Loads, Michael always challenges you to push yourself so much further, to work, quicker, work smarter, and he does it in a way that at the time you perhaps don't appreciate that you're progressing.
It often appears that nothing is quite good enough, or that It could be done a bit better, which it can, it's only when you step back and look and you see how far you've come. For me that's very important.
Michael is extremely high profile, he will naturally be profiled in the press, perhaps more so than you. Does this affect you or how you do your role?
It doesn't affect my role, in fact it actually helps what I do, in that through Michael he attracts customers which is what we are about; it keeps me and the team employed as we are able to attract good staff. As no one really knows me it's Michael's name that really helps me, in that I have a good team which means we are able to create the great food here at the Bath Priory.
Is there an ambition for you to be on magazine covers and in articles?
I don't really think like that I just focus on cooking really great food, and if that takes me onto the front cover of magazines, then it does, but the food is my focus.
What has been your single biggest professional challenge whilst at your current operation and how did you overcome it?
Taking over the position of head chef was a real nightmare. At that time the kitchen, sadly wasn't being properly run. It was being run very badly and was at a very low point.
This is your predecessor?
When we first took
The then head chef, rather than looking to me for support, everything simply became a blame culture here; so that transition period where I took over and began to put it right was tough.
Did that make you stronger?
Oh yes hugely, I actually learnt so much from that process, I actually learnt from the mistakes that had been made. I was running the kitchen still as the sous chef, I was not prepared to lower the standards, we are an extremely busy restaurant and trying to maintain the standard Michael wanted was extremely difficult.
I spoke to Michael, as we had to change, we couldn't go on as we were, I took over and that first three to six months was hugely difficult, at times it was a nightmare, getting the staff and the team back on board was tough.
Then, of course, we lost the star and you begin to question your own ability, though Michael has never doubted me.
It goes without saying that losing a star was disappointing but does it impact negatively on the business?
It hasn't affected the business at all, in fact, we are actually busy than last year, but it did affect me - it was a knock. I know that Michael wanted to keep it.
I'm less concerned by the guides, I'm only twenty-six so I've plenty of time in my career to gain a star. What would bother me far more is the loss of customers and negative comments from the guest, people not returning, that's my main concern.
How much importance do you place on training and the development of yourself and your team and how important is this to the operation as a whole?
It's essential. It would be a complete headache if I didn't train my staff properly. This was one of the biggest issues we'd had previously - people in the team simply didn't know what they were doing.
Michael works in the same way, it allows him to be away from Gidleigh for the week, without anything suffering and have the confidence to do so.
How often do you Michael liaise together on menu's, training, development and the business?
There's a quarterly meeting with all of Michael Chefs, which is all very official, we look at the business and the figures. The directions, the trends, and action we need to take.
I speak with Michael, perhaps twice a month, he's here once a month, we do tastings but I have Michael's confidence.
So Michael is there to support?
Yes, he's there to support, he challenges me for ideas, but as long as things are seasonal, amazingly full of flavour, there's nothing stopping me adding it to the menu.
It's obviously very important for you to have strong people around you as Michael has you and Ian at Gidleigh that he can empower.
Yes it's very much a shared vision, it's about us all wanting to work hard and us all wanting to produce great food; it becomes a collective value.
When new people start it's about doing it together, it's not about them doing it for me or doing for Michael, it's about doing it for each other and the customers.
What are you looking to gain from your operation next, in terms of personal development and then future career opportunities?
At the moment I'm here to learn, I'm extremely fortunate, we have a busy restaurant, it's a luxury restaurant that allows me to work with some outstanding ingredients.
I'm learning how to understand the business and how it works, perhaps ultimately my own place or a larger operation, with more outlets, but I'm very happy here at present.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
I'd really like to work in France. For me it's something different, I don't really fancy Paris, I recently ate at Michal Bras, the whole area was amazing and the importance of food is much greater in France, than it appears here, much more respect of food.
I just love that whole culture that I still don't think we have in the UK.
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