coffee (cafe solo and con lece), bracing wind by the beach, lots of walking, Gaudi, dancing, guitar music, colourful clothes (for lasses, anyway). We´re discovering the city (even though I´ve been here twice already) with the series […]
CAP Cuisine class at Le Zephyr, Paris – prepare a menu for 15 at 20€ a head
As a part of my CAP Cuisine training course here in Paris, I decided to organise the Christmas meal for my fellow students and some of the teaching staff – an opportunity to plan a menu and to manage a budget. The only constraint was to stick within a 20€ (£13) budget for the food […]
London Calling – British Cuisine / French Cuisine….spot the difference
First of all, 1 week without a single post….I can only apologise to my faithful following in France, Switzerland, the UK, the US all the way thru to China ! It’s not that I’ve been particularly busy – simply no juice for writing. Don’t know why. Having said that, I have been pretty busy during […]
Setting up a restaurant….let the discussions begin
Last night my wife and I had our first “serious” discussion about the impending reality of setting up a restaurant in 3 years time. We lay have been talking about this “project” for approx. 2 years, but seemingly it wasn’t serious in my wife’s mind until only a few weeks ago. She clearly has been […]
Michelin Guide – first Tokyo guide
Stumbled across an article in the Financial Times (20/11/07) which talks briefly about the new Michelin guide for Tokyo – the first time Michelin produce a guide in Asia. In my last article concerning Michelin stars I was talking about the European League table. Well, here it’s more a question of metropolitan urban centre league […]
need to lose weight ?…..become a chef !…but watch out for the tiredness…..:-(
Yep, I know it seems a pretty improbable combination, but seriously, since starting my chef training (7 weeks ago) I have lost approx. 5 kilos (just under 1 stone) ! I still don’t really know why, because I’m still eating as much as before, if not more. The only differences that I can see are […]