HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY! *Although the podcast states that today is National Women’s Day, it’s INTERNATIONAL Women’s Day so excuse my mistake!  Today we are celebrating fantastic female leadership throughout the food and hospitality industry. One woman in particular caught my eye, someone who is proving that progression and meaningful success are not the same for everyone. Another thing that she told me is that a love of trying new food is not always ingrained from birth, but something we all need to learn. That woman is Amber Francis.  If you’re a chef in a fine dining kit ..read more

Mangal II stands as a shining beacon of success within the growing London food scene. This restaurant is an iconic mixture of traditional and modern both in terms of its Turkish-inspired cuisine and its service. Mangal II was passed down to the current owner Ferhat Dirik, by his father and was originally quite a different concept.    Ferhat doesn’t shy away from the details and decision-making which led him and his brother, Sertac to establish Mangal II as your East London night out highlight. Despite their continually expanding awards and praise in the media, no reward comes without ..read more

Kitchens sound like hell to some: the hours, the pressure, the heat. But for Diarmuid Goodwin cooking makes his head go quiet; he loves the serenity and stillness of mind that pure concentration brings.  Currently head chef at Sager and Wilde in Bethnal Green, Diarmuid grew up in Belfast before moving to London to work for Angela Hartnett at Cafe Murano. Following his passion to The Grain Store and Trullo, he discovered his particular adoration for Mediterranean cuisine and his need to always be busy! Alongside his full-time job, this chef still finds time to build his pop-up company ‘Cl ..read more

Say hello to the *almost* new kid on the block, Ernesto Gabriel - the founder of EMBERS, a restaurant concept. Most of the podcasts so far have presented so-called “settled down” chefs with a restaurant, staff and fully-formed stories of hardship, struggle and success. Today we are learning about the grind to start a business endeavour.  Now, EMBERS is still in its infancy and awaiting a permanent home; which explains why this podcast was filmed in a motorcycle cafe in Shoreditch! Ernesto has travelled far across the world on yachts owned by world-famous stars like Jerry Seinfield and s ..read more

Let me introduce you to Ryan Walker, the 23-year-old Head of Fermentation and R&D - one of the masterminds behind Silo's sustainable insurgence. Ryan is both crazily creative but also approaches cooking from a scientific standpoint so he's a chef and an alchemist. Hard to imagine anyone more perfect to achieve a spot on the 30 under 30 Code Hospitality Awards 2023. There were only two things I knew about Silo before visiting for Ryan's podcast. First and foremost, it is located above a popular stomping ground for Gortex-trainer-wearing, Puresport-runner loving, "I heart craft beer" finance ..read more

Upon meeting Andy Beynon, the chef-owner of Behind restaurant in London Fields, you can immediately understand how he finesses the amalgamation of “front of house” and “back of house”. Andy is driven and focused yet charming, and nerdy with a cracking sense of humour. It is clear why such an intimate and performative dining experience is worthy of 1 Michelin star, an award which he has retained since 2020 when he received the star a mere 20 days after opening.  Listen as Zac and I interrogate our rather mysterious guest about his work and private life, here’s the Scoop on Andy Beynon.&nbs ..read more

What a treat! A week ago, Zac and I had the pleasure of meeting Dan Fancett and learning about his phenomenal career history so far. We arrived at Fancett's Bistro in Cambridge, Zoom recorder in one hand and were quickly given a glass of fizz in the other. Dan and Zac have been friends since their Galvin La Chapelle days 14 years ago when they bonded over musicians like Dean Martin and Patsy Cline.  Dan’s career started before that at Harvey Nichols doing an apprenticeship which he believes is a great way to get into cooking. Many of the places Dan has worked his speciality was pastry, co ..read more

Scoop X ROGUES EPISODE THREE Let me introduce you to Iain Smith for the third instalment of the Scoop x Rogues podcast series. Iain has been cheffing for many years and met Zac when they were both in the early stage of their careers. Having travelled abroad for work to places like Australia and worked at establishments with Jason Atherton and the Galvin brothers, Iain now takes on a classy audience in Chelsea at his restaurant No.50 Cheyne. The grub is deliciously good but through and through classic.  In this episode, Zac and Iain reminisce on their early years learning so many technique ..read more

Join me to meet Anna Williams, an entrepreneur within the hospitality industry who was an important part of the London restaurant Fallow’s launch, and previously worked as head pastry chef at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal. Anna is so inspiring, having had big dreams of becoming a chef in her teen years, she began working weekends at a restaurant in Kew Gardens whilst juggling school work. It became obvious to me that Anna likes to be busy, continuing to wear “many hats” as joint senior sous chef and head pastry chef later at Fallow where she concocted the famous Chelsea tart. Throughout her care ..read more

SCOOP X ROGUES  Series 1, Episode 2 As I continue to meet the successful and sweaty gems of the hospitality scene, today Zac and I headed to Stoke Newington, in North London. Specifically, we met at the Army and Navy pub to have a pint with Ben Marks, head chef at Perilla. Previously Ben worked at Noma in Copenhagen and The Square in London.  Ben opened Perilla in late 2016 with his friend Matt Emmerson. Whilst Ben received top training from the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts and Claridges Hotel to prep him for success, opening a restaurant at the age of 24 is no mean feat. Ben’s jou ..read more