Master chef Words: Paul Scott Photography: Hein Wolmarans & Paul Scott
Cooking and celebrity go hand-in-hand. Open any television guide and you will find the likes of Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsey, Rick Stein and Heston Blumenthal. The name of Thomas Kennedy is missing. He is the master chef that got away.
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athan Outlaw this year became Cornwall’s first recipient of two coveted Michelin Stars. Primetime television appearances and book launches no doubt await, propelling him from his kitchen in Rock to the world of the celebrity by mere association with the Michelin guide. Yet forty years earlier it was the head chef at another of the county’s finest eateries that had the chance of becoming Cornwall’s pioneering celebrity chef. During the early 1970s Thomas Kennedy was head chef at the Cormorant, Golant when it became the first venue in the south-west to be Michelin rated. The accolade brought with it increased custom and revenue for the restaurant and some interesting proposals for Probus based Tom. Retired from professional cooking for six years Tom effortlessly slips back into the kitchen mentality. “That’s a bad question,” he says, in response to the first of the interview. Straight-talking is a necessity in the kitchen and there is little time for evasiveness when cooking for royalty, celebrities and the Great British public in some of the country’s finest restaurants. At his peak Tom was considered one of the top chefs in the country.
“I guess that may be equivalent to a Star today”
Master Chef: Tom Kennedy Photograph: Paul Scott 52
“This was before the Michelin Star came into effect,” he says. “One year I was rated at 74 per cent, I guess that may be equivalent to a Star today.” The Michelin guide is now synonymous with the world of celebrity chefs. Its influence is such that it can provide safe passage for chefs journeying from a busy kitchen to the bright lights of television studios and a personalised range of sausages. Four decades ago the influence of the guide was no less important. With the Michelin-rated Cormorant gaining national recognition the attention naturally turned to the man producing the
food, and before long Tom found himself featured in publications such as Country Life, Harpers Bazaar, and The Lady. It was perhaps of little surprise when the world of television came calling. “I was working at the Cormorant when they were filming Poldark. All the actors, crew and directors used to stay there,” he says. “One day one of the directors approached me and said ‘I’ve got this cunning plan – what we’d like to do is go
“Retrospectively it would have made me a lot of money” into the kitchen and do a series on the dishes you cook’.” Yet despite the possibility of lucrative rewards from a television series based on his culinary skills, Tom turned his back on the offer of starring on the small screen. “Retrospectively it would have made me a lot of money. I was more concerned that the staff around me would be put in a bad light by the way I was in those days,” he says. “Which was a bigmouthed, self-opinionated p****.” “Everyone at the time told me I was a fool for not doing it,” admits Tom. “I did go away and think about the offer seriously but I couldn’t react any other way when I was working”, he says. “I was worried that it would come across as me humiliating the people around me, that was my main concern.” The marriage of cooking and celebrity, and its association with the Michelin guide is an uneasy one for Tom. “You have to put the guides into perspective. It isn’t just the food that matters, it’s the front of house, it’s the ambience when you walk in, it’s a lot of things,” he says. “You could have the best food in the world but if the waiter walks up picking his nose you’re not going to go back.” The Michelin guide, this year celebrating its centenary, is now far removed from its original concept as a book to assist famished early automobilists into finding a decent roadside meal. Association with the guide today
will not only aid the ascent to celebrity for some head chefs but will also ensure a fully booked restaurant for months ahead. There are however few, if any, Michelin rated venues that would tempt Tom into making a reservation. “I know guys who I’ve worked with that I would like to cook for me that have never been in a guide,” he says. “Would I like any of today’s celebrity chefs to cook for me? Heston Blumenthal maybe. He does the really, really weird stuff, he does things technically. When he does exquisite things with slowworms’ testicles, wow it’s incredible.” The mention of slowworms’ nether-regions has Tom laughing aloud, evidently triggering a fond memory. In an instant he goes from straight-talking to storytelling. “When I worked up at the Tresanton at St Mawes we used to get the guys in filming the children’s television show Fraggle Rock. They would have with them an array of green, red, and yellow wiggly puppets,” he says. “Apparently, the Fraggle Rock guys discovered that Oliver Reed was staying for the week and decided to stitch him up. So the night before they rigged up one of these puppets to go zoom over the table where Oliver Reed would have breakfast. “Every morning Reed would order a large Bloody Mary for breakfast. He was taking his first couple of sips when suddenly this green wiggly worm shoots up over his table at 95mph before disappearing round the corner,” says Tom. “Instead of going nuts Reed raises his glass and calls out ‘Waiter! I’ll have another three of these’.” Tom retells the story with an enthusiasm as if it had occurred yesterday. The manner in which he recounts the tale suggests perhaps that it is the memories accumulated from a career in the kitchen that are of the highest value. Greater even than the contemporary rewards from the marriage of chef and celebrity.
Turn the page for some sumptious summer recipes by Thomas Kennedy exclusive to Surf & City 53
Roulade of Cod Suzanne Method
Ingredients serves two 2 cod loin fillets 2 slices of thin smoked ham puff pastry light soy sauce fresh pineapple
Take cod loin and wrap in the smoked ham. Roll puff pastry to the thickness of a five pence piece – ensure there is enough in which to roll the cod loin and smoked ham.
2 strawberries 100g granulated sugar
Place cod loin onto puff pastry, brush the edge with milk. Roll and tuck in ends. Make shallow diagonal incisions in the top of each. Place into refrigerator 30 minutes prior to cooking. To prepare pineapple: Cut whole pineapple laterally into quarters. Remove core, and run knife under the meat of the fruit detaching it from its base. Make an incision down the centre, cut several horizontal lines to create cubes. Garnish with fanned strawberries.Blend the meat from the remaining two quarters to add to coulis For coulis: Place sugar into saucepan with soy sauce. Add blended pineapple and place on the medium heat until the sugar turns light brown. Remove heat and allow to cool. Place roulade on a baking tray and into a preheated oven 150C/gas 2 for approximately 20 minutes or until pastry is golden brown. Serve with garnish and sauce.
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Photograph: Hein Wolmarans
Vimto Chicken Curry
Ingredients serves two
and
Strawberry salad
1 small chicken 170g sultanas 1 lemon jar of medium garam-masala small bottle of carbonated Vimto poppadoms Basmati rice with turmeric or saffron Chutney Stock 1 carrot 1 onion 1 clove of garlic 1 stick of celery 1 bay leaf 6 peppercorns 2 parsley stalks Roux 60g butter 60g plain flour Strawberry Salad rocket radicchio coriander strawberries dressing of choice (Tom used wild garlic, olive oil and malt vinegar).
Method Ask butcher to remove skin, breasts, legs and thighs from the chicken splitting the thighs from the leg. Cut the carcass into eight. The night before: Place sultanas into a dish and fill with Vimto until covered. Place in refrigerator. Place carcass into cold water and bring to the boil. Wash off, return to the pan. Fill pan up with cold water covering the chicken. Add diced vegetables and other stock ingredients. 56
Place over a low heat and simmer for 90 minutes. Allow to cool, place in refrigerator. On the day: Take chicken legs and thighs brown off in pan. Place in deep baking tray. Remove stock and sultanas from the refrigerator. Strain sultanas and put to one side. Add lemon zest to stock, pour in Vimto and add garam-masala. Whisk.
To make Roux : Melt butter in saucepan over a low heat, do not brown. Add flour and stir with a wooden spoon until paste forms. Cook over low heat for 4 minutes. Add cold stock slowly to the roux stirring with a wooden spoon until a consistent sauce forms. Pour roux over the browned chicken legs and thighs and tent with foil. Place into pre-heated oven 190C/gas 4. Braise for 60 minutes. Take the chicken breasts and split the centre
of the fillets. Open up to place plump sultanas into the centre. Wrap in cling film, tie off and place on a baking tray in a small amount of water. Place into oven 35 minutes after the legs and thighs. Cook thighs, legs and fillets for remaining 25 minutes. Remove cling film. Place on plate along with legs and thighs and mask with sauce. Serve with rice, poppadoms, chutney and strawberry salad. Photograph: Hein Wolmarans
Cornish Yarg and
St Austell Brewery Tribute Ale
Rarebit
Photograph: Hein Wolmarans
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Ingredients
Method
Ingredients as Roux 1 egg 2 slices of bread (remove crusts) 140ml milk 140ml St Austell Brewery Tribute Ale Nettle Cornish Yarg cheese English mustard
Make Roux as previously described. Add milk and ale slowly. Do not colour. Add mustard and cheese. Take off heat, allow to cool and then blend in egg-yolk. Place in plastic container and put into refrigerator overnight. Fry bread and paste Rarebit mixture onto bread. Place in pre-heated oven 110C/ gas 4 for 10 minutes.
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