After finishing three months of cooking school at Ballymaloe in Cork, Ireland, I went to London to gain some practical experience in a restaurant kitchen. It took a bit of time with numerous phone calls and emails, but I eventually found myself at Petersham Nurseries Cafe. It's the one place I had in mind amongst all the top London restaurants and I was very lucky to have the chance to work with head chef, Skye Gyngell.
There are a number of things I remember that Skye had said to me. The first, which I won't forget, was that the kitchen porters were the two most important people in the kitchen. It set the tone of how she treated her staff and the value she placed on the people with whom she worked. Although she was admittedly "consistently inconsistent", Skye continually stressed flavor and the absolute importance of proper seasoning. A significant aspect of the restaurant was the ingredients - unbelievable produce, that was the best of the best. As extensive garnish didn't enter into her cooking, seasoning was even more critical to the final dish, allowing the ingredients to taste of themselves and without disguise. Strict adherance to seasonality and freshness made each day dynamic and creative. The menu would change weekly and then again in bits and pieces during the course of the week. There was such a feeling of curiosity and expectation during the 30-minute walk along the Thames then through a cow pasture - yes, this was in London - that I couldn't wait to get there. A unique woman, Skye offered constant challenges and from whom I learned loads.
It was an incredible experience and I owe much of that to the people there. In the kitchen, Tito, Mikey, Lughan, John, Suze, Kenny, Emma, Clare, Jo and Roz were a group of people that gave me so much in terms of helping me learn and taking the time to ensure I got it. Out front and in the cafe were Jo, Jess, Isabella, Jessica, Laura, Millie, and Francesca who would meet up with me at the desserts area and nibble through extra bits of cheese or cake and take a moment to talk about how the day's been going so far. And then the kitchen porters, Pedro, Ishey and Maurizio were always steady and there to lend a hand. I just happened to land amongst these good people and I couldn't have done any better if I had picked the place and people myself. I'm thankful for but a few things, and I put my time in London in that crowd. Even though I got endless crap about my voice and accent..."desserts!" and "datterini" will never be the same.
It was at times very difficult being away from my wife for such a long period of time. But making such a unique career change needed me to go out and get equally unique experience. Over the next couple years I'll see how my time at Petersham has influenced my career. Yes, it's all quite new and there's still a huge degree of anticipation and excitement to things at the moment. But it doesn't feel like "work" or a "career". It's the same now as it was when I made the decision to do this almost 2 years ago...I wake up with thoughts of being in the kitchen, tasting, learning, having fun, being creative and sharing the joy of it all with someone else. Life really is grand.
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