Confessions of a Chef
By Effective Communication
John Cook, 29, is Head Chef at Oscars Bar & Grill in Cowbridge.
John lives in Bridgend with his wife Ceri and young daughter, Emily.
How long have you been at your job?
I actually opened Oscars five and a half years ago so have been here from the very start. Prior to that I was working at another hotel in our group and I was delighted that our MD felt I’d be the right choice to take on this new challenge.
What’s your employment history?
I started my career at the Coed y Mwstwr Hotel near Bridgend – both the Coed and Oscars are part of the Town & Country Hotels Group. I started there as a Commis Chef to Chef Du Partie and progressed to Senior Sous Chef by the time I left to open Oscars. At the Coed, I combined the day job with completing my professional qualification at a local college.
How did you become involved in the field? What inspired you to choose it as a career?
Well my grandmother once cooked for the Queen Mother so I suppose it runs in the family! I’d always had a interest in cooking really but when I was in school it wasn’t as ‘trendy’ as it is now – you didn’t have the tv programmes that are on today and Jamie Oliver was still in school himself so it certainly wasn’t seen as the cool option – I just knew I loved it and it was what I wanted to do and took it from there.
Is there a lot of training involved?
I started a full-time course at Bridgend College when I left school but soon realised I needed more hands on experience so began work in a hotel kitchen but continued my professional qualification around this. I can’t underestimate the importance of getting your hands dirty in this job and actually getting involved with the cooking but equally, it’s important to have that qualification to back you up so what I did worked perfectly for me. In this job you feel like you’re in training every day because there’s always a new recipe or ingredient to discover and that’s what keeps it interesting.
What are the best and worst things about it, the most challenging and rewarding aspects of the job?
I genuinely love what I do but obviously the hours can be a bit unsociable and don’t really fit with those that your friends and family work. It just means the social calendar has to be planned well in advance!
For me, the challenges are often what bring the rewards – so cooking for 150 at lunch with everyone leaving satisfied and happy and then doing it all again that evening is a real buzz. It’s lovely to get nice feedback from customers and especially when they stop you in the street to chat about what a nice meal they had at Oscars!
What’s so special about your job?
I just thoroughly enjoy it – I like catering for what customers want and knowing that I’ve been part of making someone’s experience at our restaurant a good one.
What’s the most unusual / complicated recipe you’ve been asked to prepare?
In my previous job we were catering for a wedding and asked to make a croquembouche – it’s a traditional French dessert and basically a towering cone of profiteroles which is bound with caramel. It sounds quite simple but is the most complex dessert to get right. It took us 2 days to make. We found out later that when the bride and groom had been touring potential venues prior to the wedding, as soon as they mentioned the cake, most admitted they probably wouldn’t be able to do it so a real result for us.
Have you ever cooked for anyone famous?
We often get celebrities in the restaurant who have become valued customers but I did get excited when Robert Carlyle walked through the door. He was doing some filming in the area not that long ago and came in for lunch. I’m a fan of his work so it was even more of a bonus when he told our waitress he’s enjoyed his meal!
What advice do you have for anyone who wants to follow in your footsteps?
Be prepared to work very hard. It’s not the sort of job you can go into half heartedly but if your heart is in it and you put the hours in, it’s the best. Also, get the kitchen experience – get into a kitchen and soak up everything that’s going on around you. You could be the best cook in the world but if you want to be a chef and can’t function in a busy kitchen under pressure, there’s no point.
Tags: Confessions of a Chef, Cowbridge, Oscars Bar and Grill, restaurant, South Wales Echo, Vale of Glamorgan
