He’s the man of the moment and it seems Nathan Outlaw can do no wrong in the eyes of the culinary world. The Staff Canteen spoke to him about today’s Michelin star which topped off a pretty good week for the chef.
“It’s been a pretty crazy week,” laughed Nathan. “And I’ve not seen any of it coming! I didn’t expect a star and I certainly didn’t expect Chefs’ chef the other night either.”
This morning Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen in Port Isaac, was Nathan’s third restaurant to receive a prestigious Michelin star. Last year Outlaw’s at the Capital was awarded a star and his eponymous restaurant in the village of Rock already boasts two stars. He also received recognition earlier in the week at the
AA Hospitality Awards in London, where he walked away with the AA Chefs’ Chef Award.
He said: “It’s not been a bad week as weeks go! I wasn’t looking to attain anymore Michelin stars to be honest with you, it wasn’t what we were looking at. We were trying to get a sustainable, good value for money restaurant – the Fish Kitchen was a lovely opportunity and I just wanted a nice seaside, small plate, casual restaurant. We didn’t think about guide books, it was more about ‘can we get it through the winter?’
“It’s one step at a time and there has never been a master plan, it just seems to be getting bigger and bigger. But I can’t stress enough the fantastic team I have around me – I don’t cook at the Fish Kitchen, I create the dishes with guys and I inspire them to do it but it’s those guys that deliver the food day in day out.”
Nathan opened
Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen ‘on a shoestring’ and he says it’s a nice feeling for himself and his wife, who run the company and restaurants without backers or investors.
He said: “There was no money spent on it. And I think for people just coming into the industry wanting to reach those sort of standards it’s nice to see you don’t have to put your house on the line or all your life savings. You can find really good locations and you can do well in them.”
The beautiful restaurant is set in a 14
th century building, its small with only eight tables and anyone over 5”10 can’t stand up straight inside. It runs with just two chefs in the kitchen and the kitchen quarter and two people front of house.
“Who knows what Michelin are looking for because I certainly don’t,” said Nathan. “The only thing I can put it down to is the guys work extremely hard down there. They’ve delivered a really consistent, high standard of cooking and it is great value for money. I think Michelin really recognise us for that - a place that offers great value for money at a good level.
“I’ve worked hard down in Cornwall since I was 24 and I’ve stuck to it and it’s not been easy. But when you build up a team around you over a period of time, what emerges is some really talented guys and girls.”
He added: “None of them had a clue about the star – they were all just working as if it was a normal Thursday morning. I’ve been down there already to congratulate them and we had a bottle of Camel Valley to celebrate – then it was straight back into lunch service.”
What are your reactions to the Michelin Guide news, who do you think deserves to have a star or are there any that you think just don't deserve to have a star at all? Let us know over on our Facebook or Twitter page @canteentweets.
