A group of chefs were given a rare opportunity to cook together, swap ideas and network at London Kitchen Social’s first event, held in North London.
The chefs, from London, Surrey and the South East, abandoned their own kitchens for the day to cook three unique signature dishes each – which were then photographed by London Kitchen Social’s founder, Majella O’Connell.
In the relaxed day session, held at a studio kitchen near Islington, each participant had a chance to sample one anothers’ culinary creations and discuss ideas around cooking techniques, sourcing ingredients and new food trends.
The resulting dishes were an intriguing combination of the hottest food trends, ingredients and innovations from cooking techniques and plating to the use of insects and burnt ash.
London Kitchen Social has been launched to give up-and-coming chefs an affordable platform to collaborate, develop their ideas and have their dishes photographed in a friendly, stress-free environment.
The first group event was sponsored by London Supper Club enterprise, NC Supper Clubs and supported by First Choice Foods, supplier of top produce for hotels and restaurants who brought along some fresh, seasonal ingredients to sample. Award-winning Potter, Maham Anjum, who supplies unique ceramics to chefs and top restaurants was also on hand to provide a range of plateware for each dish created.
Participant, Anthony Raffo, who secured a role at fine dining restaurant, Auberge du Lac after London Kitchen Social previously photographed his food, experimented with a number of trends and flavours including using burnt hay ash in his smoked meringue dessert. He also served up a Lambs liver and smoked eel parfait with Parmesan, toasted hazelnuts, nori powder and wild mushrooms on a ‘dish’ of stone and moss.
Anthony comments: “What London kitchen social has achieved in my mind is a great relaxed pressure free networking environment – where you have the freedom and platform to express yourself with like-minded people. I highly recommended it to everyone.”
Award-winning Cordon Bleu private chef, Daniel Britten, also experimented with some innovative tastes and flavours including a dish of Ox tongue with charcoal mayonnaise, malted turnip, dandelion, asparagus and burnt radicchio.
Daniel, a BBC Masterchef finalist, comments: “Getting to work with Majella is a real honour and I really enjoyed being able to collaborate and network with other chefs on the day. You can see how passionate Majella is when watching us chefs prepare and plate up ready for the photography to start. The finished articles are some of the best I have seen in the industry and I can’t wait to use them.”
Another culinary sensation was top London Chef Dave Pigram who created one dish called ‘Trout Life’, a dish of cured trout, gin caviar, n2 smoked trout milk and crickets.
Also attending were Brand Executive Chef, Jai Shaikh from Putney-based YumSa restaurant who created a stir with his Percebes Padcha (Goose necked barnacles) and freelance chef Wincie Wong who specialises in cooking her late mother’s traditional Burmese dishes for supper clubs all over London. Talented home cook, Antony Bacon completed the group, creating, among others, a dish of Yuk Sung.
The event was such a success that two more London Kitchen Social events are now planned for 10th May and 12th June.
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