Village Squire, 1979-02, Page 5the business
of cooking
There's a lot more than flare in
being a chef
They are among the superstars of the world but they are
seldom seen doing the work that bring them fame. They are
performers who play with the curtain drawn.
The superstars. of course. are the chefs of some of the world's
top eating spots. They rank right up there with actors, singers,
writers and prime ministers' wives as celebrities in many places
in the world yet when they are performing the skills that make
them famous, they're there in the background behind the
swinging doors.
There's prestige attached to being a chef of a good restaurant,
even if one isn't quite superstardom. It takes many years of
training to become the boss of the kitchen and a good many other
qualities as well. Just how much goes into becoming a chef
became evident in a chat with Jim McLaren Nisbet, recently
appointed chef of the prestigious Benmiller Inn. Although he's a
youthful 33 today, he's travelled a long road to his present post.
A native of Scotland, he moved to England when he was 13
years old. He picked up his interest in cooking at home and
decided to get into the hotel and catering business. He took a two
year course at Portsmouth College of Technology. Under the
British system the examining body for such courses is the trade
guild of your craft. The course gives the graduate a strong basis
in the kitchen plus a knowledge of what's going on in the
diningroom, the bar and the rest of the hotel.
Next comes the apprenticeship phase of the training in a first
class hotel. In Mr. Nisbet's case this was the Connaught Hotel,
a prestige hotel of the Savoy group in Britain. He started out
thereas about sixth or seventh assistant in the vegetable section
and worked his way up to the top assistant in the section then
after two or three months was transferred to the fish section and
so through the various sections of the kitchen. Every section has
a chef, then above that there is a second chef, a head chef at this
hotel, there was an executive chef at the top.
The Connaught was the most elite hotel in London. Stars like
The beautiful scenery of Benmiller is a big part of the attraction of Benmiller Inn for many visitors but
for local people, it's the food that's the drawing card.
February 1979, Village Squire 3