12th April 2013
Spring 2011: Mentoring to success
House of Commons senior chef de partie David Bush mentored the 2010 Graduate Awards highest achiever, commis chef Jack Allibone, and gives an insight into the process of nurturing young talented chefs.
How and why did you become a mentor?
In the kitchen you are always helping someone who is less experienced than you are. However, I didn’t work officially as a mentor until I worked with Jack Allibone for the 2010 Graduate Awards. I wanted to help Jack because he was, and still is, so enthusiastic about learning. He wanted my advice and I could share my knowledge with him to help him perfect the dishes he was making. Before I started working with Jack he had a tendency to perhaps rush his preparation. I wanted to get him to focus on his mistakes and learn from them. Credit has to go to him. He really buckled down, worked hard and didn’t give up. He was always trying to improve and it was extremely pleasing to see his dedication pay off.
What was the mentoring experience like?
It was extremely rewarding and I was so keen to help Jack, considering it was his second time entering the Graduate Awards exams. I could see he shared a similar passion for food and that encouraged me to want to help him improve. I knew with hard work he could go further in the competition.
What does a protégé get out of the mentoring experience?
I think the person is able to acquire knowledge from someone they really respect. They gain trust and confidence in their work and begin to learn that mistakes are not that bad. These are things that can be learned from and are not actually the end of the world.
How do competitions help fledgling chefs?
Competitions benefit chefs in so many ways. Sometimes in a working environment you can be restricted to what you are able to produce. You can be working long hours for not a lot of money. The economic downturn has seen a lot of establishments reduce the price they spend on food, but in the same breath demand that the quality remains the same.
There’s a lot of pressure then on chefs. Competitions give you more motivation. They inspire you to be better and more confident. The chance to be creative, and applauded for it, is a great feeling. You are able to demonstrate skills that you may have had to learn specifically for that event. It can be gruelling, taxing and hard, but ultimately it is very rewarding.
How did you feel when Jack became the highest achiever?
I was delighted. It showed us both that hard work can achieve something special and all the hours we put in outside of the day-to-day work was rewarded. I felt it was great for him to see that. I was tremendously proud to see that not only had he passed but he achieved the overall highest achiever award. He was up against chefs from Michelin starred restaurants who had more experience than he did. I felt it was a big boost for where we are at in the industry. Today, a lot of young chefs are seduced by the appeal of the celebrity kitchens. They believe that’s where you need to be working to achieve the highest gongs. Jack proved this doesn’t need to be the case. In the kitchens at the House of Commons there are no TV personalities and he still achieved what he did.
What doors did this open for him?
It has got his name out in an industry that is very competitive. If he is going for a certain job people will now know who he is and what talents he has. It has done his reputation a great deal of good. Now he can pass his knowledge and skills to the next junior chef who takes on these exams. Not only will they gain from this, but Jack will also learn vital skills on how to teach and mentor.
Why should chefs enter the Craft Guild’s Graduate Awards?
The Craft Guild of Chefs is a fantastic organisation that provides chefs with so much resource and help. It supplies a means to network, offer advice, give information and provide opportunities. The Graduate Awards enable young chefs to learn more about the outside world and help them realise this profession is more than a job. The judging is totally unbiased and it is respected throughout the industry. Some jobs even require that you hold a CGC award – they mean that much.
And you – how did you get into cooking as a career and where have you worked?
Cooking was always something I felt passionate about. I grew up watching TV shows like Ready Steady Cook and I was hooked on their passion for food. I left school at 16 and there was no other profession I wanted to work in. My first job was in the kitchen at a local Italian restaurant. I went to Havering College in Essex and studied for my chef qualifications, NVQ levels 1 and 2. Next was to a fast paced hotel in Brentwood, the Mary Green Manor. I began work as a commis and spent five years rising through the ranks to chef de partie. Before arriving at the Houses of Parliament I also gained invaluable work experience as chef de partie at J Sheekey Fish & Seafood Restaurant in Covent Garden and The Savoy Hotel, and as senior chef de partie at Michelin starred Rhodes Twenty-Four. These places were more demanding than my previous roles and gave me more insight into creating exciting and appealing dishes. Since starting my current role 10 years ago I’ve achieved my NVQ level 3 grade. I’m now senior chef de partie after starting as demi chef de partie.
What accolades have you received?
Being named 2008 London Chef of the Year and 2005 winner at the Annual Awards of Excellence for the Academy of Culinary Arts. During 2010 I also was part of the team that won three gold medals at La Parade des Chefs Grande Prix last year and I reached the semi finals at the National Chef of the Year and the Master of Culinary Arts.
What do you do outside your day job?
I really like golf. However, food is my passion. In my free time I’m constantly trying to find out more about dishes. I’ll visit the Japanese Knife Company in London to learn more about knife techniques. I holiday with my wife, who is also a chef, to destinations where we can visit fabulous restaurants. I’ve been lucky to have eaten in some of the best – Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir, The Fat Duck and The French Laundry. Food is an art – forever changing and developing. It is important to keep up with trends and techniques that you can pass on to others.
In the kitchen you are always helping someone who is less experienced than you are. However, I didn’t work officially as a mentor until I worked with Jack Allibone for the 2010 Graduate Awards. I wanted to help Jack because he was, and still is, so enthusiastic about learning. He wanted my advice and I could share my knowledge with him to help him perfect the dishes he was making. Before I started working with Jack he had a tendency to perhaps rush his preparation. I wanted to get him to focus on his mistakes and learn from them. Credit has to go to him. He really buckled down, worked hard and didn’t give up. He was always trying to improve and it was extremely pleasing to see his dedication pay off.
What was the mentoring experience like?
It was extremely rewarding and I was so keen to help Jack, considering it was his second time entering the Graduate Awards exams. I could see he shared a similar passion for food and that encouraged me to want to help him improve. I knew with hard work he could go further in the competition.
What does a protégé get out of the mentoring experience?
I think the person is able to acquire knowledge from someone they really respect. They gain trust and confidence in their work and begin to learn that mistakes are not that bad. These are things that can be learned from and are not actually the end of the world.
How do competitions help fledgling chefs?
Competitions benefit chefs in so many ways. Sometimes in a working environment you can be restricted to what you are able to produce. You can be working long hours for not a lot of money. The economic downturn has seen a lot of establishments reduce the price they spend on food, but in the same breath demand that the quality remains the same.
There’s a lot of pressure then on chefs. Competitions give you more motivation. They inspire you to be better and more confident. The chance to be creative, and applauded for it, is a great feeling. You are able to demonstrate skills that you may have had to learn specifically for that event. It can be gruelling, taxing and hard, but ultimately it is very rewarding.
How did you feel when Jack became the highest achiever?
I was delighted. It showed us both that hard work can achieve something special and all the hours we put in outside of the day-to-day work was rewarded. I felt it was great for him to see that. I was tremendously proud to see that not only had he passed but he achieved the overall highest achiever award. He was up against chefs from Michelin starred restaurants who had more experience than he did. I felt it was a big boost for where we are at in the industry. Today, a lot of young chefs are seduced by the appeal of the celebrity kitchens. They believe that’s where you need to be working to achieve the highest gongs. Jack proved this doesn’t need to be the case. In the kitchens at the House of Commons there are no TV personalities and he still achieved what he did.
What doors did this open for him?
It has got his name out in an industry that is very competitive. If he is going for a certain job people will now know who he is and what talents he has. It has done his reputation a great deal of good. Now he can pass his knowledge and skills to the next junior chef who takes on these exams. Not only will they gain from this, but Jack will also learn vital skills on how to teach and mentor.
Why should chefs enter the Craft Guild’s Graduate Awards?
The Craft Guild of Chefs is a fantastic organisation that provides chefs with so much resource and help. It supplies a means to network, offer advice, give information and provide opportunities. The Graduate Awards enable young chefs to learn more about the outside world and help them realise this profession is more than a job. The judging is totally unbiased and it is respected throughout the industry. Some jobs even require that you hold a CGC award – they mean that much.
And you – how did you get into cooking as a career and where have you worked?
Cooking was always something I felt passionate about. I grew up watching TV shows like Ready Steady Cook and I was hooked on their passion for food. I left school at 16 and there was no other profession I wanted to work in. My first job was in the kitchen at a local Italian restaurant. I went to Havering College in Essex and studied for my chef qualifications, NVQ levels 1 and 2. Next was to a fast paced hotel in Brentwood, the Mary Green Manor. I began work as a commis and spent five years rising through the ranks to chef de partie. Before arriving at the Houses of Parliament I also gained invaluable work experience as chef de partie at J Sheekey Fish & Seafood Restaurant in Covent Garden and The Savoy Hotel, and as senior chef de partie at Michelin starred Rhodes Twenty-Four. These places were more demanding than my previous roles and gave me more insight into creating exciting and appealing dishes. Since starting my current role 10 years ago I’ve achieved my NVQ level 3 grade. I’m now senior chef de partie after starting as demi chef de partie.
What accolades have you received?
Being named 2008 London Chef of the Year and 2005 winner at the Annual Awards of Excellence for the Academy of Culinary Arts. During 2010 I also was part of the team that won three gold medals at La Parade des Chefs Grande Prix last year and I reached the semi finals at the National Chef of the Year and the Master of Culinary Arts.
What do you do outside your day job?
I really like golf. However, food is my passion. In my free time I’m constantly trying to find out more about dishes. I’ll visit the Japanese Knife Company in London to learn more about knife techniques. I holiday with my wife, who is also a chef, to destinations where we can visit fabulous restaurants. I’ve been lucky to have eaten in some of the best – Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir, The Fat Duck and The French Laundry. Food is an art – forever changing and developing. It is important to keep up with trends and techniques that you can pass on to others.