Cook House Issue 14

Page 1

the food magazine of Soho House

BOX FRESH

Autumn inspirations

Fishy business Festivals, food shows and feasts

Autumn 2013


LET'S GET COOKING There are plenty of seasonal selections to inspire you this issue. Photo by Steven Joyce


COOKHOUSE autumn 2013

Welcome to the autumn 2013 issue of Cookhouse. We’ve given four of our top chefs the chance to show off their favourite tasty and seasonal seafood recipes, plus our friends, guest chefs Tom Kerridge from the Hand and Flowers in Marlow and Nicole Krasinski from State Bird Provisions in San Francisco, share dishes perfect for Sunday lunch. The brilliant Nicky Pickup from Soho House West Hollywood shares a few of the secrets of her success and the London Cookhouse team visit a beautiful urban apiary and learn about cooking with honey. We get the low-down from the first ever Soho House New York Food Show as well as catching up on the action as our US sous chefs compete in this year’s Sous Chef Battle and a joint Cookhouse and House Tonic comp to create the perfect picnic and drinks pairings. Martin Kuczmarksi talks us through progress with his 9/10 project, which is all about making Soho House better, in every aspect of the company. Plus, we’ve got all the news from Soho House venues around the world.

4

STARTERS

a taste... 17

Soho House food news

Oli Juste learns to love them

8

18

WHAT I KNOW

Senior sous chef Nicky Pickup

10

US SOUS CHEF BATTLE The heats hot up

12

MARTIN K

The 9/10 project so far

CUT OUT & KEEP

Guest chef recipes from Tom Kerridge and Nicole Krasinski

20

SEAFOOD SPECIAL Top chefs’ top recipes

30

PICNICS AND HENDRICKS Picnic pairing competition

31

WHAT’S IN SEASON?

BARBIES AND BOTTLEGREEN

The best things to eat right now

22

HOUSE FESTIVAL

Grilling on the roof at Shoreditch House

OPEN UP

14

New openings Dirty Burger Vauxhall and Soho Diner

Feasting at SHNY

23

NY FOOD SHOW

24

URBAN BEES

TORONTO FILM FEST

Fabulous food for fabulous people

32

Dancing, drinks and very hard-working chefs

34

IN PRAISE OF... Cooks get the nod

you know who you are... Editor: Rebecca Seal Art Etc: Dominic Salmon Publisher: Dan Flower Thanks to: Phoebe Strawson, Oli Juste, Caroline Boucher, Ronnie Bonetti, Martin Kuczmarski, Andrea Cavaliere, Jake Rigby-Wilson, Ashley Lent, Sergio Sigala, Sophie Roche-Garland, German Lucarelli, Alessio Biangini, Dai Williams, Steven Joyce, Camilla Karlsson

www.cookhouse.com


Slices

nibbles and food news

BABINGTON'S GARDEN

The gardens at Babington in full bloom this summer.

Neil Smith, head chef at Babington House writes: “An added bonus for a chef at Babington is to escape the heat of the kitchen and head to the walled garden to pick a selection of ingredients to add a home-grown feel to the daily menus. The fruit is flourishing from raspberries, strawberries, blackcurrants and gooseberries; all great for the pastry chef to make some fresh delights for our daily afternoon tea. The apple and pear trees are making good progress for an autumn harvest ready for amazing pies and don’t forget the toffee apples for bonfire night! Colours are added to our menu from rainbow chard, multiple types of beetroots, courgettes and their incredible flowers which are perfect for stuffing along with all the other edible flowers that are popping up around the garden. The fennel and rocket are great additions to any salad and are growing in great abundance for daily picking. The chefs are backwards and forwards every day, collecting a whole host of herbs and salad leaves, and watching other vegetables starting to pop up ready for picking later in the year. A prime example of this is the Jerusalem artichokes getting ready for Christmas while the sun is still shining.”

“It’s a bonus to escape the heat of the kitchen and head to the walled garden”

FISH TACO BATTLE

Cooks from Soho House and Cecconi’s West Hollywood went head-to-head, mano-a-mano, in an all-out fish taco battle. Entries ranged from crab and curry to the winning crispy fish with avocado tomatillo. The judges were mightily impressed by the variety and creativity of all of the entries. Congratulations to Antonio and Janet, the winning team from Cecconi’s. Soho Beach House Miami also hosted their own brilliant version – congrats to everyone who took part!

Inspiring Tacos

BEST STAFF FOOD IN THE WORLD

Come In We’re Closed is a wonderful book, an in-depth look at what 25 of the greatest restaurants in the world feed their staff. Because staff food (or the family meal) is of huge importance to Soho House, Martin Kuczmarski has given a copy to every head chef in the company. From the Fat Duck to Michel Bras to wd-50, the book looks at what staff get fed the world over, shares recipes and even has a foreword by the great Ferran Adria - a chef who knows the importance of staff food so well he’s written his own book about it.

04 COOKHOUSE

autumn 2013

www.sohohouse.com


PAUL A YOUNG

Cookhouse hooked up with Paul A Young for a chocolatier masterclass. Paul is a groundbreaking, inspirational chocolatier who is at the forefront of the British chocolate scene. He has written a bestselling book, won numerous awards and is a regular on UK TV food shows. Hosting a session at Pizza East Shoreditch, Cookhouse learned to temper chocolate, line chocolate moulds and make his famous salted caramel truffle.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx jfdsjfdslkjfldkfjeosiruejsdlkjkljfs

In other news...

Chef Exchange

Sergio Sigala from Soho Beach House Miami and Nicky Pickup from Soho House West Hollywood were chosen to spend some time in top kitchens in Chicago. They each spent five days with Stephanie Izard in the Girl and the Goat and Little Goat, as well as time with Brendan Sodikoff and his teams at Au Cheval and Gilt.

A SURPRISE BBQ

Paul A Young in action.

What better way to treat hardworking head chefs and general managers than a barbie in the sun? Organised by Nick Caton & Christie Eardley (with a little help from Sophie Roche-Garland, Ronnie Bonetti, Jake Rigby-Wilson and Phoebe Strawson) there were marquees, bunting and even flowers, all set out in London Fields.

New Cookhouse Ambassador

Huge congrats to Lliam Boyle from Pizza East Portobello who is our new Cookhouse ambassador. He'll be creating trainings and organising exciting trips.

Berlin Havelland Express trip

SOUS CHEF DINNER

A feast for all our sous chefs created by exec chefs Ronnie Bonetti, Harvey Ayliffe, Stephen Tonkin and Jake Rigby-Wilson. All the UK sous chefs met in Pizza East Shoreditch to taste some Soho House classics, like steak tartare, shephard’s pie, salt-baked seabass and lemon meringue pie. The exec chefs, who had slaved over a hot stove all day, served up the amazing dishes and then talked the team through the whole cooking process. What a great way to kick start the learning week. Although there was enough food to feed an army the team made an awesome attempt at eating it all. A fabulous evening was had by the whole team‌even if food comas ensued.

JOIN US! Soho House is recruiting chefs. Email cookhouse@sohohouse.com or visit www.cookhouse.com. www.cookhouse.com

Tomasz Izworski writes: The team from Soho House Berlin took a trip to our supplier, Havelland Express. It was exciting to have an opportunity to choose all the best seasonal and regional products, which all come from local producers. It opened our eyes to the diversity of products available for us, and gave us new ideas for great dishes in which they can be used. Thanks to that trip, we are sure that our kitchen is getting only the best quality products.

autumn 2013

COOKHOUSE 05


FISHING AT REDONDO BEACH

It was a grey and windy morning when the West Hollywood team ventured to the shores of Redondo Beach. In another WeHo food adventure, they took to the waters of LA’s South Bay for a day of fishing. They began early in the morning and the main catch of the day was a barracuda. Then they took their rods to the local fish market and admired the selection of goodies, as well as the skill of the men shucking oysters and cleaning their catch. The trip culminated in a feast of oysters, fried tilapia, squid and shrimp fajitas. A great time was had by all and inspiration was all around, brought by the pleasures of the sea!

"How does this work?" Top left: getting fishing tuition at Redondo Beach.

“Another WeHo food adventure!”

DELI STATION

Eight lucky chefs spent a day trekking through Epping Forest, sipping Prosecco and feasting on cheese with Deli Station. We go through a lot of artisanal produce at Soho House, from the counter boards served at the Pizza Easts to the Italian cheeses and meats at Cecconi’s. So it’s important we know as much as possible about our ingredients. Deli Station, one of our major suppliers, kindly invited us down to their showroom to learn a little more about our produce, how it’s sourced and – of course – how it tastes. Treated to a delicious meal, a taste of plenty of new produce, and a few glasses of Prosecco, it was a great afternoon. www.thechefsdeli.com

06 COOKHOUSE

autumn 2013

Out of the kitchen and into the sun!

www.sohohouse.com


Slices RISING STARS

Cookhouse celebrates the unsung heroes of the kitchens

RAYMOND (JIA MEN) CHOO, SOHO HOUSE TORONTO NOMINATED BY NANO CRESPO

Raymond is a line cook who has been with us since opening. He is a real rock within our kitchen ranks.

MARIOLA (MERRY) STANISLAWSKA, HOXTON GRILL NOMINATED BY PETE MCALLISTER

For battling it out and still pushing strong! Merry has just pushed past her 10-year anniversary with our company throughout many of our sites and is still cracking the whip inside the kitchens.

JEFFREY MINESES, SOHO HOUSE NEW YORK NOMINATED BY GERMAN LUCARELLI

Our phenomenal line cook for the past five years Jeffrey Mineses, a rising star for the second time as he has been promoted to a kitchen manager! Exiting news for us, the chefs at SHNY. He’s a strong support and very knowledgeable cook.

VALERIO INNACONE, PIZZA EAST KENTISH TOWN NOMINATED BY THEO LEWIS

Valerio is not only a vital part of the Pizza East team but also of the entire unit. He is fast, dependable and extremely enthusiastic and consistent in all he does. He is also one of the main driving forces behind the improvement of staff food. He is a delight to work with as he is always smiling and keen to develop. An absolute pleasure to work with.

TATIANA BROWN, HIGH ROAD HOUSE NOMINATED BY DEVON BOYCE

Tatiana is a junior sous from Australia who worked down in Babington House for a year and has been with me for six months. She is a real trooper, works all the sections with great heart and is a real team player! A pleasure to have in the kitchen.

GAVEN DAVIS, BABINGTON HOUSE

NOMINATED BY NEIL SMITH

Gaven has been with us for three years. He’s from South Africa and was recently promoted to sous chef and is doing an amazing job. A young passionate chef, he has great knowledge in food and is a great guy to have in the kitchen and fun outside work too.

MARCUS PRAHST, SOHO HOUSE BERLIN NOMINATED BY ANDY LLOYD

Marcus was a member of the team when I started here back in March and was so reliable and enthusiastic that we decided to promote him to junior sous chef. He is a pleasure to work with. I have come to rely on him to help with German dishes and suppliers. From controlling the pass during busy services to taking charge of our Cookhouse lessons, Marcus is a pillar of the team. I foresee massive potential for him within Soho House in the future.

www.cookhouse.com

In other news...

Bristol Fest

Paul Leha and Jason Davies from Babington visited Bristol Food Festival: "It was the hottest day and the slight breeze around the harbour carried the smell of the most delicious hog roast. Which we had in a bun stacked up with lots of apple sauce - cracking and just what we needed. We washed that down with a pint of Ginger Grouse, a ginger beer that was the drink of the day. A must-visit next year."

The need for speed

Look out for service getting even zippier at Soho House. The new 3-8-10 initiative means that staff are whizzing out drinks in three minutes, starters in eight minutes and mains in ten minutes. Beat that clock!

Farm visit in Epping Forest

A team of chefs visited the Organiclea farm plot in Epping Forest which supplies Pizza East Shoreditch with fresh veggies. The afternoon was spent helping with the tomato harvest before creating some fresh salads with the produce. The trip was led by Matt Luscombe, sous chef at PES.

Whet your appetite? Soho House is recruiting in its kitchens. If you'd like the chance to work with brilliant guest chefs and to get bespoke training and support for your career, then get in touch. See www.cookhouse.com for more details of how to apply.

autumn 2013

COOKHOUSE 07


what i know

NICKY PICKUP Senior sous chef, Soho West Hollywood

I

remember the moment I decided I wanted to be a chef. I was in a restaurant, aged about 14, and I could see dishes coming out of the kitchen. I thought, I want to do that. When I was 15, my mum found me a job in a beautiful French restaurant in Cape Town (where I grew up). I spent a year there, earning practically no money, peeling vegetables. Then I was allowed to graduate to desserts, then finally I was allowed to cook. When I was 17, some friends opened a place and I went to work there, peeling vegetables again and helping out on Friday, Saturday and Sundays. Anywhere and any time I could, I’d work, absorbing as much as I could from the people around me. When I was about 21, I was on holiday in the UK and a friend was working at Babington House, Soho House’s hotel in Somerset. She asked me to come and hang out for a day. I walked in and just thought, this is the best place I’ve ever seen. I was in love with it from the first moment. At the end of that day, Shelley Armistead, who is now in charge of Soho House on the West Coast of America, sat me down and asked me if I’d like to come and work there. I wasn’t

planning on it but I have a UK passport and thought, why not? That was eight years ago. I started out as a line cook or chef-de-partie, dealing with 20 pounds of squid in the morning, then peeling and chopping more vegetables, and I couldn’t have been happier. Each day, we’d go to the garden and see what was good, then decide on the menu for service. It taught me that everything I thought I knew, I didn’t know. It was the beginning of another three-and-a-half years of learning, which was wonderful. Then, four-and-a-half years ago, Shelley and her husband, chef Matt Armistead, told me they were going to open a Soho House in Los Angeles and did I want to come? Why not? At Babington we served about 120 people, changing the menu twice a day. We pretty much thought we’d do the same thing in LA. But we do 350 on a quiet service, 600 if it’s busy, plus we can have seven or eight events taking place in an eight-hour period. I really, really enjoy what I do and I think that’s how I’ve stayed on an even keel. I wouldn’t do anything else – I just want to work hard, and now I

want to see the kitchen team and their food evolving. I cooked for a long time on the line and you have to remember, those cooks are the heart of the kitchen. You should spend time training and teaching them. I just spent five days working in Stephanie Izard’s kitchens in Chicago, thanks to Soho House and Shelley, who suggested it. If I could, I’d split myself in two and work for her for free! She does 1,000 covers a day and still serves really interesting food. Her style is very prep intensive, and it was intriguing to see very senior people getting stuck into prep, which is unheard of. But when you think about it, it makes perfect sense – if you have a senior chef in charge, it’s faster, there’s less waste and it’s much more efficient. My advice to a young chef would be to spend a full year working in kitchens before committing to paying for catering college. Do a high season and a low season, and really think about whether this is how you want to live your life. If you still do, good for you and go for it. And after college, be humble. You’re working with people who have sweated in kitchens for 30 years. If you respect that fact, they’ll give you everything.

SOUND GOOD? Want to join one of our kitchen teams in London, Somerset, Berlin, New York, LA, Miami or Toronto? Email cookhouse@sohohouse.com or check out our website. www.cookhouse.com to find out about vacancies and how to apply.

08 COOKHOUSE

autumn 2013

www.sohohouse.com


Photo by Leanna Creel

“I wouldn’t do anything else”


competition

SOUS N'ARMY...

An epic competition is under way stateside, to find the best sous chef in Soho House. The heat is on as the Sous Chef Battle heats take place around North America. In LA, New York, Miami and Toronto, sous chefs have been pitted against each other to create amazing dishes from surprise ingredients. The first round of the battle took place in New York. The judges included head chef German Lucarelli and GM Oliver Duckworth, and they gathered to watch the chefs cook amazing dishes, under pressure and in no more than 60 minutes. The competitors were presented with a mystery box full of vegetables, meat and fish. There were eight to choose from and they had to use a minimum of six, plus each heat was livened up with the addition of one weird and particularly unexpected ingredient, in this case sea urchin. The others were short rib, mizuna mushrooms, arborio rice, ready-made pesto, kumquats, yucca root (cassava) and cedar paper. First place went to Mikel Trevino-de-Luis for his short rib carpaccio with pesto lemon oil, crispy yucca and mushroom ragout, plus a delicious sea urchin risotto with mizuna mushrooms, yucca, pesto and kumquat. Second place went to Mathis Schott, who made braised short rib

with mizuna mushrooms and pesto, plus yucca cakes with crispy sea urchin and kumquat marmalade. Wow.

with chive and lemon aioli, followed by maple-soy glazed squab with corn, spring vegetable and bacon succotash.

The team really did an incredible job with their dishes, particular respect goes to Mathis who had never tried sea urchin or yuca root but still came in only 2.5 points behind Mikel. In Miami, the team had to choose from almonds, peaches, chorizo, sun chokes, lamb, cauliflower and hazelnuts. The winner, who did a sterling job and impressed the judges, was Robert Pagan, sous chef from Ocho, one of the Soho Beach House’s kitchens.

In West Hollywood the team was judged by Shelley and Matt Armistead, Andrea Cavaliere and Matt Huhn from Cecconi’s. The chefs worked with rabbit, Muscat grapes, baby eggplant, white corn, Santa Barbara prawns, wild mushroom, Firestone beer, red Savoy cabbage, forbidden rice and that weird ingredient again, sea urchin. The winners blew the judges away with their dishes – well done to Michael Mahony from Soho House West Hollywood and Riccardo Lopez Cruz from Cecconi’s West Hollywood.

In Toronto the ingredients were Serrano ham, artichokes, maple syrup, corn, sweetbreads, pheasant thigh and leg, and oysters. The winner was Sarah Tsa with her terrific fritti misti of oyster, sweet breads and artichoke

Look out for the next issue of Cookhouse when we’ll be announcing the winner of the overall competition, after the finals take place. The top chef will then be treated to three amazing food-focused days in Chicago.

WANT TO LEARN?

Join one of Soho House's kitchen teams and you could compete too. Email cookhouse@sohohouse.com

10 COOKHOUSE

autumn 2013

www.sohohouse.com


“ The winners blew the judges away with their dishes”

www.cookhouse.com

autumn 2013

COOKHOUSE 11


next steps…

WHAT'S THE SCORE? The 9/10 project has been running since early 2013. Martin Kuczmarski tells about its progress so far.

t the beginning of 2013, Soho House’s Martin Kuczmarski gathered a team of top staff together in Chicago, to brainstorm about how they could take the company to the next level. The result was the 9/10 project, which aims to raise Soho House from a solid 7/10 in all areas to at least 9/10, by the end of the year. Martin himself took on food as his special area. Here, he tells us about what he’s been up to and his exciting plans for the rest of the year.

A

“The meeting in Chicago was brilliant, but I realised immediately that I couldn’t work on food by myself – it had to be something I did with all the head chefs. I called a meeting in London with all the European head chefs (I visited the US sites individually because they’re so

12 COOKHOUSE

autumn 2013

far apart) – which is a lot of chefs, as we now have 20 kitchens in the UK alone. I ran another brainstorming session about the quality of what we do and how to make it better, asking them to think about how they rate their food, and marking it out of 10, the same as we had done for the rest of the business back in Chicago. On average, they felt they were at 7.5/10. Lots of ideas came out of the meeting – from better equipment and new suppliers, to speed and technical training within kitchens and cross-training between kitchens. I chose three team leaders to help me: Devon Boyce from High Road House, Michale Nargi from Shoreditch House and Gilbert Holmes from the Electric. They worked with groups of five to 10 head chefs and had eight weeks to go away and work together to provide plans

for our next steps. A few weeks ago we met again and they presented all their ideas and we decided to run with the best. For instance, they were all really keen to share and standardise recipes across the board, so we developed an online database with standard recipes and House regulars, like steak tartare and mac ‘n’ cheese, while also reassessing those recipes to be sure they are the best they can be. There are dozens of other projects on the go: we’ve developed a collection of recipe books that all the chefs can access via Kindle; we’re holding bigger daily tastings for all staff, so that the chefs can pass their enthusiasm to the rest of the teams and get front-of-house staff more involved with the food; we’re looking into buying better equipment for all www.sohohouse.com


“Ultimately better equipment means happier chefs” kitchens as ultimately better equipment means happier chefs; and although we already give chefs jackets, going forward we are now working on providing every new starter with shoes and trousers too. Other great ideas they had that we’re bringing in include staff discounts with a top knife company, and lots of cross trainings – so Tom Collins from Soho House London went to Babington to work for a week; and Nano Crespo from Toronto and Andrea Cavaliere from West Hollywood came to London. We’re sending people to do stages

outside the group: Sergio Sigala from Miami just spent a week in Chicago at the Girl and the Goat, as did Nicky Pickup from LA, who also spent time in Brendan Sodikoff ’s restaurants there. In fact, Andrea also spent some time in Brendan’s venues too. Is it working? Definitely. There is much more pride in what we’re doing and positive competition between the kitchens too. The passion from the head chefs is really filtering down and improving the food.

For instance, when we opened Soho Diner, we spent three weeks perfecting the ham and cheese toasted finger sandwich. Three weeks! I put on three kilos. But it’s the best sandwich now. Next, I want to work with front-of-house to make them as crazy about food as am I and the chefs. When I’m eating breakfast, I’m already thinking about what I’ll be having for lunch and dinner.”

WANT TO LEARN?

Join one of Soho House's kitchen teams for great training. Email cookhouse@sohohouse.com www.cookhouse.com

autumn 2013

COOKHOUSE 13


SHOWING OUT

This summer, Cookhouse presented the first-ever Soho House New York Food Show, featuring 13 of the finest culinary vendors the Big Apple has to offer on SHNY’s rooftop. Holly Eagleson reports back.

“Cooking Scrabble anyone?” 14 COOKHOUSE

autumn 2013

www.sohohouse.com


NY's food show on the roof

T

he event kicked off with an afternoon preview for industry insiders and Soho House chefs with demos on how to improve knife-sharpening skills, or how to make perfect soba noodles using ancient Japanese techniques. By evening, members descended along with some showers, but no one let a little rain get in the way of gastronomic satisfaction. Crowd favourites included the Italian-inspired offerings from the Chefs’ Warehouse, a distributor of fine foods often used in the kitchen of Soho House New York by Head Chef German Lucarelli. A standout was cravero, a Parmigiano Reggiano that’s cave-aged for two years, teamed with a pear mostardo, a mustard oil and fruit jam that also

www.cookhouse.com

complemented the olives and wild boar on hand. One table over, members enjoyed the cuisine of Barcelona courtesy of Catalan Gourmet, a purveyor of piquant boquerones (aka white anchovies) and deliciously salty jamon. Another star of the night was Nuchas, a Times Squarebased food truck and stand that’s revolutionising the hand-held food market with its savory baked empanadas. Founded by Argentine Ariel Barbouth, Nuchas’ recipes were actually developed by Soho House’s Chef German. “I came with my own recipes but they were very Argentine, but that’s not what the US needs,” Barbouth said. “We wanted to do something that was much more cosmopolitan and worldwide that people can eat literally anywhere.” autumn 2013

COOKHOUSE 15


Members sampled the traditional Argentine variety with ground beef, potatoes, and spices, as well as more inventive versions with spicy chicken and portobello mushrooms. “They did a great demo as well, showing how to make a traditional Argentinian pie, empanada,” says German. On the seafood side, Gourmet Foundry offered up expertly-sliced sushi and ramen noodles to members who didn’t mind ogling a fish head or two. Seatide Gourmet also provided a fully-stocked seafood bar, with raw oysters, clams, even scallops for the adventurous. Later, they grilled out with salmon burgers, Nile perch, and crab-stuffed salmon pinwheels. “We also had Central Seafood doing demos,” says German. “On how to fillet an Alaskan Cooper river salmon, which we took to the kitchen and transformed into delicious salmon tartare, plus how to open oysters and clams. We tasted some delicious blue shrimps as well.” For those who were feeling more like comfort food, there were mouthwatering patties from Dirty Burger and lobster rolls from Homarus. Bowery Kitchen, a premium supplier to kitchens around the city, brought a fun range food-related gadgets and games. (Cooking Scrabble, anyone?)

“ We can’t wait for the next one”

The crowd washed down the treats with Whispering Angel, the small batch rosé from Château D’Esclans that’s one of the best-selling wines on the Soho House rooftop, as well as Dewar’s Highlander Honey cocktails and Peroni. Tee-totalers weren’t left out, with samples from Toby’s Estate Coffee, and Runa, a new guayusa tea from Ecuador similar to mate but without the bitter aftertaste. Of course, no evening would be complete without dessert. Imperial Woodpecker Sno Balls served up New Orleans’ favorite icy treat, with varieties including red velvet cake, pina colada, and even an Arnold Palmer, a delightful mix of tea and lemonade flavors. We can’t wait for the next one!

16 COOKHOUSE

autumn 2013

www.sohohouse.com


BEE LUCKY!

Oli Juste visits Bee Urban, an inner-city apiary in London, with the Cookhouse team.

I

don’t like sharks, I don’t like bears, I don’t like crocodiles that much either; frankly any animal who could kill me simply because they don’t like the look of me that morning. So, obviously, I’m not a huge fan of bees. My dad was scared of them, and passed this phobia onto me. On the other hand I like honey. In fact, I LOVE honey! But then, a couple of months ago I passed Bee Urban on the corner of Kennington Park in London while walking my dog. I walked in and met the charming Barnaby Shaw for the first time. Barnaby was opening the gates of his apiary to the community and his wood oven was lit in the garden to bake fresh pizzas.

The Cookhouse team was also keen to experience cooking with honey. Stephane, one of the volunteers at Bee Urban, had prepared their wood oven for us, and when it was suitably hot we started baking pizza. All our creations were then smeared with honey from a pot we had left in the sun; it was like liquid gold, and it elevated all our dishes, especially the cheeses.

The next day, minutes after talking about my encounter to the Cookhouse team, an afternoon at Bee Urban was organised. We were all super excited (and I was a little bit scared). On the day, after a little theory on bees and beekeeping from Barnaby, we jumped into our sexy beekeeping suits and off we went – opening beehives. The first layer unleashed hundreds of bees, flying around us and banging into our jump-suits; very impressive, and scary at first. By the second layer we were in a cloud of bees, but we were quickly immersed in this most amazing world, a real city of bees. All of them had a clear and unstoppable purpose. It was impressive and magical.

We had the most amazing afternoon, learning about Barnaby’s brilliant little apian friends, and although you probably shouldn’t give animals human feelings, I could not help but fall in love with these bees’ determination and passion. A special thanks to Tamas from Pizza East Shoreditch who helped with the extra ingredients and cooking, and of course to Barnaby, Lesley and Stephane for their superb welcome and hospitality. I like bees now, especially Barnaby’s bees. Dad would be proud!

Lesley (another lovely volunteer) showed us the garden: the kiwi tree, loganberries and cherry tree. On this summer afternoon the garden was thriving and full of flowers. No wonder the bees are happy here, it’s heavenly.

Find out more by following @BeeUrban on Twitter or see www.projectdirt.com/project/7954

“Very impressive, and scary at first”

Oli Juste (above) and the Cookhouse team visit Bee Urban.

www.cookhouse.com

autumn 2013

COOKHOUSE 17


out......... cut it

Recipes for you to cut out and keep from some of the top chefs who’ve visited Soho House Group’s kitchens around the world.

TOM KERRIDGE SLOW-ROASTED SHOULDER OF LAMB WITH BOULANGERE POTATOES Tom Kerridge is a brilliant chef whose pub-restaurant, The Hand and Flowers in Marlow, is a place of pilgrimage for chefs. This recipe is from his brand new book, Tom Kerridge’s Proper Pub Food (published by Absolute Press, £20.00). In September he hosted one of Soho House’s special One Night Only guest chef evenings at High Road House. www.thehandandflowers.co.uk This recipe is great to stick in the oven on a Sunday morning, then go and walk the dogs and call in at the pub for a couple and when you get home the house smells amazing – and lunch is ready. I think I can safely call it the ultimate family lunch! Pommes boulangère are named after the French term for a bakery. Once every village or town had a baker with big clay ovens. When the baker had finished baking his bread, he would turn the oven off and the residual heat in the oven would slowly cook this fantastic potato dish.

18 COOKHOUSE

autumn 2013

serves 4–6, plus some for the dogs 6 large waxy potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced 3 onions, thinly sliced leaves from 1 bunch of thyme 1 shoulder of lamb, about 4 lb 6oz/2kg 1 head of garlic, separated into cloves and peeled 20 fl oz/600ml chicken stock salt and pepper, to taste Preheat the oven to 130°C/gas mark ½/260ºF.

Mix the potatoes, onions and thyme leaves together in a bowl and season. Roughly layer the potatoes and onions in a roasting tray and put the lamb on top, skin side up. Use a knife to pierce the lamb all over, then put a clove of garlic into each hole. Pour over the chicken stock. Put the baking tray in the oven and roast the lamb for 4–5 hours, until the lamb is tender and the potatoes are cooked through. Remove the tray, cover it with foil and leave the lamb to rest for 20 minutes before carving.

“I think I can safely call it the ultimate family lunch!” www.sohohouse.com


NICOLE KRASINSKI GINGERED TAPIOCA WITH CARMELISED HONEY, DATES AND PEARS Nicole Krasinski is pastry chef and owner of the wonderful and innovative State Bird Provisions in San Francisco, a regular host for Soho House chefs visiting from Los Angeles. She devised this recipe especially for Cookhouse. statebirdsf.com serves 4-6 ¼cup/3 oz/80g ginger, peeled and sliced 6 cups/ 1 ½ litres whole milk ½ cup/100g granulated sugar ½ cup/75g + 2 tablespoon small pearl tapioca 1 cup/250ml wildflower honey pinch salt 1 cup/150g dates, pitted and sliced 4 pears (preferably Bartlett) For the tapioca: fill a small pot with water, bring to a simmer, add the ginger and cook for three minutes. Strain, pat dry and purée in a food processor until well chopped, but not smooth. In a large heavy-bottomed pot combine the milk, sugar and ginger, and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and let steep for 10 minutes. Strain out the ginger. Pour the liquid back into the same pot and bring back to a simmer. As soon as it is simmering, whisk in the tapioca. Cook over a low heat until the tapioca is almost completely translucent, about 12-15 min, when there should be a little speck of white left in the centre of the pearls. Remove from the heat and pour into a bowl to cool, stirring occasionally. Once cool place in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use (it will keep for up to three days). If the tapioca is very thick, thin out with milk before serving. For the honey and dates: place the honey in a small pan, bring to a simmer and cook for three minutes or until it starts to smell caramelised. Take off the heat and carefully add ¼ cup/125ml water and the salt, as this will stop the cooking process. Pour into a metal bowl to cool. Once cool stir in the dates. Reserve at room temperature until ready to use. To serve, slice up the pear and place a scoop of tapioca into a bowl. Top with honey-date mixture and slices of pear.

State Bird Provisions and top, Nicole Krasinski.

GET ON THE GUEST LIST!

Join one of Soho House's kitchens and work with our great guest chefs. Email cookhouse@sohohouse.com www.cookhouse.com

autumn 2013

COOKHOUSE 19


up on the roof...

WE GOT A LOTTA BOTTLE To celebrate Soho House’s partnership with Bottlegreen, we threw a party on the roof of Shoreditch House he party was open to all Shoreditch’s members. Everyone devoured the exceptional food prepared by head chef Michele Nargi and his team, who cooked veal and pepper skewers, seafood kebabs and chicken thighs with tzatziki over a roaringly hot grill, as well as fresh crab bruschetta.

T

Guests also got the chance to design their own drinks. Bottlegreen has been going for 25 years, using local spring water in the Cotswolds, and the company is famous for its elderflower cordials and pressés. But they also have a big range of more unusual flavours – like Cox’s apple, lemon & lime leaf, cranberry & orange and acacia blossom. Teaming up with Grey Goose vodka meant that members could make their own cocktails up, choosing either regular vodka or L’Orange, Le Citron or La Poire, all beautifully served up by the Shoreditch bar crew. “Our drinks are made using wine-making processes,” explained Amanda Grabham from bottlegreen. “And that makes them suitable for adult palates, and means that they pair with both alcoholic ingredients and food very well. They have light, fresh and clean flavours, so they go with foods like these perfectly.” The chefs even took inspiration from the drinks flavour notes to create marinades for the meat and fish dishes they were cooking.

20 COOKHOUSE

autumn 2013

www.sohohouse.com


“They have light, fresh and clean flavours, so they go with foods like these perfectly” Bottlegreen cocktails and delicious skewers enjoyed on the roof.

www.cookhouse.com

autumn 2013

COOKHOUSE 21


new openings

NEW OPENINGS

Fancy a classy hot dog or a naughty burger? Then head to one of Soho House’s two latest openings.

SOHO DINER

Soho Diner is a sister venue to the Electric Diner in Notting Hill, London. Brendan Sodikoff, a chef from Chicago who has been working with Soho House on new venues this year, helped put together the brilliantly naughty menu – think honeyfried chicken, a perfect cheeseburger, waffles, hot dogs or a crab cocktail. Open until late, it’s also where you can come for cocktails, which are served on tap alongside beers and wines – all freshly made and batched for the best speed of service possible.

DIRTY BURGER

Meanwhile, Soho House has ventured south of the river for the first time, with the opening of Dirty Burger in Vauxhall, serving brilliant burgers and lovely craft beers. You’ve got to try the crinkle cut chips and the onion fries.

Photos by Steven Joyce and Dai Williams

www.sohodiner.com; www.eatdirtyburger.com

“You’ve got to try the crinkle cut or onion fries” 22 COOKHOUSE

autumn 2013

www.sohohouse.com


CANADIAN CLUB LOVE For the fifth year in a row, Soho House partnered with Grey Goose Vodka to host party after brilliant party at the Toronto International Film Festival. Cookhouse catches up.

S

oho House Toronto was backto-back, wall-to-wall parties over the five days of Toronto International Film Festival.

Producer of The Fifth Estate Michael Sugar held an exclusive shindig on the House’s Club Floor, with Benedict Cumberbatch, Alicia Vikander and Daniel Brühl. The world premiere of Horns was celebrated by actors Daniel Radcliffe and Juno Temple, plus producers Joey McFarland, Riza Aziz and Cathy Schulman. Meanwhile, a second party was thrown by the team behind Parkland; guests included Zac Efron, Tom Welling, Paul Giamatti, Colin Hanks, Bitsie Tulloch, James Badge Dale and Jacki Weaver.

Even more parties took place over subsequent nights – keeping Soho House Toronto’s chefs on their toes! Matthew Weiner, writer/director of You Are Here, was joined by producers Jordan Horowitz and Scott Hornbacher, and cast members Amy Poehler, Laura Ramsey and Lauren Lapkus. The Pretzel Bell Bar was taken over by the Night Moves team, including Dakota Fanning, Jesse Eisenberg and Katherine Waterston. Jason Bateman, Ewan McGregor and Jennifer Morrison also dropped by to celebrate the film – as you do. The biggest do of the lot was thrown on the last night of the Festival by Soho House Toronto, Grey Goose, The Weinstein Company and

Entertainment One to celebrate the world premier of August: Osage County. Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor, Juliette Lewis, Dermot Mulroney, Abigail Breslin, Chris Cooper, Julianne Nicholson and director John Wells hung out with Harvey Weinstein, along with Soho House founder and owner Nick Jones, Taylor Swift, Ralph Fiennes, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Morrison, Tom Felton, Felicity Jones, Melissa George and Jared Harris. The lucky celebs and stars were treated to Grey Goose cocktails, delicious canapes, nibbles and desserts, all especially designed and prepared by Soho House Toronto’s hard-working kitchen teams.

“Even more parties took place over subsequent nights – keeping Soho House Toronto’s chefs on their toes!”

Photos by Stefanie Keenan

www.cookhouse.com

autumn 2013

COOKHOUSE 23


Practise your scales...

YOU SHALL HAVE A FISHY... Soho House’s top chefs spend a long time carefully sourcing fish and choosing the best ways to cook it. Here are four brilliant recipes that our chefs cook at work or at home. Photographs by Steven Joyce



Practise license toyour grillscales...

TOM COLLINS, SOHO HOUSE LONDON CORNISH MACKEREL, BEETROOT SLAW, WATERCRESS serves 6 6 mackerel, filleted (12 sides) Maldon sea salt olive oil for cooking for the beetroot slaw: 2 lb 3oz/1kg raw beetroot 6 dessertspoons good quality extravirgin olive oil 1 teaspoon Maldon sea salt

26 COOKHOUSE

autumn 2013

pinch freshly ground black pepper 3 dessertspoons red wine vinegar juice of one lemon finely grated zest of half an orange 1½ dessertspoons finely grated fresh horseradish 1½ dessertspoons finely chopped flatleaf parsley 1½ dessertspoons crème fraiche 9oz/250g watercress for garnish First, make the slaw: peel the beetroot and slice into thin cross sections. Then slice into matchsticks and place in a mixing bowl.

Add all the other ingredients and mix, adjusting the seasoning if necessary. To cook the fish: season the fish on both sides with a small amount of Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat a good quality non-stick pan (or pans). Add a dash of olive oil and cook the fillets skin side down until golden and crisp (approximately three minutes). Turn over the fish and cook for a further two minutes. (Alternatively grill the fish.) Remove from the pan and assemble on the plate, garnishing with the watercress and, if you like, some more grated horseradish.

www.sohohouse.com


DEVON BOYCE, HIGH ROAD HOUSE SEAFOOD PASTA

serves 2 ½oz/15g garlic 2oz/50g shallots 1½ red chillies olive oil 2oz/50g cockles 2oz/50g mussels 2 fl oz/50ml white wine 2oz/50g prawns, peeled

2oz/50g squid 4oz/120g cooked nero (black squid ink pasta) freshly chopped parsley to serve

chilli/garlic mix, plus the white wine, and put the lid on the pan. After a couple of minutes, once the cockles and mussels start to open, add the prawns and squid.

Finely dice the garlic, shallot and chilli. Fill a small pan with about 1 inch/3cm of olive oil and place over a low heat. Add the diced vegetables and slowly confit in the oil till soft.

After a minute or two longer and when the cockles and mussels are open and squid is cooked, add the pre-cooked pasta.

Get a large pan with a lid hot over a medium heat. Add the cockles, mussels and a spoonful of the

Mix gently. Add a little olive oil, a pinch of roughly chopped parsley, check seasoning and serve.


MICHAEL MAHONY, SOHO HOUSE WEST HOLLYWOOD THAI SEAFOOD SOUP This is a play on a Thai soup called thom ka gui. serves 2 2 stalks lemongrass 1 knob ginger, sliced 4 shallots, sliced 1 clove garlic, sliced 3 Thai chillies 4 lime leaves 3 cups/750ml chicken stock

24 COOKHOUSE

autumn 2013

12 fl oz/375ml coconut milk Ÿ cup/60ml Thai fish sauce ½ cup/125ml lime juice 4 oz/125gg white fish 4 clams 4 mussels 2 shrimp or handful of prawns Sweat the first six ingredients in a large pan, then deglaze with the chicken stock and stir in the coconut milk. Reduce by a quarter, then slowly add the fish sauce and lime juice. Taste while adding so as not to over-salt or make it too acidic. At this point, if you're making

it in advance, you can take off heat and chill until ready to serve. When you're ready to serve, take a 4 oz/125g piece of your favourite white fish and all the seafood. Heat the broth and add the fish and seafood Cover and allow clams and mussels to cook through for 3-4 minutes. Once they've opened, check to see if the fish is cooked. Taste and balance the stew with acid or salt if needed. You could also stir in some wild mushrooms for flavour, or dust with smoked paprika. Serve in a bowl and with a nice piece of toast.

www.sohohouse.com


Practise your scales...

MIKEL TREVINO-DE-LUIS, SOHO HOUSE NEW YORK LOBSTER CALDERETA serves 8 For the lobster broth: 2 leeks, washed and julienned (sliced into fine lengths) 3 Spanish onions, sliced into medium brunoise 3g/¼ teaspoon Spanish paprika 5g/½ teaspoon saffron 2 medium carrots, peeled and julienned 2 sticks celery, julienned 4 lobster heads, blanched 1 stick lemon grass, julienned 4 Thai basil leaves, finely chopped reserved liquid from blanching clams and mussels (see below) 5 litres/34 fl oz water Sweat the leeks and onion until caramelised and add the saffron and the paprika. Cook for 5 minutes and add the carrots and celery; caramelise. Add the lobster heads and allow to cook for five minutes. Add the water and any remaining liquid from cooking the mussels and clams (below). Simmer for 45 minutes. Take off the heat. Add the lemon grass and basil and leave to infuse, covered, for 5 minutes. Strain and reserve the liquid. For the tomato sofrito 8 ½ garlic cloves ½ cup/125ml extra virgin olive oil ½ cup/100g finely chopped onion ½ teaspoon dried thyme ½ teaspoon dried rosemary ½ teaspoon dried bay leaf 8oz/225g pureed fresh tomato or canned tomato puree ½ teaspoon of salt and freshly ground black pepper

www.cookhouse.com

Put the garlic into a tall bowl and process to a paste using the hand blender. Put a saucepan over medium heat and add the oil. Fry the garlic until browned. Meanwhile process the onion in the blender. Add to the pan with the garlic. Lower the heat, add the herbs and saute, stirring frequently until the onion is browned. Add four fifths of the tomatoes and cook for 30 minutes. Add the remain tomato, cook for 30 minutes and season with the salt and pepper. For the picada 5 teaspoons saffron 6 garlic cloves, peeled 3½ cups/200t fresh parsley 1 cup/250ml extra-virgin olive oil 1 cup/140g toasted hazelnuts To make the picada: wrap the saffron threads in aluminium foil and toast lightly in a saute pan for a few seconds. Do not burn them. Put the peeled garlic and the parsley leaves in a bowl and add the saffron. Next, add the olive oil. Use a hand blender to make a coarse paste. Add the toasted hazelnuts and continue to process to make an even, fine mixture. For the caldereta: 1 cup onion sofrito (see method) 4 live lobsters 250g butter 32 clams (ideally Manila clams) 32 medium-sized mussels (ideally from Prince Edward Island) 2 cloves garlic, finely brunoised (diced into 2-3mm squares) 2 sprigs thyme 1 cup/250ml extra-virgin olive oil 1 US pint/470ml white wine 1 cup/250ml tomato sofrito 2 lb 3 oz/1kg Bomba paella rice 2g/1/8 tsp saffron 1 tablespoon Spanish paprika 34 fl oz/5 litres lobster broth (see above) 2 lb/900g squid ½ cup/120g picada 2 bunches parsley, finely chopped

First stun the live lobsters by placing in the freezer for 30 minutes. Make the onion sofrito by finely chopping then caramelising the onion slowly over a low heat. Make the lobster broth (see above). To make the calderata, remove the heads with a sharp knife and slice each lobster tail into seven, keeping the legs and claws intact and discarding the gills. Reserve the heads for the broth (above). Get a large pan hot, add the butter and then saute the lobster for a five minutes. Remove and reserve the lobster meat, and set aside. Blanch the clams and mussels with the garlic, thyme, half the olive oil and white wine. Discard any that do not open. Strain, adding the liquid to the lobster broth. To the pan you cooked the lobster in, add the remaining olive oil, onion sofrito, tomato sofrito and the rice. Cook over a low heat for five minutes. Add the saffron and paprika and stir well. Add the lobster broth and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the squid and cook for five minutes (it needs to cook for 10 minutes in total). Add the picada and stir, cook for two minutes then add the parsley. Return the lobster meat, clams and mussels to the pan and let cook for two more minutes. Serve in bowls, with each portion containing four mussels and clams, two or three pieces of tail meat and one lobster claw.

autumn 2013

COOKHOUSE 29


competition

HOW TO HAVE A PERFECT PICNIC

The Perfect Picnic competition was a combined Cookhouse and House Tonic event, with teams competing to create the best outdoor food and drinks. Phoebe Strawson reports back. ach team had to present three picnic dishes and a Hendricks gin cocktail or punch to match. As with any picnic, all the food dishes had to be prepared in advance (with only finishing touches needed on the day). Eleven sites took part and the calibre was outstanding! Picnics galore, and the presentation and thought that the competitors put into their picnics was really impressive.

E

The judges were Sophie RocheGarland, Cookhouse and House Tonic manager, Ronnie Bonetti, creative executive head chef, Tom Kerr, assistant general manager of Shoreditch House, European House Tonic ambassador, Duncan McRae, Hendricks brand ambassador and Kristian Aiken, national account

manager for First Drinks. It was a tough job for the judges to pick just one winner – and eat all those sandwiches! – and in the end we had to have joint winners. Well done to Babington House and High Road House. From Babington House Dave Gerrans and Rhys Couldrake presented the most beautiful picnic with three delicious dishes: lobster with baby gem, avocado and Marie-rose dressing, a Scotch egg with celery sauce and Western Cheddar with quince and chutney. Their cocktail was presented in a flask and named Babington to Paddington. It was a refreshing pink gin and tonic with homemade vermouth, rose petals, fortified wine and honey. They paired perfectly.

From High Road House, Lin Rousseau, Tatiana Brown and Alberto Ercoli created an equally delicious picnic with another three fantastic dishes and a very energetic presentation: gazpacho, made with red peppers, tomatoes, cucumber and tomato juice, marinated for 24 hours with sherry, salmon en croute (fresh salmon wrapped in smoked salmon and then in pastry) and a quail’s egg salad with a very moreish cucumber, cumin and yoghurt dressing. Their cocktail was perfectly paired with all the ingredients from the salad. The Back to Berry included cucumber, basil, berry syrup, gin, lime juice, a cumin spirit, cucumber and rose. Well done everyone! The basement at Concrete gets a taste of the outdoors with the picnic competition.

WANT TO LEARN?

Join onephoto of bySoho House'sstyled kitchen Cucumber Dai Williams, by Aliceteams Wigley and you could compete too. Email cookhouse@sohohouse.com

30 COOKHOUSE

autumn 2013

www.sohohouse.com


Autumn is arguably the richest moment in the food calendar, with delicious produce available worldwide. In the US look out for apples, pears, wild mushrooms, pumpkins and squash. Similar goodies are available in Europe – look out for beetroot, root vegetables like parsnips, celeriac and kale. Top tips: partially roast squash before peeling and chopping up - it makes them much easier to work with; use as the main ingredient in vegetarian lasagne, with sage or oregano; use in cakes or muffins as you might carrot or courgette; cook down with chilli, cider vinegar and a little ricotta and smear on sourdough toast; mix with corn and coriander and stuff tacos or add to quesadillas; blitz into a dip, with cumin, garlic and almonds; use in gnocchi or mash with potato. Make super healthy pesto with blanched kale, parmesan, garlic, lemon and parmesan; use it raw in a spicy slaw with beetroot, chilli and a mustard and creme fraiche dressing; make mac ‘n’ cheese less naughty by smuggling in some greens; throw a just-wilted handful on top of a pizza with some goat’s cheese or feta; make kale hash with potato and chorizo, and top with a poached or fried egg. Try pairing parsnips with nutmeg, peas, tarragon or watercress; mushrooms with dill, pork, walnuts or chestnuts; apples or pears with beetroot, squash, hazelnut, almond, rose or sage. Photo by Dai Williams

“ Autumn is arguably the richest moment in the food calendar”

In season now… www.cookhouse.com

autumn 2013

COOKHOUSE 31


Photos by Dai Williams

Another brilliant House Festival took place in London this year, bigger, better (and sunnier) than ever.

S

even thousand people partied like there was no tomorrow at the brand new House Festival venue, Marble Hill House. The setting couldn’t have been better – guests entered round the side of the beautiful manor house, to be met by a view over the whole site, which gently sloped down to two music stages, flanked by dozens of food stalls and bars.

GOOSE ON THE LOOSE GRGREY GOOSE FOIRE DE FRAISE

35 ml/1oz Grey Goose Le Citron 25 ml/ ¾oz strawberry purée 150ml/5oz homemade lemonade For the homemade lemonade you will need 75ml lemon juice + 30 ml gomme + 45 ml still water. To make the cocktail combine the Grey Goose Le Citron, strawberry puree and lemonade, stir and garnish with a rosemary sprig.

32 COOKHOUSE

autumn 2013

It takes a lot of thought and even more manhours to put a festival like this together. Quite apart from all the planning it took 580 staff, of whom 120 were chefs, to pull it off. The main bar alone was 28 metres long, and there were three others too, ensuring no-one had to wait to be kept watered – or maybe that should be Grey Goosed, as Grey Goose vodka cocktails were the order of the day. As well as all the drink you could sensibly have, there was plenty of food too: along with Soho House favourites Dirty Burger, Pizza East and Chicken Shop, chefs prepared literally hundreds of lobsters, paella, hog roasts, barbecues and paella, plus visiting chefs served up churros, gyoza dumplings, fish dogs and Paxton and Whitfield cheese. The soundtrack for the day was equally brilliant. There was something for everyone with Primal Scream, Kodaline, Scouting for Girls, Tom Odell, Rudimental, Soul II Soul, Gabrielle Aplin, Bastille, Kaiser Chiefs, The 1975, Angel Haze, Lulu James, London Grammar, Ruen Brothers and Saint Raymond, who all got the crowd dancing in the sun. See you there next year! www.sohohouse.com


“ As well as all the drink you could sensibly have, there was plenty of food too�


ingredients…

in praise of…

COOKS

Every issue, we ask one of Soho House’s chefs what is their favourite ingredient. This time, chef Andy Lloyd chooses his – cooks.

F

or me the most important thing in a kitchen is the chefs that make up our teams. Like ingredients they can be large, small, thick, thin and even funny looking, but a good balance is essential to creating a great team and product. Cooks and chefs all react differently under pressure and in circumstances of high heat and ever-changing targets and goals, but as a team anything is possible. As a company we have high expectations and big goals and our chefs and cooks are the ones that allow us to achieve these and to set even higher goals.

Without our teams we are nothing. No matter where you are in the world there is the same problem with chefs, there are always many, many out there but finding the right ones can be as tricky as making a soufflé; a recipe, like a resumé, can look really good on paper but when executed can prove to be completely different to the expectation. After travelling around the US with Soho house I’ve seen many a resumé and met many a chef. And I have to say that over the last five years between

Andrea, the head chefs and me, we have found a great selection of cooks and chefs to make up our teams in the various houses. My favourite ingredient now and forever will be the amazing people that I’ve met along the way and had the pleasure of working with. If it’s not said or mentioned enough, Soho House has an awesome brigade of chefs, cooks, dishwashers and runners that help us all to achieve our goals.

“Without our teams we are nothing” 34 COOKHOUSE

autumn 2013

www.sohohouse.com


WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR FRESH FACES

Soho House Group is always on the look out for new talent. If you want a great career in food then get in touch. We have restaurants, hotels and clubs in our venues in the UK, Berlin and North America, with more opening in the next couple of years. We offer tailor-made training, excellent support and the chance to travel or possibly even work overseas.

Photo by Dai Williams

Our farm-to-fork food philosophy is all about working with great ingredients, treated simply and with respect - whether we're flipping burgers in our brand new diner kitchens or making perfect pasta in Cecconi's.

WE'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU

For more information about current kitchen vacancies worldwide and how to apply email sophie@sohohouse.com, visit our website, www.cookhouse.com, or call Sophie Roche-Garland on +44 (0)20 7074 1449


TORONTINI CREATED BY JOE MCCANTA THIS FLAVOURSOME MARTINI WITH NOTES OF APRICOT, LEMON AND MAPLE SYRUP IS AVAILABLE IN EVERY HOUSE BETWEEN SEPTEMBER AND NOVEMBER – JUST ASK THE BARMAN. PAIRED WITH PAN FRIED SCALLOPS, HAZELNUT BUTTER, SHAVED KOHLRABI, FENNEL AND RADISHES. TO SEE HOW TO MAKE THIS COCKTAIL GO TO WWW.HOUSETONIC.COM

For the facts drinkaware.co.uk ©2013 GREY GOOSE, THE GREY GOOSE BOTTLE DESIGNS AND THE GEESE DEVICES ARE TRADEMARKS AND/OR REGISTERED TRADEMARKS.


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.