This month’s Featured Chef…
Martin Burge
Executive Chef, Whatley Manor
“Good morning Martin and thank you for giving up your time today. Martin, where are you from originally?”
Bristol.
“And where was your first job?”
My first job was the Royal Crescent, in Bath. Firstly I left school and went to college full time which was Brunel Technical College. I stumbled upon that from doing a work experience from school, I loved my work experience and then went to college full time for two years. And then my first job was with the Royal Crescent where I worked with Michael Croft.
“Michael Croft – who is now at Calcot Manor in Tetbury?”
Yes, and whilst I was there I did one day a week on an advanced pastry course.
“Was Pastry something that you were always interested in?”
Yeap, it’s a bit more creative than the main kitchen. When you are younger you see it as more creative than the main course food – it’s not but at the time you think it is. So I was really influenced in creating these really nice desserts; I kind of swung that way.
“Did you always want to be a Chef?”
Pretty much so yes. I started cooking with my mum, to be honest. Simple foods such as baking cakes and stuff like that. And my Grandad was in the Army. He was a cook in the Army, so it was kind of “I think that would be good for you …” and I enjoyed doing it, so that was it. That made my mind up.
“How would you describe your role here in your current operation?”
It’s a funny one. I find it frustrating but on the other hand it’s very rewarding. My role tends to be, I hate to use the word, but it tends to be quite executive – a lot of paperwork and a lot of organising to do to make sure the structure is in place to make sure it runs properly. We have two restaurants here and we have corporate business too. One of the restaurants is going for two stars, which we would love to achieve and there is a lot of effort which is going in to orchestrate that, but I don’t miss a service. I stand at the pass check the food; taste the food and make sure it’s the standard that I want but I don’t spend as much time on a day to day basis in the kitchen as I would like to as a Chef.
“As a cook?”
Yes, as a cook. It doesn’t work like that here. The dynamics wouldn’t work if I just went into the kitchen and started making a red wine sauce … you know something would suffer at the other end. I would miss information and then we would have an unhappy guest somewhere else, so I just have to get a balance between the two.
“Is that possible?”
After being here for 5 years, you do finally find the balance.
