Jonny Lake, Head Chef, The Fat Duck, Bray

The Staff Canteen

  

Jonny Lake, head chef of The Fat Duck at Bray, is this months featured chef. The Staff Canteen had the pleasure of speaking to him about working for Heston Blumenthal at the three star Michelin venue.

Jonny Lake, Head Chef at The Fat Duck, is perfectly suited to execute Heston Blumenthal’s cuisine at the three Michelin starred restaurant in Bray.

A native of Ontario, Canada, Jonny’s interest in science preceded his interest in cooking.  In his early twenties, he moved to Montreal to study physics and biology at university.  Whilst finishing his degree, he started two things that would alter the course of his life: cooking at home and volunteering at a “Meals on Wheels” charity, Santropol Roulant.

It was here Jonny packed and delivered meals to the population of Montreal who had difficulty accessing food.  Most importantly, he also started cooking. The time Jonny spent at Santropol not only made him aware of his innate talent, it made him realise that with cooking, learning is endless. 

>>> Read more about The Fat Duck here

As he puts it, “You can learn something new in the kitchen every single day if you ask enough questions.”  After graduation he spent 18 months honing his skills at the Institut de Tourisme et d’Hotellerie du Quebec, the largest professional chef training programme in Montreal. Jonny excelled at culinary school and upon graduation he was granted a bursary to pay for a three-month stage in Italy.  His culinary career began.  In Savona, Liguria he worked at the one Michelin starred A-Spurcacciun-a, a fish and seafood restaurant.  In the off-season, he would stage at Quintillo in Altare, Liguria. 

He left Savona to work at Gultiero Marchesi’s two Michelin starred restaurant in the L’Albereta Resort in Erbusco. He joined The Fat Duck in 2005 as a chef de partie.  It was an ideal fit.  Jonny parallels Heston’s curiosity and relentless pursuit of food perfection. 

The Head Chef states: “The thing that I enjoy most about The Fat Duck is that we are always looking at different ways to do things.” Jonny was named Head Chef of The Fat Duck in November 2009.      

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  – 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 16 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 560,000 followers across Facebook, X, 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.

The Staff Canteen

The Staff Canteen

Editor 13th November 2013

Jonny Lake, Head Chef, The Fat Duck, Bray