Scottish chefs head to France for Budding Chefs exchange programme

Six young chefs from Scotland are to embark on a gastronomic journey of France as part of the Budding Chefs exchange programme. In March, for the fourth consecutive year, the kitchens of Scotland’s best chefs were opened to young French chefs. Now it’s the Scottish brigade’s turn to experience French hospitality during their week-long trip, which takes place from 3rd to 9th November. The chefs will be heading across Paris and Brittany to meet top chefs and famous producers, visiting places such as the Rungis International Market near Paris, the restaurant of the 5 star hotel Les Thermes Marins and the laboratories of master chocolatier Pascal Pochon in Saint-Marlo. Other highlights include horse meat tasting with chef Otis Lebert at his restaurant Le Taxi Jaune (Paris), lunch at Olivier Roellinger’s Michelin starred restaurant Coquillage in Cancale, an introduction to butter with Jean-Yves Bordier in his factory at Noyal-sur-Vilaine and a tour of the Marché des Lices (Rennes) with Sylvain Guillemot as he buys his produce for the day’s lunch at his two Michelin star restaurant L’Auberge du Pont d’Acigné.

It won’t be all learning and eating though, as a number of cooking challenges also await the young chefs. In Paris they’ll be taking over the kitchen of a wine bistro to showcase the best Scottish seasonal produce to a handful of Parisian guests. In Dinard, they’ll be cooking a Scottish menu with Breton produce in a pop-up restaurant for 100 diners. In Rennes awaits them a very domestic challenge: buying products at the marché des Lices within a limited budget and cooking a Saturday lunch for themselves and their hosts in a family house. The 2014 Brigade is composed of: Emma Mills from Carina and Victor Contini’s new restaurant Cannonball, Lucy Evans from Le Bon Vivant, Miquel Salom Guasp who works at Ondine, Tom Kitchin’s young chef Kacper Krawczyk at Scran & Scallie and Rafal Neda and James Hendry, both part of Tom Lewis’ team at Monachyle Mhor Hotel. They will be accompanied by mentor Craig Sandle, executive chef of The Chris Galvin restaurants The Pompadour and Brasserie de Luxe, and co-founders of Budding Chefs, Fred Berkmiller, chef-patron of L’Escargot restaurants and Vincent Guerin, Director of the Institut français d’Ecosse. Co-founder Fred Berkmiller said: “It’s the first time we go to Paris with our brigade and I can’t wait to see their reactions when they discover the bustling Rungis market. There’s nothing like it in the UK so surely it will be an eye opening experience for them.” Throughout the week the team will be staying at the Lycée Hotelier de Dinard cookery school where they will also be meeting their French counterparts for next year’s Scottish edition. By Stuart Armstrong