SAUCE TALENT - Key Persons
Genevieve Taylor is a live fire chef and best selling author of 11 cookery books. An adventurous spirit, her real passion is for cooking outdoors and she runs the wildly popular Bristol Fire School - a cookery school dedicated to all kinds of fire cooking - low and slow barbecue and grilling, fire pits, Kamado ovens and wood fired ovens. Her latest book, Seared, is published by Quadrille in April 2022.
Cooking over fire is addictive and elemental, it makes us human and is quite simply the coolest thing to hit professional kitchens in recent years. Genevieve, a self taught cook, wants to show the world that fire cooking is exciting, accessible and achievable at home, and a brilliant way to break out of the humdrum of the domestic kitchen. Cooking with fire is deliciously analogue in an overwhelmingly digital world and that is just why she likes it.
Give Genevieve some wood or charcoal to burn, a few nice ingredients and some simple tools, and she will show you how to cook something unforgettable…. whether you are barbecuing in your back garden, cooking over a fire pit on the beach, or even up a mountain or on a river bank, this is the cook you need to turn to for a bit of adventure. Genevieve's style is fabulously down to earth, her food easy and colourful, drawing inspiration from a love of travel and growing a few good things to eat.
As a presenter, she has appeared regularly on the BBC Radio 4 Food Programme (The BarbeQandA, Christmas Cooking, Summer Camping Special, Cooking for Poldark, Bristol, the Story of a City and its Food, The Joy of Eggs) as well as several appearances on The One Show and Paul Hollywood's Pies and Puds. A brand ambassador for Weber, Genevieve often pops up in the national press where she is the go-to woman for all things fire-cooked. She is a regular contributor to the Telegraph, Waitrose Food Monthly, Olive, Sainsbury's and Countryfile magazines.
Affectionately known as the Yummy Brummie (coined by Olive Magazine), Glynn Purnell owns and runs Michelin-starred Purnell's in Birmingham, Ginger's Bar and Purnell's Bistro. Winning dozens of awards for his inspired and adventurous cooking, Glynn has remained firmly rooted in his home city and won Birmingham's first Michelin star in January 2005 as Head Chef at Jessica's. Purnell's opened in 2007 and was awarded a Michelin star in 2009.
Glynn's first food memory involved baked beans on toast and curry powder! Left in charge of his little brother and sister, he would experiment on them with new combinations and challenged their taste buds. He continues to do this with dishes like poached egg yolk, smoked haddock milk foam and cornflakes on the menu at Purnell's, cooking which earned him top accolades on BBC's Great British Menu. Glynn takes old fashioned flavours and brings them up to date with dishes like Royal of Goats Cheese and Pineapple on sticks.
Glynn started work in kitchens at the age of 14 and spent the following two years at the Metropole Hotel, going every day after school. They took him on as an apprentice and six years later he won the prestigious Salon Culinaire award. Glynn moved to Simpson's which won a Michelin star while he was a Sous Chef and where he also won other personal awards such as the Academie de Culinaire Francaise Annual Award of Excellence in 1996. He went on to work with Claude Bosi at the 2 Michelin-starred Hibiscus in Ludlow before helping to launch Jessica's back in Birmingham in 2003.
Glynn has taken part in BBC's Great British Menu, winning twice and then appearing as a mentor. He has previously featured on The Great British Food Revival, Pies and Puds with Paul Hollywood, and with Mary Berry, Michel Roux Jnr and Tom Kerridge on BBC 2's Food and Drink. Glynn is a regular guest chef on BBC 1's Saturday Kitchen with James Martin, on ITV's This Morning and recently appeared on BBC 2's Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice. From February 2016 Glynn will be Food Judge on Channel 4's brand new series Come Dine Champion of Champions. Glynn collaborated with Harvey Nichols in 2015 to curate a dining experience and exclusive menu for Harvey Nichols' new design concept store in Birmingham.
Glynn's first book Cracking Yolks and Pig Tales was published by Kyle Books in May 2014, and his next book, also published by Kyle Books, will be published in September 2016.
Husband and wife team James Knappett and Sandia Chang opened Bubbledogs on 29th August, 2012. Knappett (The Ledbury; The Berkeley; Noma; Per Se) is Head Chef, while Chang (Roganic; The Berkeley; Noma; Per Se) is General Manager.
James Knappett has worked at some of the world's most highly-regarded restaurants. He has previously spent time in the kitchens at The Ledbury (two Michelin stars) and at Marcus Wareing's, The Berkeley (two stars). James has also worked under Gordon Ramsay at Royal Hospital Road (three stars) and Rick Stein's, The Seafood Restaurant in Padstow. During four years spent abroad, James has spent time in the kitchens at Noma (two stars) and Thomas Keller's NYC restaurant, Per Se (three stars). James was part of the team that brought Keller's French Laundry to Harrods for two weeks last year.
Sandia Chang has held positions in restaurants including Roganic, where she was the Assistant Manager and Wine Buyer; and at Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley, where she held the position of Junior Assistant Manager. She has also worked at Noma and Per Se. Sandia was also part of the team that brought Keller's French Laundry to Harrods for two weeks last year.
"Love is food: keep eating!" James Knappett.
Michael Wignall's experience of freshly cooked food and multi-cultural cuisine started at a young age, travelling extensively from the Far East, to the United States and across Europe. Although exposed to a variety of international gastronomy, aspiring to be a top chef was not Michael's first passion.
As a teen, Michael had a prom1s1ng career as a professional BMX biker, however, his parents encouraged him to attend catering college. After three years, Michael moved to Spain to experience front of house, authentic cooking and the cuisine the country had to offer.
Upon his return to the UK, Michael's professional career started at Broughton Park, under Paul Heathcote, moving with him to his restaurant in Longbridge, Preston, followed by a spell working with John Burton Race at L'Ortolan. Following this he headed up Old Beams, Staffordshire, Waldo's Restaurant in Cliveden Hotel, Michael's Nook and the Burlington Restaurant at The Devonshire Arms, earning a Michelin star at each.
Michael joined Exclusive Hotels in November 2007. With a wealth of experience already under his belt and consequently the discovery of his own style and identity, The Latymer became one of the top restaurants in the country. It was awarded its first Michelin star and gained five AA rosettes in 2011 and added the second Michelin star in 2012. Aside from The Latymer, Michael also stagiaires at top restaurants in France and Spain, including Pierre Gagnaire in Paris.
Michael produces incredibly complex, technically accomplished dishes. His attention to detail and dedication to the pursuit of perfection in flavour, texture and appearance knows no bounds. His reputation of working with suppliers and producers, ensuring all elements are fresh and sustainable, adds to the faultlessness of his dishes.
Out of the kitchen, Michael's love for extreme sport still exists- particularly Wakeboarding which still plays a massive part in his life. He also travels the world to find new inspirations and ideas to pair with locally sourced, British produce.
From January 2016, Michael made his move from The Latymer (Pennyhill Park) to Gidleigh Park, Chagford. This was lauded the highest profile culinary takeover of 2016 by the likes of Jay Rayner and within 10 months Michelin announced its two stars retained. In 2017, he was awarded five AA rosettes - the first time the AA has ever awarded five rosettes mid-year, in its 61 year history.
In September 2018, Michael, along with his wife Johanna took over the Angel Inn at Hetton. Subject to planning permissions, work will begin on a second restaurant, Cove, situated in the old Wine Cave on the grounds of The Angel.
In September 2019 (and within Michael's 1st year at The Angel), Michael and the team were awarded 1 Michelin star in the UK & Ireland 2020 guide. Michelin came hot on the heels of the AA Hospitality Awards, which took place just two weeks earlier and saw the Angel receive four coveted rosettes for Michael's cooking.
Mike's passion for gastronomy began in his earliest years, but he didn't commence his professional career until 2001, when he spent all of his free time learning the ropes at Truffles of Southsea brasserie whilst studying for his BA in Business & Marketing at the University of Portsmouth. Upon graduating, it was clearly apparent that his vocation lie in the culinary arts, so he headed for the bright lights of London, where his illustrious career as a chef took wing. It wasn't long after he secured an apprenticeship at The In & Out club in St James that Mike began working in the kitchens of the Royal Air Force Club.
Following this, he trained in two of London's definitive fine dining restaurants. It was a period of his workplace education that was deeply formative, inculcating him with sound fundamentals and savvy intuition. These were Le Gavroche and Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, where his skills were honed under the tutelage of celebrated chefs Michel Roux Jr, Simone Zanoni and Mr Ramsay himself.
In April 2007, Mike's career leapt forward as he joined the team at Gaucho restaurants, swiftly earning himself a position as Head Chef. He ran both the Richmond and O2 sites before receiving a promotion to the Executive Chef position for the entire Gaucho Group. In his day-to-day, he was responsible for overseeing all food aspects of the business, running the gamut from menu development to training and recruitment to overseeing the entirety of Gaucho's notorious events. From 2011, he additionally developed and supervised the burgeoning CAU restaurant franchise.
In 2013, Mike left London to rattle the pans in Australia's thriving restaurant scene, spending six months undertaking stages at a number of Melbourne's most celebrated restaurants. These included a stint working with world class chef Ben Shewry in Attica, which in 2015 was ranked number 32 of The World's 50 Best Restaurants. He then worked in Andrew Macdonald's 2 Hat restaurant Cutler and Co, which offered him deep insight into Modern Australian cuisine and its many Asian influences.
Mike was first introduced to Shannon Bennet at the ATP World Tour tennis tournament. They began discussing their work in the kitchens, immediately developing mutual respect for one another. Soon after, Mike started work with Shannon, and had the opportunity to become friends and cook for some of Australia's finest chefs, including George Calombaris, Curtis Stone and Peter Gilmore. He cooked alongside Heston Blumenthal at The Skinny Duck, a charity event for FareShare Australia which raised funds for disadvantaged children.
2014 was a bumper year for Mike, in which he opened two restaurants on either side of the globe. In Melbourne, Mike worked closely with celebrity chef Shannon Bennet and his Vue de Monde Group to open Jardin Tan. He played an instrumental role in developing the unique French Vietnamese concept.
Tarunima Sinha is a self taught baker. She is the founder and baker at the award winning baking business My Little Cake Tin.
Having only used the oven for the first time after moving to the UK from India in her 20's, baking has became her obsession ever since. Researching, recreating and continuously testing recipes is a way of her daily life, passionately working with flavours and spices from her Indian heritage and merging with seasonal produce and knowledge gathered over the years.
In 2019, Tarunima was featured in The Observer top 50 things in food by Observer food monthly. She regularly contributes recipes to Observer food monthly.
Her cakes are known for their unique flavours and colourful designs and many have been awarded with Great Taste Awards. She is a firm believer that flavour is never to be compromised and that flavour comes first always, followed by beauty and design which is a close second. Her background is in design - so aesthetics of her bakes is very important to her too. She confidently works towards balancing both flavour and design with every single bake in her kitchen.
She creates bespoke wedding cakes and desserts tables to order and regularly hosts supper clubs with emphasis on her bakes and desserts.
She is fully committed to the joys of baking, learning everyday and sharing the knowledge. She hosts regular baking classes at her North London home and believes sharing knowledge is the only way to grow and learning never stops.
Thane Prince has authored over 10 cookery books and is food judge on BBC 2's prime time show The Big Allotment Challenge; the first series aired in spring 2014 and the second series ran from January 2015 at 9pm.
Thane's latest book Perfect Preserves was published by Hodder & Staughton in June 2014, and she has recently appeared on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour to discuss how to make the perfect raspberry jam, The Food Network's The Twelve Chefs of Christmas and ITV's This Morning twice in the winter demonstrating her wonderful preserving and mulling skills. In 2015 The Sunday Telegraph featured Thane's visit to the beautiful Bowood House in Wiltshire to meet Lady Lansdown and cook using seasonal produce from the garden.
Thane started her career as the food columnist for The Daily Telegraph and The Weekend Telegraph holding the position for twelve years until 1999. Since then she has written many articles and presented several of her own TV food series. Thane has a large and loyal following on Twitter and has developed links with many new food writers and chefs encouraging them and advising them in their careers. She ran the highly successful Aldeburgh Cookery School in Suffolk for several years which was consistently voted in the top three cookery schools in the UK, but has now returned to London and become involved in the vibrant food culture there. She has a website on which she gives her opinion on new restaurants, food news, and kitchen equipment as well as featuring new and classic recipes cooked and tested in her kitchen.
Thane works with the Leon Foundation and Henry Dimbleby and is setting up a cook school for the renal department of Great Ormond Street Hospital to teach teenagers how to cook their very specialized diet. Once the model has been established here in London the plan is to will roll it out to other young adult renal units across the UK. 2013 heralded the start of two ventures. Firstly Thane Cooks at Home: a bespoke cooking classes for small groups focusing on techniques and new food stories held in Thane's kitchen. Secondly Beckett and Prince: adventures with food and wine. This is a range of food and wine matching courses in which Thane joins up with Fiona Beckett, wine writer for the Guardian. These will be held in both London and Bristol.
Head chef at The Grill at The Dorchester, Essex-born Tom Booton's career began at Le Talbooth, Dedham when he was just 15. Starting out as a trainee, Tom began right at the bottom but quickly showed his potential and began to rise through the ranks. In 2013, after five years learning the ropes at Le Talbooth, Tom moved to London and worked for Michelin-starred chef, Alyn Williams at his self-titled restaurant within The Westbury hotel. One year on, Tom moved to L'Autre Pied, Marylebone, under the tutelage of Andy Mcfadden. Tom remained there for over two years, leaving as sous chef to go travelling. Whilst away, he spent time in various restaurants in New York, Copenhagen and Iceland.
Returning to the UK in 2016, Tom's first position back in London was for chef Ollie Dabbous as sous chef at his highly acclaimed eponymous restaurant, Dabbous. In February 2017, Tom moved back to Alyn Williams at The Westbury as head chef, where he was responsible for a young brigade of talented and enthusiastic chefs. Tom flourished in the Michelin-starred, four AA rosette kitchen, designing interesting and innovative menus and earning himself a coveted Acorn Award in 2019, which celebrates the industry's most talented stars aged under 30. With a genuine commitment to sourcing the finest local and seasonal produce, matched with a wealth of experience already under his belt, Tom is one of London's most talented young chefs and The Grill at The Dorchester's youngest ever head chef. Tom's latest role at The Dorchester sees him join a fine list of culinary greats who have had a profound impact on London's dining scene.
Job Titles:
- Chef Director - Parker 's Tavern, Cambridge
Tristan has an infectious, energetic passion about good food and always has fun when cooking. He believes the enjoyment of a meal starts with the making of it and that fine food, not fine dining is the way forward.
Tristan Welch started his culinary career in London as a young chef under Gary Rhodes and went on to join Le Gavroche, working under the guidance of Michel Roux Jr. During his time there, he won the Award of Excellence from the Academy of Culinary Arts, which recognises exceptional talent and ambition in young chefs. He remained there for three years refining his repertoire of classical French cooking, before moving to Paris to continue his culinary training at the avant-garde, triple Michelin starred vegetarian restaurant L'Arpege.
Tristan moved back to the UK to take on his first Head Chef role at the award winning five, star Glenapp Castle in Scotland. During his time there he was awarded various accolades including three AA rosettes, Hotel Chef of the Year and the prestigious Gordon Ramsay Scholarship Award. Following this, Tristan took on the role as head chef at Gordon Ramsay's prestigious Petrus at The Berkeley, which was awarded two Michelin stars in 2007 and Best Restaurant Award in the Harden's Guide 2008.
In March 2008, Tristan opened his first restaurant, Launceston Place, where he created a relaxed modern British menu that was received with rave reviews by critics. The restaurant went onto win Best Restaurant in the London TimeOut guide, Most Fashionable London Restaurant, Best In Taste award, plus awards from Tatler and Wine Spectator.
In 2012, Tristan decided to take a two year sabbatical to devote time to his beloved young family. This was followed by a move to Mustique, a small Caribbean island, where Tristan was Executive Chef at the islands only resort, The Cotton House, a hotspot for royals, VIPs and celebrities.
However, Tristan has finally been persuaded to return home from paradise, thanks to an offer he simply couldn't refuse. He is back in his hometown of Cambridge as Chef Director of the highly anticipated new restaurant, Parker's Tavern at UNIVERSITY ARMS, CAMBRIDGE. Parker's Tavern is set to open early Summer 2018 and will be a beautiful, flamboyant destination restaurant where everything served will have British origins, with ingredients provided by Cambridge and East Anglian producers.
Tristan has made various TV and radio appearances including BBC2's Great British Menu, BBC1's Saturday Kitchen, BBC1's The One Show to Good Food channel's Market Kitchen, C4's Drop Down Menu, Radio BBC London and most recently, BBC Saturday Kitchen. He also makes regular appearances on Food Network USA and Food Network UK.
Ursula Ferrigno is an acclaimed food writer and chef who embodies the Italian and Mediterranean passion for good food made from the freshest natural ingredients. She specialises in Italian, vegetarian, baking and gluten-free recipes.
Having been raised with bread on the table at every meal, Ursula is a passionate baker. With Italian breads her speciality, she teaches both professionals and amateurs to make an array of national and regional breads from Ciabatta and Focaccia to volcanic Stromboli and Sourdough. She is the driving force behind National Breadmaking Week.