Member of the Month July 2021: Thomas Lemercier

The Staff Canteen

Editor

Here at The Staff Canteen, we feature a different member every month who we think deserves to be celebrated - this month’s winner is Thomas Lemercier

As thanks for being a regular contributor to The Staff Canteen, Thom will receive a TSC mug and will be entered in our Member of the Year 2021 competition.

1.Current place of work, position

I am currently working as a sous chef at The Waterhouse Project in Bethnal Green.

2) What is your cooking style and what should people expect from the food on your menu?

Our style of cooking is based on a seasonnal and monthly changing menu mainly made with British products with worldwide inspirations. We love using unusual pairings as long as it brings layers of flavours in our dishes, like using vegetables in desserts for example.

3) What is your favourite dish to cook and why?

It is a hard one, but I would say that seafood is my favourite thing to cook - especially when raw, in a ceviche or tartare, because the seasonning needs to be absolutely stunning, but the possibilities are infinite.

And when you cook a fish, well prepared, to perfection, and see the rainbow while carving…it makes me so happy!

4) Name a food item/dish/ingredient that isn't considered "cheffy" but that you love to eat

My favourite food to eat is pizza, without a doubt. Not as easy to make as it looks, but a popular dish known all over the world. I could definitely eat a good pizza everyday, but it is not that easy to find!

5) What do you like about The Staff Canteen app and website?

I definitely love what TSC does. They provide us so much support and give light in our job. You can share your passion and inspiration with people who can understand it. And the plateform in itself is really easy to use.

6) What are your plans for the future?

We're moving to a brand new space in September, and we definitely want to push the boundaries and our limits to offer the best food experience we can. On a personal level, I just want to keep learning, improving, creating to be a better chef and a better human.

7) The hospitality industry has suffered a lot in the past fifteen months, but if you had to take one positive from it all, what would it be?

Obvioulsy the past 15 months have been rough for the industry. But I am a deeply positive person and we made the most of it. We had to adapt ourselves and our way of thinking about food and work and we managed to find resources we did not expect. Now we feel more ready than ever to start a brand new chapter, full of ideas and good vibes.

In these challenging times…

The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall and restrict access – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.

Over the last 12 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 500,000 followers across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.

A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.

Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.