StrEATfood Awards interview

What’s your everyday role/background?
I’m a chef manager with Wilson Vale, running a head office restaurant with around 400 people on site. The best part of the role is food development – bringing ideas to life in the restaurant and seeing the team excited about new themes!

Before Wilson Vale I worked across hospitality, including running a village pub in Northamptonshire for three years. I’ve been a chef for 16 years, starting with Sunday shifts at a retirement home, prepping and serving lunch. Since then I’ve worked my way up through a variety of kitchens.

What was your signature dish and how did you come up with it?
My signature dish was a loaded rosti – smoked barbecue pork burnt ends on a golden rosti with sweet pickled onions, baconnaise and parmesan. Inspired by a London food stall, Hash Hut, I saw the potential of a simple hash brown; the topping combinations are endless and who doesn’t like a hash brown?

After experimenting I created a proper potato rosti and the magic happened! I chose pork burnt ends for my love of smoked barbecue food – the richness married so well with the sauce and toppings.

Rolling it out across the business came easily because of its versatility. It worked across schools, offices and conference venues. It also allowed our teams to put their own mark on it by inventing their own toppings. It’s exciting to see it still growing and evolving across the business.

And your technical dish?
For the technical round I made a chicken fajita grilled cheese with avocado mayonnaise and sour cream dip, inspired by my love of sandwiches. We had to use key products, and the fajita marinade had a punchy and aromatic flavour which worked well in the short time frame.

I wanted to show how a simple sandwich could be elevated by merging food cultures. The technical skill came in balancing the right bread, cheese and marinade to ensure every bite had the perfect mix of flavours.

How do you stay calm when competing?
Practising and refining dishes is essential – planning within the time frame given is your biggest advantage. Writing lists to stay organised, double-checking everything and setting a timed schedule. Focusing on ingredients and processes, not the audience – blocking out distractions is key. It’s easy to get caught up in the moment as there is a lot going on around you, but keeping your mind on the job at hand prevents wasted time.

Having family and Wilson Vale colleagues there was great. These people supported me through tough days, and I wanted to do them proud, but no matter the outcome the fact that everyone was just happy to be there was amazing.

How it felt when you found that you had come second?
I couldn’t be happier! Bringing it home – especially for the loaded rosti – was a huge rush of excitement and pride. For a concept I’d worked so hard to refine, seeing it recognised made it all worthwhile. Winning has given me more confidence in my skills and techniques.

It also felt amazing to achieve these awards for the people who had supported me, and it was great to see their delighted faces when they were announced! Being presented with an award from one of my culinary heroes, DJ BBQ, was a huge moment too. It was great to speak with him about his experiences and life in the kitchens.

Did you enjoy the event?
It was a long, hard day, but an incredible experience – I can’t wait to have another go at it! The atmosphere was electric. I was proud to be a part of such a vibrant and buzzing space where all these great chefs were cooking some truly incredible food.

Cooking under the watchful eyes of the audience and judges was intense, but I loved every minute. It’s an experience I’ll never forget. Anyone passionate about street food should take an interest in entering – it’s a fantastic competition.

You may also be interested in…