Andy
Josiah Head Chef of Spyglass
taken from Folio May 2003
When
did you realise that you first wanted to be a chef? And what did
you do to get into the profession?
When I was quite young.
Both of my parents were keen cooks. I used to help my mother bake
what seemed like an endless amount of cakes & pastries &
my father was into serving up quirky food like green mashed potato
& alphabet chips (before they were available in any supermarkets).
My first step into the profession was in 1989 when I joined the
Army Catering Corps where I learnt the basics of being a chef.
What
inspires you in the kitchen?
Cooking with fresh, quality
ingredients.
Have
you had to adapt your style of cooking to fit with Spyglass?
Not really, I think I
am very adaptable having worked in different styles of restaurants
ranging from formal a la carte to steak house.
How does
working in a galley differ from working in a standard restaurant
kitchen?
To be honest there is not a great deal of difference because we
have the same equipment as any other restaurant kitchen. You have
to get used to the boat moving from time to time but we do have
some great views from the kitchen of the floating harbour.
Spyglass
is a seasonal restaurant, what will you be doing at the end of the
season?
Well the first thing
I will do is take a two week holiday & just relax (& recover)
& then I will be placed at one of the company’s sister
restaurants the Glass
Boat or Byzantium
for the winter months.
What
has been the highlight of your career so far?
Being appointed head
chef of Spyglass.
Do you
have a particular favourite dish to cook & why?
I don’t really
have a favourite dish but I love cooking & eating fish.
After
the rise in popularity of cookery on television, could you see yourself
swapping the kitchen for a studio?
If I could get the same
enjoyment out of it then why not.
Are there
any individuals who you look up to within the culinary world?
The person I admire the
most is Vincent Castellano who is head chef at Byzantium
& is a consultant at Spyglass. I first worked with Vincent in
1996 when I worked for him at Genepi Restaurant & the majority
of what I know now I have learnt from him. I therefore jumped at
the opportunity to work with him again.
What
are your passions away from work?
When I do get time off
I am generally quite impulsive. So I will usually decide on the
day & might visit family of just disappear for the day.
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