Meet the five top chefs who will each cook a course at the prestigious Menu Food and Drink Awards at the Old Course on March 28.
With entries now closed for the Menu Food and Drink Awards 2019, it’s time to turn our attention to the awards ceremony at the Old Course St Andrews on March 28, Five award-winning local chefs – Praveen Kumar, Paul Newman, Eden Sinclair, Martin Hollis and Graham Paulley – will each prepare a delicious course at the gala dinner.
While the full details of the menu have yet to be decided, we can exclusively reveal the course each chef will be cooking, and find out a little more about these culinary creatives.
Last year, guests arriving at the awards tucked into Praveen’s delicious canapes, including haggis bonda, mini salmon pakora, hara bara tikki and chicken tikka, and this year he will be creating more magnificent morsels.
Growing up in the village of Mattampally in Southern India, Praveen had two options ahead of him – farming or the priesthood.
Praveen, chef owner of Tabla Restaurant and Indian Cook School in Perth, takes up the story. “At the tender age of 14 I thought the priesthood was for me but I think really it was a route to escape the village,” he reflects.
“After being accepted for the training to become a priest it was obvious the vocation was not for me so, with the help of my wider family, I was able to scrape enough money together to attend university to study hotel management which included food production.
“It was during these studies that I really began to learn to cook and realised that I enjoyed it and the pleasure it gave people.”
After coming to Scotland via the Sandals resort in Jamaica, Praveen fell in love with the country, gaining further experience in Turnberry in Ayrshire before moving to Gleneagles in Perthshire. “Once in Perthshire, I knew I would always stay and settled in Scotland,” smiles Praveen, who has just launched a range of ready to eat fresh frozen meals.
Never settling for anything less than the best local, seasonal ingredients, Praveen says: “Having lived and studied on three continents I can honestly say that Scotland’s larder is fantastic.
“At this year’s Menu Awards, I’ll be using my experience to excite the guests’ palates by combining the very best ingredients that both Scotland and India have to offer,” he promises.
“I learned a lot from my peers last year and am looking forward to not only preparing dishes for others to try but also trying what other top chefs have to offer,” he says.
“I can honestly say I feel privileged to be chosen as one of the chefs to be part of such a prestigious event.
Observing that the awards allow businesses to promote their goods and services both at home and across the globe, he adds: “It is incredibly important that Scotland continues to grow its food industry and to advertise to a much wider audience.
“The Menu Awards also help encourage new entrants to the market and all the award categories are important to inspire others, especially younger people, to join the industry and have some role models to emulate.”
The starter course will be prepared by none other than Paul Newman, chef owner of Thyme at Errichel near Aberfeldy – Paul and his team won Restaurant of the Year at last year’s inaugural awards.
“He started his career at an early age, making cakes in his grandma’s kitchen, which soon expanded to making wedding and celebration cakes for neighbours and friends.
“At school I was one of very few boys who took home economics classes,” Paul recalls.
“I knew then that I loved food and wanted to work in the food industry. I applied for a chef apprentice at Lloyds of London never looked back.
Firmly believing that good cooking starts with the best local, seasonal produce, he says: “Our region is blessed with a diverse environment. Rivers, coasts, rolling countryside and wild moors – we can tap into nature’s bounty and work with our resources to grow and produce outstanding fruit, veg and meat.
“Every season brings us something to celebrate and our food and drink industry is vibrant and exciting, with lots of fantastic small enterprises bringing us outstanding quality products,” he continues.
Paul can’t wait to don his chef whites for the awards.
“What an honour!” he enthuses. “Last year’s dinner was spectacular and has set the benchmark high. Being part of the team of chefs for this year’s dinner is a great chance to share in the celebration of our region’s finest in food and beverage.
“There are so many small producers and enterprising businesses and the awards are a great way to bring everyone across the region together.”
Although Eden Sinclair, head chef manager of Sinclair’s Larder in Angus, wasn’t particularly interested in cooking when he was growing up, it was when he went to work in his home city of Edinburgh that he caught the bug.
“There was a real vibe going in in the food and drink scene and I fell in love with it,” he says.
After working in James Thompson’s The Tower and The Gallery on the Mound, he moved to Angus seven years ago to set up his own business and has been blown away by the fantastic produce on his doorstep.
Serving a wonderful dessert of gin and lime parfait with pistachio cake at last year’s awards, Eden is preparing the fish course for 2019’s event.
“I’ll have to get my thinking cap on,” he smiles. “It was really good fun last year, mixing with the other chefs, working with amazing produce, and seeing what people across the region are doing to stand out from the crowd.”
And his top cooking tip? “Use good quality ingredients, don’t have more than three or four harmonising elements on a plate, and let the food do the talking.”
Martin Hollis, executive chef at the Old Course, is no stranger to Menu readers – he shares his culinary knowledge in a regular Chef’s Table column.
But what inspired Martin to become a chef?
“Being able to create something from raw ingredients into something that not only looks amazing but tastes great as well,” he says.
“I’ve found it very rewarding as it keeps you interested all the time, not only with new ingredients, but techniques and flavour combinations as well.
“To be able to experiment and showcase Scotland’s larder is a privilege as well as a passion.”
Martin reveals he has had an enviable career path to date.
“I’ve been mentored by and worked with the best chefs in the culinary world and have had opportunities that have inspired and helped me along the way,” he says.
“I have always been able to work in prestigious and world-renowned establishments where the guest list is a who’s who in the celebrity and sports professional list.”
For Martin the secret of good cooking is: “to buy the best seasonal ingredients you can afford, treating them with the respect they deserve, not over-complicating the dish and elevating them to the centre of the dish.
“We are in a fortunate position where our produce is looked upon to be among the best in the world – especially shellfish and seafood, beef, pork, fruit, berries and vegetables – because of its quality and consistency year on year,” he muses.
“During my career the industry itself has changed so much and the raw ingredients available locally have never been better in quality and availability.
“There are more chefs that understand flavour techniques and our customers now – and quite rightly – only expect the best as well.”
At last year’s inaugural awards dinner, Martin cooked a melt-in-the-mouth main course loin of venison. Once again in charge of the main dish, he is looking forward to the big night.
“The awards are a fantastic way to bring people from the industry together and celebrate the quality of produce and food businesses that are showcasing the produce and culinary talent at its best,” he enthuses.
“Last year’s event highlighted the diversity of the whole industry from field to fork and brought awareness to the consumers about the passion, nurturing, training and professionalism there is, not only in this region but across Scotland.
Working part-time in a small hotel where he grew up, Graham Paulley, head chef at Apex City Quay Hotel & Spa, soon realised that becoming a chef was the next natural step.
“I started out by working part-time in a small hotel where I grew up, so it was just a natural progression to become a chef,” he says. “I am fortunate to have worked for some great chefs who still inspire me to try and be better every day.”
Graham’s top tips include being confident in the kitchen, keeping things simple and always tasting your food before serving.
He agrees with Martin that we’re fortunate to have some of the best food and drink in Scotland. “From lovely country house hotels to Michelin starred restaurants to the casual dining scene and street food, there’s something for everyone,” he smiles.
Last year Graham served a knockout starter of haggis Wellington but on March 28 he will be preparing the dessert course.
“Spending time in the kitchen with Martin Hollis is special to me as I have learned so much from him over the years. It’s also great to see what the other chefs are doing and learning a bit from them,” he says.
“The Menu Awards are amazing for the region – there is no better feeling to be recognised and rewarded for all your hard work by your peers.”
To book your table at the awards, visit www.themenufoodanddrinkawards.co.uk
