Scottish Chefs Podcast: Recent Episodes
MyCompanyRadio
Our mission is to promote excellence in all areas of the industry in Scotland. We are active members of the World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS), so our members are part of a global network of Chefs.
Chef James Murphy is one our true culinary legends , for over 40 years he has been an inspiration to many chefs , originally planning to study medicine , he worked wih Antion Mosimann at the Dorchester . He is best know as Executive Chef at the Glasgow Hilton, Grand Central Glasgow and now at Cameron House Resort . A very modest chef who is a fine role model for our next generation of chefs.
From the steel town of Scunthorpe to the 5 star Gleneagles Hotel , Alan Hill was one of the most highly respected chefs in Scotland , join Jak and Alan as he remembers starting out working in a butcher's shop and as a waiter to buy a Honda Motorbike to the Dorchester Hotel , Savoy Grill, Caledonian Hotel Edinburgh Spain and Gleneagles Hotel . Bringing Andrew Fairlie to the Hotel to operate his own 2 Michelin Star Restaurant and his passion for working to raise funds for HIT Scotland.
Ross Sneddon is The Executive Pastry Chef at the 5 Star Balmoral Hotel one of the most famous and iconic Hotels in Scotland , Ross discusses with Jak his over 25 year career as a Pastry Chef working in Paris, New York and London
Tom Younger Owner of Archerfield Links and Executive Chef Joe Queen speak with jak about the decision to invest £200K in a brand new teaching facility at Archfield and the establishment of the Culinary Excellence Programme
2 Scottish Businesses rise to the challenge and expand their operations. Jamie Scott Masterchef 2014 and Patron of The Newport Restaurant , Fife is relocating his highly successful Bakery operation to a purpose built unit in Dundee, Jak takes the opportunity to spend time with Jamie to hear all about his exciting plans. Tom Younger Owner of Archerfield House and Links has invested £200k into their own Culinary Excellence Program providing a 2 years program to ensure that they have the qualified staff for their kitchen brigade . Tom and Joe Queen Executive Chef at Archerfield Links discuss this with Jak
Fraser Cameron is the current Scottish Young Chef of The Year , he speaks with Jak about some of the amazing opportunities he has had in his career to date from working at restaurant Andrew Fairlie to representing Scoltand in Australia and the forthcoming National Young Chef of The Year Final and at the Culinary World Cup in Luxembourg..
Alan Orreal is Vice President , Culinary Operations at The Atlantis Resort , Bahamas , he overseas the operations of 52 restaurants and manages 700 staff including over 100 Chefs de Partie . Born in Australia, he has worked for Disney in Shanghai, China before atking up his present post , Alan has a passion for developing young aspiring chefs and is chair of Worldchefs Bill Gallagher Forum, in this episode he speaks with Jak about his career, the challenges the industry has and his boundless optimism for the future
Orry Shand is Scotland's Team Captain for the 2022 Culinary World Cup in Luxembourg. Orry has represented his country internationally on many occasions and is also Executive Chef at Entier Food Services, one of Scoltand's premier food service companies. With Entier he has worked on the Fresh Olives programme bringing potential young chefs in to the industry, He talks to Jak all about what it takes to represent your country and also his role with Entier.
Stadium Catering is not only on matchdays but a 7 day operation. Graeme Pacitti of Heart of Midlothian explains the lead up to matchday. The Stadium Experience Awards were founded to recognize the excellence in this sector. Debbie Rigney and Rod Bowker discuss with Jak the categories and the criteria to win these highly sought after awards.
Jonnie Ferguson has just been named The Roux Scholarship Winner for 2022, Jonnie is one of Scotland's most outstanding young chefs , he discusses with Jak the journey from his first chefs uniform at 9 years to working with Andrew Failie and Glenturret Distillery one of the new Michelin Star Restaurants in Scotland .
Barry Bryson, Mark Heirs and Kevin MacGillivray are 3 Award Winning Scottish Chefs who after highly successful careers went out on their own as private chefs who are in high demand for events and at home dining. Jak presents 3 different case studies on what has made them successful.
Chef Jimmy Lee, who was voted Chef Personality of The Year in 2018, trained in his father's takeaway business. He opened his own restaurant Lychee Oriental bringing Hong Kong Cuisine to Glasgow and in 2021 he opened Hong Kong street food restaurant Salt & Chilli in both Glasgow & Edinburgh. He has made many appearances on television including BBC Great British Menu.
Guys was one of the most iconic restaurants in Glasgow, Guy Cowan recalls his experience of over 40 years cooking and for some of the worlds most famous people and provides an honest opinion of the industry today.
Julie Lin's love of cooking with her mother led her from a career in retail to owning her own restaurant in the South side of Glasgow Julie's Kopitiam specializing in Malaysian and Asian Cuisine, she has also been a contestant on BBC Masterchef and had her own cookery program on television , she speaks with Jak about her passion for food and the decision to open her own restaurant
Rehan Uddin is the Chef Patron of Bombay Express in the English Rivera resort of Torquay , he is also Managing Director of The Asian Restaurant Owners Network . from it's traditional beginnings he has spent the last 11 years refining his menu and using the most up to date technology to introduce innovative dishes while reducing his overheads. Rehan explains to Jak O.Donnell how the use of technology and new cooking systems can increase your profitability while not at the expense of quality.
Gary McLean is one of Scotland's most well known chefs, past winner of the BBC Masterchef The Professionals Gary was also named Scotland's National Chef , he has a wealth of experience and knowledge which he now emparts to his students at City of Glasgow College . Jak speaks with him about his life and passion as chef
Helen Vass has been called a Pastry Magician , in discussion with Jak she explain all about her passion for pastry and speaks of some of great Pastry Chefs who have main influenced her over her career
The Andrew Fairlie Scholarship was established in 2019 in tribute to the life of Andrew Fairlie Scotland's only 2 Michelin Star Chef. Andrew was the first recipient of the Roux Scholarship . The Andrew Fairlie Scholarship offers to a young male and female chef a once in a lifetime opportunity for an international stage and a placement at the Culinary Institute of America
Gary Townsend is Head Chef at one of Glasgow's iconic Boutique Hotels , One Devonshire Gardens recently a finalist in the National Chef of The Year Jak O Donnell speaks with Gary about his career and the challenges of managing the kitchen and maintaining the reputation of the restaurant of one of the city's favorite dining venues
International Chefs Day was established by the Chef Dr Bill Gallagher in 2004 , it is celebrated across the globe in October each year, As part of this years event Jak visited West College Scotland to speak with some students from over representing 40 schools and also the chefs from industry who participated in the 2021 event.
Derek Johnstone was the inaugrual winner of BBC Masterchef The Professionals. He has been twice Runner Up in the National Chef of The Year and also won a Silver Medal Winner at the Culinary Olympics in Stuttgart 2020. He is currently Executive Chef at Rusacks Hotel St Andrews where he oversees the operation of 3 restaurants.
Simon Hulstone is one of the most acclaimed chefs in the UK , he has represented the UK in the Bocuse d'Or on four occasions , a past winner of The Roux Scholarship and the National Chef of the Year . Now Chef Patron of Michelin Star The Elephant in Torquay he discusses with Jak his enthusiasm for competition and how it prepared him for a successful career
The Secret Garden is located somewhere in Perthshire and provides produce for Scotland's only 2 Michelin Star restaurant Restaurant Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles Hotel, Jak O 'Donnell spends some time with Head Gardener , Jo Campbell to discover it's secrets
William Curley is a Scottish Patissier and Chocolatier, he has won The Academy of Chocolate 'Britains Best Chocolatier 'on four occasions . He has his own company in London and is the author of many books , His products can be found in some of the worlds finest stores . He speaks with Jak about his passion and love of his craft
Gordon McGregor was one of the most talented young chefs of his generation , winning numerous accolades and awards for his cooking both individually and also with the Scottish Culinary Team, Gordon worked in many of the finest kitchens in Scotland including Restaurant Andrew Fairlie . In 2013 he left to carve out a new life in Brisbane Australia where he now owns his own company, he speaks to Jak all about his career and life Down Under
Cafe Gandolfi is one of the most iconic and stylish Cafe/Restaurants in Glasgow , Seumas McInnes tells the story and his journey from kitchen porter to Chef Patron of this award winning establishment.
Multi Award Winning Chef and Author , Charles Carroll speaks with Jak O Donnell on his career and gives an insight into how he inspires and motivates the chefs of the future , also his role as Executive Chef at River Oaks Country Club, Houston , Texas and being appointed President of Worldchefs
Mary Contini OBE is a best selling author of numerous books involving food and the co-owner of the award winning shop and restaurant Valvona & Corolla , Scotland's oldest delicatessen and Italian Wine Merchant , Jak O Donnell in conversation with her on her life
John Quigley toured the globe as chef to some of the world's biggest rock stars including Paul McCartney, Tina Turner and Bryan Adams , now back in his home city of Glasgow he is Chef Patron of the highly acclaimed Red Onion Restaurant, John has a fascinating story to tell about his varied and interesting career.
Simon Attridge is Execituve Chef at the world famous Gleneagles Hotel, Simon gives an insight into the challenge of maintaining the highest culinary standards across a range of restaurants in the resort
John Higgins originally from Bellshill in Lanarkshire emigrated to Canada over 30 years ago after a successfull career in the UK , John became Executive Chef at the world famous King Edward Hotel, Toronto before going into education at George Brown College. He speaks with Jak about his experience working at Buckingham Palace and his move to Canada where he has become a leading culinary personality.
Adam Handling at the age of 32 is the owner of The Adam Handling Group encompassing 5 restaurants across London , winner of numerous awards he speaks with Jak about his passion and love of cooking
Willie Pike is one of Scotland's most admired chefs with unique skills and talent, he speaks with Jak about his career and the many awards he has achieved
Young chefs Sophie Taylor and Shannon McNeill discuss with Jak their experiences representing Scotland in the Nations Cup in the USA and winning acclaim for their skills and talent
An exclusive interview with the new Patron of Scottish Chefs, Michel Roux Jnr, Chef Michel in conversation with Jak on being a member of one of the worlds most famous culinary families and memories of his father Chef Albert Roux
Ruth Hinks World Master Chocolatier in conversation with Jak O Donnell about her journey from Australia to Scotland and the establishment of her world famous Chocolate School in the Scottish Border town of Peeble
David Cochrane CEO of HIT Scotland and Gordon McIntyre founder of Hospitality Health discuss the work of their Charities and the difference they have made to peoples' lives
Graeme Cheevers discusses his hopes and ambitions of bringing another Michelin Star to Glasgow at his first solo restaurant venture Unalome
Lorna McNee in discussion about her career and working with Andrew Fairlie and the achivement of bringing a Michelin Star for restaurant Cail Bruich, Glasgow
Chef Neil Borthwick discusses with Jak O Donnell his journey from award winning college student and the hurdles he has overcome to recognition in London .Neil's wife Michelin Star Chef Angela Hartnett also joins the discussion in this unique story
The rise of Artisan Bakers has grown in popularity 2 Chefs discuss how they have grown their business
3 Scottish Chefs explain how they have met the challenges of Covid-19 by diversification in their respective business
Worldchefs President Thomas Gugler and Secretary General Cornelia Volino discuss the work of Worldchefs and the Global Programmes and intiatives that have supported chefs in over 100 countries
Jim Cowie of The Captain's Galley , Scrabster and Trawler Skipper Alan Addison discuss the true price of bringing fish to the plate
Discussion with Su Cox Communications and New Business Development Director, and David Taylor, Head of Production North from The Scottish Salmon Company.
Jerry Smith Cabin Services Director for BA speaks on being a member of Concorde crew serving some fine dining 11 miles from space
Culinary legends Bruce Sangster ,Stewart Cameron and Billy Campbell discuss the highlights of their career of over 50 years in the Kitchen
Ralph Porciani discusses his journey from working in the family Fish and Chip Shop to being appointed GM at Trump Turnberry Resort
Kate Fairlie , Stevie Mclauglin,and Dale Dewsbury remember Chef Andrew Fairlie with a special tribute from Chef Albert Roux OBE KFO Work