FOOD
“At the end of the day, it’s not about Michelin stars – it’s about the customers”
Clare Smyth
“Twenty years ago, we didn’t have the availability of produce that we have today,” she says. “Now, I have guys growing me little golf-ball sized celeriacs that I know will be ready for me in three months. “We are trying to develop relationships with these guys. If we don’t buy from them, they will disappear.”
As for the food itself, there are still some of the old Gordon classics on the menu, such as lobster ravioli and tarte tatin, which Clare has slightly adapted. “With the lobster ravioli, for instance, it
doesn’t really get any better in terms of ingredients and simplicity, but I change the dressing to suit the season,” she says.
Clare moved to England at the age of 16. After training, she worked her way through the kitchens of some of the world’s top restaurants including The Fat Duck, The Waterside Inn and Gidleigh Park before being offered a job as chef de partie at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in 2002.
After three years there, she took a break to work with other leading chefs, including Alain Ducasse at Le Louis XV in Monte Carlo, before returning to the Ramsay fold as head chef. Clare is frequently asked what it’s like to be
a female chef in a male-dominated industry, let alone in one of the world’s top kitchens. “I’ve never had any issues with it,” she says. “I never wanted to be judged because I was a girl.
18
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68