“It’s like real, base-level therapy for chefs." Paul Foster on The Nightcap podcast

You may know Paul Foster because of his Michelin-starred restaurant Salt but that’s not the only string to the chefs bow.

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He decided to try his hand at podcasting along with Simon Alexander (award winning podcaster and producer) and so far, it has been a success – he invites chefs to his restaurant and allows them a relaxed space to tell their stories from the kitchen, a real insight into the personalities behind these well-known industry veterans.

The Staff Canteen spoke to Paul about The Nightcap podcast and its success.

“It’s kind of an outlet really just to have a good chat and a moan!” explained Paul when asked, what is The Nightcap. “It’s like real, base-level therapy for chefs.

“I wanted honest, authentic conversation where they can be themselves and I could be myself without feeling like you have to hold back or you have to be controversial. We can have a laugh because we are in a safe environment.

“We’re trying to capture a lock-in at a pub where the doors are closed, and everyone is invited.”

He added: “I didn’t think it would go as crazy as it did, it was a surprise because I don’t know the podcast world or the media world it just sounded like a great idea.”

It’s not just people in the industry who are listening to the podcast, so why do people find chefs so interesting?

“I don’t know,” laughed Paul. “We’re all very different but I suppose it’s like anyone who is passionate about what they do, I find that interesting, even if the subject matter isn’t something

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I like, I find the person interesting if they have a deep-rooted passion in something.”

As well as hearing other chefs’ stories one of the other podcast features is Trip Advisor reviews, which Paul and his guest try to guess if it’s a review of their restaurant or not. Paul is well-known for his dislike of the review site, he said: “I think it comes across that that is on my mind one hundred percent of the time!

“It just happened that when we first started recording the podcast, we had not long got the star, and we were getting caned on Trip Advisor. Now I don’t look at it unless someone tells me, and I don’t respond to any of it – back then I was in a place where the podcast and Trip Advisor collided together, and I got angry at times.”

He added: “In all seriousness there is a side of TripAdvisor that works, and I understand there is a market for it but there is that small side which affects me, which I don’t like!

“If they want to be taken seriously, they need to find a way of regulating it. So, you know customers have actually been there and so people know it’s trustworthy. Maybe that you have to prove your identity and put your name out there because that pisses me off, anyone can make up a fake name or email and then use it.”

Paul has just released the first episode in the second series of The Nightcap, he has another great guest line-up but if he could have any chef on there who would it be?

“Thomas Keller, even if it was boring and no one liked it I would, I’d just gaze into his eyes!”

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