Demonstrator Chefs
Steven Doherty
Jason Atherton
James Campbell
James Petrie
Craig Sandle
Steven Doherty
Steven’s cookery career began as an 18 year old apprentice at the Savoy in 1976 where he spent his first two years in the kitchen learning his craft. His career at Le Gavroche began in 1978 in the tiny basement kitchen of its original site in Lower Sloane Street, Chelsea. He started off as a Commis Chef in the pastry section and gradually worked his way around, finally ending up as Chef de Partie Tournant capable of being responsible for all sections.
In the early 80’s, while Le Gavroche was being relocated to its current address in Upper Brook Street, Mayfair, Steven was sent on a 2-year stage to the kitchens of the late Alain Chapel’s Restaurant in Mionnay, just outside Lyon. This brilliant man was considered to be the Three-Michelin Star’s chefs ‘Chef’ and Steven honed his skills there to become Albert’s Sous Chef at Le Gavroche on his return to London in 1982.
Le Gavroche finally won its Three-Michelin Star status in 1981 and in 1985 Steven became the first ever British person to become Head Chef of a Three-Michelin Star establishment. For the next 5 years, until he left in 1990, Le Gavroche won every major European food accolade and maintained its three-star status.
By 1990, Albert’s son’ Michel (junior), was ready to take Le Gavroche over and Steven relinquished the reins to become Group Executive Chef for Roux Restaurants Limited. This meant he was responsible for the exisiting food operations in 3 restaurants and 10 food and beverage contracts, which included the likes of Bafta, Kleinwort Benson, Rothschilds, Bank Paribas and Credit Lyonnais. Serving approximately 3000 meals each day, they ranged from Director’s Dining and Bafta Receptions to Staff Restaurants and a Sandwich Wheelbarrow in the forecourt of one of the City sites! The Roux Patisserie at Wandsworth also came under Steven’s wing and he opened several other contracts during his tenure.
In 1991, Steven became part of Albert Roux’s consultancy team that opened The Grand Hotel in Amsterdam and for the next 2 years he acted as Executive Chef. At the end of this contract, not wishing to return to London, Steven and Marjorie moved up to the Lake District and ran The Brown Horse at Winster for the next 18 months. During their tenure, they were voted by Jonathan Meades of The Times and Emily Green of The Independent to be the best pub in the country.
1995 saw them move along the Lyth Valley to The Punch Bowl Inn at Crosthwaite. Within 12 months of its opening, the pub was voted Lake District Pub of the Year and ranked as one of the nations top ten country pubs by ‘Which’ magazine. It was also applauded by the judges in the annual ‘Caterer and Hotelkeeper’ Catey awards and Steven and Marjorie were the winners of the inaugural ‘Pub Operator of the Year’ in 1997. The Punch Bowl was voted ‘Cumbria Dining Pub of the Year’ by the Good Pub Guide three times and Steven was awarded ‘North West Chef of the Year’ by Life Magazine in 2002. It was featured in most of the influential pub and restaurant guides in the country.
In April 2003, Seven and Marjorie were awarded the contract to set up and run the new cafe within the Lakeland Limited store in Windermere, and Steven has acted as their consultant for their cafe operations in their new stores at Handforth in Manchester and Brent Cross in London. The First Floor Café has been a great success and is so busy that Steven and Marjorie decided to sell The Punch Bowl Inn in January 2005 so that thy could concentrate their energies into the Café. Steven continues to develop his consultancy business and is called upon throughout the year to judge in various competitions and to speak at chefs conferences – he is the Chairman of Judges for the Gordon Ramsay scholarship, a duty he has performed for the last 4 years. He finds time to be on the committee for the Slow Food movement and is on the management committee for the Academy of Culinary Arts. In 1991 Steven became only the 5th chef to achieve the Master of Culinary Arts award, of which there are only 15 in the country to date.
Jason Atherton
http://www.gordonramsay.com/maze/Top
Jason Atherton was the first British chef to complete a stage at Spain’s famous El Bulli restaurant. Having worked under Pierre Koffman, Nico Ladenis and Gordon Ramsay as Executive Chef at Verre in Dubai, maze marks an exciting opportunity in Jason’s career to take centre stage. He offers a daily changing menu of market specials comprising six starter, main course and dessert options. In addition to the market menu, there is a wide variety of tasting dishes ranging in price from £3-£11. Many of these dishes are cooked on a charcoal robata grill, wood oven or on the plancha. Jason also brings the relatively unfamiliar method of line cooking to his kitchen: a process favoured in many top American kitchens.
James Campbell
http://www.mandarinoriental.com/london/
After leaving school at 17 years old James started his career at Cameron house hotel, Loch lomond. Since then his career has taken him all over the world and eventually returning to London where he is Head Pastry Chef at the award winning Mandarin Oriental Hotel, where he actively par-takes in various training and cookery demonstrations as far a field as Malaysia He has recently been made a member of the Academy of culinary arts.
April 2004- Present
Mandarin Oriental London, Head Pastry Chef
May 2003-March 2004
Restaurant Bathers Pavilion, Sydney
October 2001- November 2002
City Rhodes, London, Head Pastry Chef
* Michelin
September 2000- October 2001
Rhodes in the Square , London, Head Pastry Chef
* Michelin
August 1999-September 2000
Rhodes & Co, Edinburgh, Head Pastry Chef
April 1996-August 1999
Champanny Inn, Linlithgow, Head Pastry Chef
May 1995-April 1996
The Beardmore Hotel, Clydebank, Chef De Partie
December1994-May 1995
Earl O Morray Inn, Linlithgow, Chef De Partie
April 1994-December 1994
Darroch Learg Hotel, Ballater, Commis Chef
April 1992-April 1994
Cameron House Hotel, Loch Lomond, Commis Chef
James Petrie
Fascinated by the precision and accuracy required in the artistry of pastry work, James Petrie has followed a career path that began over a decade ago encompassing a broad spectrum of influences and styles from the UK to the US. For the last 6 years James has been Pastry Chef of the award winning Fat Duck restaurant in Bray Berkshire, where he works with Heston Blumenthal researching and creating desserts that have received global critical acclaim.
Originally from Fort William James began his formative career in Scotland in the grand hotels of Edinburgh and Kinnaird Estate in Perthshire. He then moved south to Michelin starred Hambleton Hall before leaving the UK for Virginia USA. On his return in 2001 James began working at the then 2 Michelin starred Fat Duck restaurant in Berkshire and has subsequently worked with food historians, scent and flavour experts and fellow patissiers from all over the world.
Since then the restaurant has achieved a third Michelin star and global recognition including The Best Restaurant in The World voted for by over 600 chefs and food critics worldwide.
An example of dishes currently on the menu are:
Pine Sherbet Fountain (pre-hit)
Mango and Douglas Fir Puree
Bavrois of lychee and mango, blackcurrant sorbet, blackcurrant and green peppercorn jelly.
***
Parsnip Cereal
Nitro-Scrambled Egg and Bacon Ice cream
Pain perdu, tea jelly (2006)
***
Macerated Strawberries
Black olive and leather puree, pistachio scrambled egg
http://www.thebalmoralhotel.com/
Craig was born in Edinburgh, but spent most of his youth in the midlands. He came back to his city of birth 14 years ago, where he has worked in a handful of establishments in this time, primarily at The Balmoral Hotel.
He is Head Chef for Restaurant Number One at the Balmoral Hotel where he has worked for seven and a half years in total. He was instrumental in the restaurant being awarded with its first Michelin Star and has retained this accolade for the past four years. He, along with his team, has won numerous awards for both the restaurant as well as individually in competitions. He was an Acorn Award winner in 2005.
Craig was also a member of the Scottish Culinary team for four years. During that period, the team won several medals, the pick of the bunch being three gold medals at the 2001 World Culinary Grand Prix at Scot Hot.
He also worked for three years with Sodexho at Lloyds TSB Scotland, where he was Head Chef. This gave him an opportunity to advance craft knowledge in the pastry area, using the resources of Willie Pike.
