Robbie Jameson is the head chef at HUMO, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Mayfair, London.
His culinary journey began at the age of six, learning to fish, clean, and cook under the guidance of his uncles in Scotland.
He has worked alongside Michelin starred chefs such as Graeme Cheevers and Nick Nairn as well as spending time at The Heritage Wine Bar and Restaurant in Australia.
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In 2021, he also appeared as a contestant on BBCs MasterChef: The Professionals.
Although his new title at HUMO has just been announced, Robbie has been in the role for more than a year, and has worked at the restaurant for much longer, he said: “I created everything from the floors to the fire to the grill, to the menu, to the music in the bathroom.
“Wood fire cooking and barbecuing has always been my passion. One of the big things I like to push on is fermentation, that’s going to be a really big part of the new direction. We were always doing small amounts of this, but this is going to be a really big push going forward."
Speaking on his travels across the world, Robbie added: "I got to work with some amazing barbecue chefs. That was kind of one of the main reasons I went.
"I went over to Australia and got to work in some really cool, stylish restaurants. I’ve done a new opening of a beachfront barbecue in Melbourne. I’ve done some small gigs in between helping out with different concepts. Back then, I was looking for something a bit more secure where I could focus on my own style and progression. Then I found Creative Restaurant Group, which has been probably one of the best decisions of my career. They've supported everything and gave me everything I needed, and they believed in me, they gave me pretty much all the freedom I could want."
Creative Restaurant Group, founded in 2021 by restaurateur Misha Zelman, is a London-based hospitality company dedicated to creating and managing high-end dining establishments.
Robbie added: "It’s an amazing feeling, and that’s not just me, that’s the whole team. The dedication of everybody that comes here at seven in the morning with me, putting in the hours. Putting your work first is always a big thing, especially if that’s the kind of work that you want to do.I know firsthand just how difficult that can be.
"Over the last few months, my senior sous chef was off sick with an operation. Then we had Miller departing, so I was actually, for the last three months, in every single day, I never took a day off. I was in six days a week, seven in the morning till midnight every day since December so that Michelin star was definitely well deserved with all the hours in the world.
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"Having that recognition from Michelin is massive, I can’t really put it into words. I’m very grateful to Michelin for the recognition but I’m also super grateful to the team that has stood behind me and made it all work."
Now that the head chef position has been announced, Robbie plans to make slight changes to the current menu at HUMO to reflect his Scottish heritage, he added: "I’m going to be making quite a few changes to the menu and enjoying Scottish produce like shellfish, fish, and some of the lovely root vegetables, sea herbs, and seaweeds.
"We’ve got some amazing ingredients, and I’ve just added a new dish to the menu inspired by one of my childhood favourites. It’s called Cullen Skink, a smoked fish chowder, very old traditional Scottish food, using cheap cuts of fish and potato.
"Obviously, we’re in the heart of Mayfair, so I’m actually not using smoked haddock and things like that, we’re doing five-day aged scallops, halibut - scallops from the furthest point of fishing before you hit the islands in Scotland and serving it with pickled smoked mussel, a fennel and mussel cream, with wild garlic and caviar.
“I don’t want to do a whole spin-around of the menu. If we change gradually, it allows us to make sure that we’re happy with everything and we’re doing it to the best of our ability."
Written by Abi Kinsella
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