The chef took the helm at Gleneagles in December 2018 when chef patron Andrew Fairlie stepped down following a fourteen year battle with cancer, which tragically took his life in January 2019.
Stephen McLaughlin was born in GIasgow in 1976, and brought up in the same city.
Following catering college, a work placement led him to One Devonshire Gardens and into the kitchen of head chef Andrew Fairlie.
This was to be a relationship that changed his life and career. Upon completing his college course in professional cookery and a brief spell in the opening brigade of The Malmaison hotel in Glasgow, Stevie returned to One Devonshire Gardens and commenced what would become a 26-year working relationship.
Stevie worked his way through the ranks of Andrew’s kitchen before moving to Gleneagles Hotel to open his first independent business. At Restaurant Andrew Fairlie, Stevie rose to the role of head chef, and when Andrew sadly passed away in early 2019, took over the reins to carry on Andrew’s lifelong work.
In January 2006, Restaurant Andrew Fairlie became one of only eleven restaurants in the UK to be awarded two Michelin stars, which it has retained ever since.
In his own words, Stevie said: “I discovered my genuine passion for the trade working part time in restaurants and hotels whilst at Glasgow College of Food Technology. I quickly recognised that hard graft, a perpetual focus on quality and fastidious attention to detail define a good kitchen.
"I remember a time with Andrew, I was young boy and we were tasting a dish with loads of different Scottish seafood on it; the fish was amazing, but for me there was one thing that stood out, and that was the sauce. It was a tomato butter sauce but it had a depth of flavour I hadn’t experienced before. It was the infusion of star anise that bought the tomato to new heights. It was that point as a young chef as part of my learning I was hooked and I wanted to understand and discover these things for myself and I continue to do so on a daily basis.
"Being part of the opening team at Malmaison in Glasgow at the age of 20 was a turning point for me; this led to a commis chef position at One Devonshire Gardens and resulted in being a key member of the team when awarded our first Michelin star in 1996.
"Promoted through the ranks, Andrew asked me to move from ODG with him to open his eponymous restaurant at The Gleneagles Hotel in 2001; currently the only 2 Michelin star restaurant in Scotland. I have held the position of head chef for the past eleven years.
"My key role is creating and evolving new dishes with my senior team – and ensuring we operate with great consistency.
"Just as significant is my role in driving the culture of the kitchen; there is a lot to be said for setting a positive work environment with enthusiasm and good humour. I have also learnt how critical development and mentoring is to a team; we take great pride in nurturing and growing young talent.
"Our dedicated walled garden is a constant source of inspiration and innovation; test planting new or unusual varieties, creating new uses and combinations with amazing ever-changing produce.
"Keeping it simple is sometimes the hardest thing to achieve; however, we manage to create clean and elegant dishes using both classical and modern techniques. This, coupled with our access to the most amazing produce in Scotland gives our cooking a real ‘edge’.
"My desert island dish would be a whole braised turbot and mash potato shared in the company of my family and friends. I will never forget my first taste of Joël Robuchon’s 'Purée de pomme de terre' in Paris in my early 20’s – made with equal parts potato and butter and still one of the best things I have ever tasted.
"This taught me that texture is as important as flavour and that a great dish can sometimes be as simple as mash potatoes, brilliantly done”.
Under Stevie's tenure, Restaurant Andrew Fairlie has entered into its next era. The chef is fortunate enough to have a balanced family life as a husband to Noreen and as a father to two young children.
On the Menu at Gleneagles
Most of what is served at Restaurant Andrew Farirlie is Scottish produce, making the most of the country's natural environment, from the climate to the pastures and hills, which all contribute to the available faun and flora.
Scottish lobster, scallops, wild mushrooms, seasonal game and scotch lamb feature heavily.
The chef said that in his time at Restaurant Andrew Fairlie, the food has developed in that it has become more bold, yet simpler. This has stemmed from a better understanding of produce.
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