The Chefs of Tomorrow events will begin this Monday 16th February at Pizarro in London to a sold out room of diners. The event organised by Dan Doherty, executive chef at Duck and Waffle, will begin at 6pm and will feature a menu designed and cooked entirely by the four young chefs, Alex Dome, Dani Molero, Lewis Sullly and Jonathan Hawthorne.Dan Dohertyspoke to The Staff Canteen ahead of the event: “For me it’s important to not get caught up in the structure of the menu. I think having a diverse menu like that just reinforces the dishes that they want to do.”
He discussed the variations in the menu and said: “The dish that fits in the least, which is a good thing, is the dessert by Jonathan Hawthorne who’s coming from Australia, which is sweetcorn, avocado and mango. My first thought was that they weren’t in season, then I realised they are in Australia which makes sense for him.”
Dan made it clear that the young chefs need to talk to their guests and cooperate with each other in order to make the night a success. He said: “They need to understand that food is very subjective and not everyone is going to like it. It’s certainly not a competition, but the idea is to do the dinner together. There needs to be the collaboration of talent.”
He continued: “I think their biggest challenge will be the realisation that on the day it’s all on them.
“They’re excited at the moment because they get to create their own dishes and have freedom. Obviously I’ll be there to catch them if they fall, but they’re very much in the spotlight, so they will have to take the criticism and the praise.”
Dan and his team will be setting up behind the scenes from 2pm. The meal will take place at 6pm, followed by drinks for the chefs and the event will be filmed for a YouTube documentary.
Dan originally planned to focus on London venues to host the Chefs of Tomorrow events over the next few months, but his plans have changed since the beginning: “There’s more hunger outside of London. Andy Lynes, the food writer, got in touch and said this would be great in Brighton.
“He spoke to all of the head chefs in Brighton and before we knew it, we had four chefs and a restaurant. It feels like it’s a little bit easier outside of London. I wish I knew why!”
Dan empathised with the young chefs starting out in the industry, he said: “As a young chef, I encountered the problem of not understanding that becoming a chef is a life choice. It’s never going to be easy and dedication and commitment is necessary. It’s kind of a dog eat dog world but I’ve been lucky to have really good mentors.”
The next Chefs of Tomorrow event will take place at Petersham Nurseries on Wednesday 4 March for lunch. Please see http://www.chefsoftomorrow.co.uk/ for more details.
Watch an interview with Dan Doherty here:
16 February 2015 @ Pizarro, London
Menu
- Pigeon, cauliflower, blood orange & dukka
Alex Dome – Petersham Nurseries, London
- Monkfish surf ‘n’ turf, jamon glaze, savoury brioche con tomate
Dani Molero – Pizarro, London
-Lambs neck, lava bread, sea vegetables, gem hearts
Lewis Sullly – Duck & Waffle, London
-Sweetcorn, avocado, mango
Jonathan Hawthorne - Quay restaurant, SydneyBy Molly Mileham-Chappell
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