back from France Ben strengthened his experience by working with John Burton-Race from 1993-94. Speaking about his time with John he said: “He had two Michelins stars at the time so he was very good. His restaurant was always busy.”
However John was renowned at the time for being a tough chef to work for, upon reflection Ben explained: “It was a very tough place to work, shall we say.
“John was just very driven. He had two Michelin stars and he wanted a third; that was his goal. He wasn’t the nicest person to work with then. It was just that kind of time in his life I guess”
The stars aren’t however a sole focus for Ben as he’s now owner of four restaurants in the Brighton area he said: “When I was young that was my driving force, but as I got older it was far less of a motivation.
“Now, it would be nice to have one, but I’m not going to go out of my way and change how we work to get one. You need have a popular, profitable business. That’s most important.”
With no Michelin Stars in Brighton and the focus predominantly on London Ben believes it due to “a price sensitive thing.” He said: “You have to have a lot of staff and charge more money than you can get away with in a place like Brighton. London is so close, so it’s almost like you can just go there instead.
“Brighton just doesn’t seem to have that economy. We haven’t had a star here since the 70’s I think.”
But with Brighton’s food scene “improving year on year” Ben explained that “There’s such a change from the bottom to the top” and that “The more chefs and good restaurants there are, the higher the demand is”.
The scene however must be busy enough with Ben owning four restaurants within the group, speaking about the style food across all four Ben said: “We try not to take ourselves too seriously. We like simple and good things, nothing pretentious.
“The modern British movement is what I like best. I have a classical French base, but the British movement is what people want to eat at the moment. It’s light, simple food that is full of flavour”
With the success of the Gingerman Group Ben has revealed he is hoping to expand upon his empire this year, he said: “We’re looking to open up a seafood restaurant this year hopefully. There are development and planning issues though. We’re hoping to open it in early summer if things work out.”
We’re looking forward to seeing what happens with this new venture which of course we’ll keep you posted about. Have you eaten at one of Ben’s restaurants? Let us know over on @canteentweets or on our Facebook page.
By Aimee Davis
