12th April 2013
Spring 2008: Chef Profile, Lahiru Jayasekara, Head Chef, Island Restaurant, Reading
N/A
What led you to become a chef?
I'm from Sri Lanka where my parents have a beach café and guesthouse. After school I'd come home and end up going into the kitchen with my dad who was a chef in one of the five star hotels in Sri Lanka. I just knew I liked it. At the age of about 15-16 I was running the kitchen at the family beach café, although it was very basic – just sandwiches and a lot of seafood – cooking up a fresh catch each day.
What made you come to England?
I met my wife Karen while I was working at the beach café. She was on holiday from England. We got married in Sri Lanka on the beach, and then I came to England. I was 18.
You enrolled at South Devon College where you gained NVQ Level 2 and 3. Was it difficult to learn the ropes in a new country?
I did find it hard in the first few months but then I began to prove myself. A lot of the students in the college were doing it just for the sake of it, but I had it in my heart and I knew I needed a good result to get a good job. I won best student of the year two years in a row and was also named young chef of the year in the local area.
Where did you gain your first real work experience in the UK?
While I was at college I worked at the Grand Hotel, a four star hotel in Torquay. It was from there that I applied for a job with Gordon Ramsay. I'd seen him on Kitchen Nightmares on TV and thought he was great. I sent my CV to his company and within three days I got a call. They were looking for talented young chefs in the kitchen. It helped that the college had recommended me and the fact I'd won the best student award twice. I went for the interview and got the job.
You started as commis chef at The Savoy. What was it like working in London at an establishment like that?
It felt like I had been dropped in the middle of the world. I was on my own, with no one to help me, and for the first month I was completely stuck. I didn't know how to travel – it's fairly complicated to get around London, and I just wanted to go back to Torquay. But the head chef at the time, Josh Emett, and Nick Ward the senior sous chef were both very helpful. They didn't give me a hard time like the other commis', who used to get pans thrown in their faces. After a month I found my feet, and within three months I was promoted to chef de partie. It then took me a year to be made senior chef de partie.
What did you learn from your experiences at The Savoy?
Everything. I did it all. From peeling potatoes and onions to prepping whole lambs. When Lee Bennet took over as head chef I was doing all sections in the kitchen and some days, when he was really busy with paperwork for example, he would let me run the pass. It was a great experience – I got the chance to control the whole kitchen on my own.
After two years there you left to join the Roux brothers at the Waterside Inn. What was it like working for a three Michelin starred establishment?
It's a very small kitchen and very, very hard work. There's so much detail in the food, and to get all the flavours in one dish it has to be completely balanced, so everything is measured down to the last gram or millilitre. I found it difficult with the language as well because during service 90% is said in French, and my French is very basic.
In November you took up the role as head chef at the Island Restaurant in Reading. How did this come about?
My wife knew the owner who was looking for a head chef, so I went along to see what the place was like in order to recommend it to someone who might be interested. When I saw it I thought – I could do this. It's a great opportunity to prove myself and achieve what I want to achieve. I've got a profit share and a salary. It's right in the middle of the Thames, with two floors. Downstairs is a VIP cocktail bar that can seat 40-50 people, and upstairs is fine dining for 80-100 covers.
How do you plan to put your own stamp on the place?
I've just been back to Sri Lanka for a month and while I was away the kitchen was being completely rearranged to the standard I need for what I want to do there. The owner wanted to achieve a Michelin star for the restaurant, but I told him it's not at the right standard for that. We shall start by applying for one or two AA rosettes and go from there. When I started in November I changed the menus, just putting on a classic English menu with all the usual such as Christmas turkey and rib eye of beef. I have now changed the menu for February to May to keep it seasonal. I'm using the experience I gained at the Waterside and Gordon Ramsay and in the future I'd like to also put some Sri Lankan influences in the dishes – a lot of seafood, some curries, but not overpowering flavours. Sri Lankan curries are light, using fresh coconut milk, unlike Indian cooking that uses double cream and lots of oil.
How are you handling being in charge of your own kitchen at 23?
There is a lot of pressure – you need eyes in the back of your head. I'm learning all the money and management side of things, while at the same time controlling staff. We have five staff, but I'm looking for a sous chef and a pastry chef as well; at the moment I'm doing the pastry myself. The way I look at it Gordon Ramsay, Marco Pierre White, all the high profile chefs, started at a really young age and nobody taught them what was wrong or right. I know I'm only 23 but I have a bit of experience and I'll learn from my mistakes and take it as it comes.
Who has given you the most inspiration in your career so far?
Marcus [Wareing]. At the Savoy he really took me under his wing and gave me the full benefit of his knowledge. He taught me a lot.
Who in the industry would you most like to work with?
Raymond Blanc. He has never been trained by anyone, just taught by his mother, yet his food is amazing and he's had a two star Michelin listing for more than 20 years. That tells me something.
What's been your proudest achievement so far?
Winning the Young Chef of the Year Award from the Craft Guild of Chefs last year [pictured above]. And becoming head chef at the Island Restaurant.
You are currently a member of the Craft Guild's Culinary Academy team for Hotelympia. Do you enjoy competing?
I do, but it is a lot of work. I came third in the New Zealand-UK Link Challenge last year but found it hard because I was on my own, whereas when I was at college I had help from my tutors. Being in the academy is such a great help as there are so many knowledgable chefs who I can ask for advice. Also, working full time at a Michelin restaurant for 17-18 hours a day means you don't get much time to prepare. It would be great to just fast-forward and turn up on the day and cook – I really enjoy it – but you have to prepare and it's a lot of work. It's easier for me to compete in January and February, as it's quiet in the restaurant, but in the summer it may be more difficult.
What are your ambitions for the future?
To get a Michelin star by the age of 26 and I still want to own my own restaurant. If things work out well with this place the owner wants to have a chain, so I could become a full director here.
What would you be if you weren't a chef?
I like to play cricket or surf ... but I just always wanted to be a chef.
I'm from Sri Lanka where my parents have a beach café and guesthouse. After school I'd come home and end up going into the kitchen with my dad who was a chef in one of the five star hotels in Sri Lanka. I just knew I liked it. At the age of about 15-16 I was running the kitchen at the family beach café, although it was very basic – just sandwiches and a lot of seafood – cooking up a fresh catch each day.
What made you come to England?
I met my wife Karen while I was working at the beach café. She was on holiday from England. We got married in Sri Lanka on the beach, and then I came to England. I was 18.
You enrolled at South Devon College where you gained NVQ Level 2 and 3. Was it difficult to learn the ropes in a new country?
I did find it hard in the first few months but then I began to prove myself. A lot of the students in the college were doing it just for the sake of it, but I had it in my heart and I knew I needed a good result to get a good job. I won best student of the year two years in a row and was also named young chef of the year in the local area.
Where did you gain your first real work experience in the UK?
While I was at college I worked at the Grand Hotel, a four star hotel in Torquay. It was from there that I applied for a job with Gordon Ramsay. I'd seen him on Kitchen Nightmares on TV and thought he was great. I sent my CV to his company and within three days I got a call. They were looking for talented young chefs in the kitchen. It helped that the college had recommended me and the fact I'd won the best student award twice. I went for the interview and got the job.
You started as commis chef at The Savoy. What was it like working in London at an establishment like that?
It felt like I had been dropped in the middle of the world. I was on my own, with no one to help me, and for the first month I was completely stuck. I didn't know how to travel – it's fairly complicated to get around London, and I just wanted to go back to Torquay. But the head chef at the time, Josh Emett, and Nick Ward the senior sous chef were both very helpful. They didn't give me a hard time like the other commis', who used to get pans thrown in their faces. After a month I found my feet, and within three months I was promoted to chef de partie. It then took me a year to be made senior chef de partie.
What did you learn from your experiences at The Savoy?
Everything. I did it all. From peeling potatoes and onions to prepping whole lambs. When Lee Bennet took over as head chef I was doing all sections in the kitchen and some days, when he was really busy with paperwork for example, he would let me run the pass. It was a great experience – I got the chance to control the whole kitchen on my own.
After two years there you left to join the Roux brothers at the Waterside Inn. What was it like working for a three Michelin starred establishment?
It's a very small kitchen and very, very hard work. There's so much detail in the food, and to get all the flavours in one dish it has to be completely balanced, so everything is measured down to the last gram or millilitre. I found it difficult with the language as well because during service 90% is said in French, and my French is very basic.
In November you took up the role as head chef at the Island Restaurant in Reading. How did this come about?
My wife knew the owner who was looking for a head chef, so I went along to see what the place was like in order to recommend it to someone who might be interested. When I saw it I thought – I could do this. It's a great opportunity to prove myself and achieve what I want to achieve. I've got a profit share and a salary. It's right in the middle of the Thames, with two floors. Downstairs is a VIP cocktail bar that can seat 40-50 people, and upstairs is fine dining for 80-100 covers.
How do you plan to put your own stamp on the place?
I've just been back to Sri Lanka for a month and while I was away the kitchen was being completely rearranged to the standard I need for what I want to do there. The owner wanted to achieve a Michelin star for the restaurant, but I told him it's not at the right standard for that. We shall start by applying for one or two AA rosettes and go from there. When I started in November I changed the menus, just putting on a classic English menu with all the usual such as Christmas turkey and rib eye of beef. I have now changed the menu for February to May to keep it seasonal. I'm using the experience I gained at the Waterside and Gordon Ramsay and in the future I'd like to also put some Sri Lankan influences in the dishes – a lot of seafood, some curries, but not overpowering flavours. Sri Lankan curries are light, using fresh coconut milk, unlike Indian cooking that uses double cream and lots of oil.
How are you handling being in charge of your own kitchen at 23?
There is a lot of pressure – you need eyes in the back of your head. I'm learning all the money and management side of things, while at the same time controlling staff. We have five staff, but I'm looking for a sous chef and a pastry chef as well; at the moment I'm doing the pastry myself. The way I look at it Gordon Ramsay, Marco Pierre White, all the high profile chefs, started at a really young age and nobody taught them what was wrong or right. I know I'm only 23 but I have a bit of experience and I'll learn from my mistakes and take it as it comes.
Who has given you the most inspiration in your career so far?
Marcus [Wareing]. At the Savoy he really took me under his wing and gave me the full benefit of his knowledge. He taught me a lot.
Who in the industry would you most like to work with?
Raymond Blanc. He has never been trained by anyone, just taught by his mother, yet his food is amazing and he's had a two star Michelin listing for more than 20 years. That tells me something.
What's been your proudest achievement so far?
Winning the Young Chef of the Year Award from the Craft Guild of Chefs last year [pictured above]. And becoming head chef at the Island Restaurant.
You are currently a member of the Craft Guild's Culinary Academy team for Hotelympia. Do you enjoy competing?
I do, but it is a lot of work. I came third in the New Zealand-UK Link Challenge last year but found it hard because I was on my own, whereas when I was at college I had help from my tutors. Being in the academy is such a great help as there are so many knowledgable chefs who I can ask for advice. Also, working full time at a Michelin restaurant for 17-18 hours a day means you don't get much time to prepare. It would be great to just fast-forward and turn up on the day and cook – I really enjoy it – but you have to prepare and it's a lot of work. It's easier for me to compete in January and February, as it's quiet in the restaurant, but in the summer it may be more difficult.
What are your ambitions for the future?
To get a Michelin star by the age of 26 and I still want to own my own restaurant. If things work out well with this place the owner wants to have a chain, so I could become a full director here.
What would you be if you weren't a chef?
I like to play cricket or surf ... but I just always wanted to be a chef.