Our Resident Foodie...Andrew Barnett
I'm writing to you now in a brief kitchen free moment treating myself to a seat rather than chopping and flipping over a hot stove. Reflecting on my new position as Sous Chef at a much respected local French restaurant , my mind buzzing with the recipes I'm learning, creating and of course tasting!
Ten years gone and in just as many kitchens I have sweated and toiled. Along the way I have met both aspirational characters, which have left an impression on the way I work and some not so savoury characters , the quirky and blatantly dodgy. And of course, accumulating valuable culinary knowledge courtesy of a lecture or two!
I have worked with Modern European menus, Italian ,French and British and like to cook fresh appetising food using the best ingredients.
Somehow, (at only thirty four years of age) I have broken the mould of a being a typical 'one in three divorced 'chef, as I am happily married, with three children, despite the grueling 60 to 100 hour weeks, during festive seasons. So, my work doesn't end in the Kitchen ! however, my kids are proving to be quite capable Commis Chefs themselves.
In the wider culinary world I respect the likes of Marco Pierre White, for his unrelenting passion and dedication, Anthony Bourdain for his amusing macho style, his dry humour and of course a splash of Ramsay for his hard faced leadership qualities.
In my food column, which I see as an open diary, I'll be sharing with you delicious Anglo/French recipes and giving you a taste of life through chef's eyes, drawing on my experiences both current and past in the kitchens of Brighton.