Meet the chef William Brownlees - La Riviera restaurant, Gateshead.
age: 42.birthplace: Newcastle.
training: I was an electrician till the age of 23. Then I developed a passion for kitchens and food, by accident, when I learned the basics from college. As well as experimenting in the kitchen myself, I have also worked with some extraordinary chefs from whom I learned a lot.
previous employment: If I had to mention all of them the list would be endless, but my most memorable was Davinci's hotel on Osborne Road Jesmond. The last one was Alforno's in Jesmond.
speciality: My speciality is stocks and sauces. Essentially these are the foundations on which I build and create new flavours for individual dishes, and allow me to construct the dishes that have made La Riviera so famous in the North- East.
favourite food: It has to be a perfectly-cooked loin of Lamb.
best advice received: No matter how well a recipe is composed or researched, there are still no substitutes for imagination, creativity and flair.
funniest moment in the kitchen: There are always funny moments, but mine are always at someone's expense, so best not to refresh their memories. It should be said, it's the front of house who make me laugh every day.
worst moment in the kitchen: My worst moment came one night during service when all the electric went off. And I had to adapt my menu of the evening to be prepared in candlelight and only cooked on gas. WOOOW, what a night that was!!!
do you cook at home?: Only on special occasions.
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| Publication: | The Journal (Newcastle, England) |
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| Date: | Jan 27, 2006 |
| Words: | 255 |
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