When 16-year-old Oliver Rook moves around the kitchen, it’s like watching a chef with a lifetime of experience.
He started his part-time job at The Boar’s Head, in Auchtermuchty, in Fife, just a year ago, after phoning up to ask for a job.
Given a choice of front of house or kitchen, Oliver decided to give the kitchen a shot.
“From a very young age I’ve been helping out in the kitchen, with my mum, my nana and my granny as well,” says the Bell Baxter pupil.
“I was around a lot of people who cooked, I’ve done home ec [economics] in school and it just took off from there.”
The Boar’s Head chef speciality
Under the wing of head chef Andy Spence, young Oliver has quickly built up his skills and confidence.
His teacher admits that the 16-year-old is on par with many chefs in their 30s he’s worked with before.
In a kitchen decorated with an AA Rosette, delivering impressive dishes are a must.
The commis chef says: “Our standards are quite high, but it’s great fun.
“It’s nice to look at the plate and be like, I’ve done that.
“Venison is my favourite thing to cook. I sear off the venison and heat potato fondant that’s been cooked in butter with a bit of onion relish.
“Then slice the venison in half, plate it, add fondant, celeriac puree on the side, then a bacon crisp over with some pickled brambles.
“It’s one of the nicest dishes I like to make.”
Chef apprenticeship lined up
Once the Newburgh teen finishes school next year, he’ll take on an apprenticeship at The Boar’s Head.
Becoming a chef has long been his dream, but he has another passion pulling him away from the kitchen.
“I’m still deciding what I want to do,” Oliver admits.
“Ever since I was a child I’ve been obsessed with two things, cooking and racing.
“I’m trying to start out racing, but obviously, here I’ve got a career that I like.”
Money from his part-time job is going towards a car and racing kit. He’s passed his racing licence and hopes to go to college for racing after his apprenticeship.
While giving his all to get onto the race track, he’s balancing his job with homework and Air Cadets. It seems both cars and planes have caught Oliver’s fancy.
“I’d say I’m an adrenaline junkie,” says the Air Cadet sergeant.
“Anything that goes fast, that’s me. I love speed.”
Future plans for The Boar’s Head chef
It might not be the same kind of speed, but the kitchen can get pretty hectic too. With a full line of orders to cook and plate, Oliver starts to feel the stress.
The panic rarely lasts though, as The Boar’s Head team comes together to fulfil the orders. Oliver hails his colleagues as the best part of his job.
“You can be in here from 10 in the morning to 10 at night, and we all get tired, but we keep ourselves going,” he says.
“It’s nice being around people like that, the time flies by and it’s great fun.
“We can be messing around when we want to, but when it’s serious, we’re proper serious.”
Oliver plans to stay in the kitchen when he finishes school next year, balancing his apprenticeship with racing.
In the future, he also hopes to find time to travel around the world, learning recipes and techniques from different cultures.
When asked about his future plans and if he’d pick working in a three-star Michelin restaurant or driving in Formula One, a slight panic washes over his face.
“I can’t decide! I literally can’t decide!”
“It’s difficult, because both of the things I love equally. It’s like, what do I do?”
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