Interviews - delicious. magazine

Five minutes with David Taylor

Thea Everett — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 17:15:03 +0000

Known for a cooking style that falls under the term Nordic minimalism, David Taylor has had an inspiring career, starting out in the deep end at Gordon Ramsay’s Maze with Jason Atherton, then cooking in places as far flung as Grace in Chicago, Atera in New York and Maaemo in Oslo, where he was part of a team that helped the restaurant gain a third Michelin star.

Now settled back home in the Midlands, David is manning Grace & Savour, which opened in 2022 with a focus on organic, sustainable and often home grown produce. In a leafy spot south of Birmingham, offers a slice of tranquillity and some of the most interesting food you’ll find in the UK, all made with supplies that are as local to Hampton Manor (where the restaurant is based) as possible.

We caught up with David to talk about his experiences and influences, staff meals at Grace & Savour, and his aspirations for the future.

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Five minutes with Dara Klein

Thea Everett — Fri, 06 Oct 2023 13:23:06 +0000

Dara Klein is the brain (and chef) behind London’s Tiella, an Italian pop up inside (Islington pub) the Compton Arms, cooking up some of the heartiest and homiest Italian food we’ve found in the capital.

Dara brings experience from Trullo, Rubedo, Brawn and Sager + Wilde and the menu at Tiella is full of simple stars, be they a clam and chickpea stew or a mozzarella, white peach and anchovy salad that’s served at precisely the perfect temperature. Dara knows it’s the small details that really count. We caught up with her to find out about growing up in New Zealand, how her Italian heritage has influenced the menu, and why Italian food is so well-suited to a pub setting.

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Five minutes with Dom Taylor

Thea Everett — Thu, 17 Aug 2023 07:43:14 +0000

Dom Taylor is the winning chef of Channel 4’s Five Star Kitchen: Britain’s Next Great Chef, judged by Michel Roux Jr, alongside pastry queen Ravneet Gill and chef/TV presenter Mike Reid. Dom’s prize sees him now heading up The Good Front Room inside The Langham in London’s Portland Place, where he’s offering up a menu of Caribbean flavours from jerk chicken to jackfruit patties and banana leaf baked sea bream.

The restaurant brings a refreshing change to the hotel’s restaurant portfolio and Dom’s menu is exquisite, with the green banana gratin and jerk chicken being real highlights. We caught up with Dom to talk about his connection with South East London, what it was like filming the show and what is next on the horizon for him.

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Five minutes with MasterChef winner Chariya Khattiyot

Kerry Fowler — Tue, 15 Aug 2023 10:29:28 +0000

The 2023 MasterChef champion is also a master coffee roaster – and finds time for computer games and table tennis, too. Chariya Khattiyot tells Kerry Fowler about her grandfather’s enduring influence, why she loves food markets and what filming for the intense cookery competition was really like…

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Five minutes with Conor Gadd

Thea Everett — Tue, 01 Aug 2023 09:10:58 +0000

Conor Gadd, now chef-owner at London’s Trullo, has headed up the kitchen there for 10 years. He began his career at Belfast’s Roscoff, leaving Ireland for Edinburgh to study. In Scotland, he worked in various restaurants, before returning to Paul Rankin at Cayenne while studying at Ballymaloe Cookery School.

We caught up with Conor to find out what Trullo’s staff meals are like, how the beginning of his career in Ireland shaped him and why he’s angry that as an industry no one is talking about erasing the double shift in restaurants…

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Five minutes with Jens Knoop

Fiona Logan — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 10:13:31 +0000

He probably has the best job in the world. Back in 2013, Jens Knoop opened his first chocolate drinks store in Rye, and he called it Knoops. The Knoops concept allows customers to choose a completely customised chocolate-based drink to suit their mood. The menu consists of a range of chocolate percentages as well as milks, botanicals and more. Since the primary store opened, Knoops has launched in over 13 UK locations. And there’s no sign of things slowing down…

We couldn’t wait to have a sit down with the chocolate man himself, and find out more about the fascinating Knoops concept. Jens tells us about his passion for all things chocolate (obviously), as well as his plans for more Knoops stores.

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Five minutes with Nick Molyviatis

Thea Everett — Wed, 12 Jul 2023 18:05:50 +0000

Nick Molyviatis is the former head chef at London’s Kiln in Soho, a Thai restaurant where he made his name cooking in front of diners in an open kitchen. Nick started life in Athens, Greece, and developed a love of global cuisines, with South East Asian flavours still influencing the food he cooks today.

We travelled to Elix, part of Mar-Bella Collection a hotel near Parga in Greece, to chat to Nick before he got started on his incredible eight course menu as part of the hotel’s Greek Chefs Abroad series. Nick told us about his love of potatoes, how he was planning on adapting Kokoretsi (a traditional Greek dish made with offal), and why he hates bullying in the kitchen. Plus, we find out Nick’s take on the Greek food scene in London…

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Five minutes with Dean Parker

Fiona Logan — Thu, 29 Jun 2023 14:50:12 +0000

Founder and head chef of Glasgow’s hottest Italian restaurant, Dean Parker is as passionate about creating memorable food as he is about sustainability in the industry, being adaptable and family life. We sat down with him to find out about his food loves, hates and everything in-between.

Dean and his wife Anna set up Celentano’s in 2021, right after the pandemic. The restaurant instantly picked up a lot of local attention, scooping up a Michelin Bib Gourmand within the first six months of opening, and has shone a whole new light on the slightly overlooked East end of this charming city.

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Five minutes with Chef George Scott-Toft of YOPO

Fiona Logan — Thu, 29 Jun 2023 10:04:18 +0000

Chef George Scott-Toft is currently leading the helm at one of the most exciting restaurants in London: YOPO. Located within Fitzrovia’s boutique hotel The Mandrake, YOPO recently re-opened its doors with a brand new modern design and a new menu focusing on South American and European influences. Take a trip to YOPO and you’re unlikely to forget about it in a hurry.

We caught up with Executive Chef George Scott-Toft to find out his own personal food loves and hates, and he gets honest about his frustrations for food waste.

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Five minutes with Mike Reid

Delicious. team — Wed, 14 Jun 2023 14:51:13 +0000

Chef and restaurateur Mike Reid earned his stripes at Le Gavroche and Restaurant Gordon Ramsay and today is culinary director of Rare Restaurants, including M Restaurants in London and UK steak houses Gaucho. You may have spotted him on shows such as Saturday Kitchen, Sunday Brunch or Cooking with the Stars – and in May 2023, he’s back on screens as co-judge of new competition Five Star Kitchen: Britain’s Next Top Chef (Channel 4).

He tells Kerry Fowler about living life between the UK and Australia, his dream of getting the band back together – and a gravy-based epiphany.

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