The man behind the chef: Russell Bateman

The Staff Canteen

In the build up to The Staff Canteen Live at the Hospitality Show 2015, NEC Birmingham on January 19 – 21, we are taking a closer look at the chefs who will be joining us on stage. We dig a little deeper to find out what they are hiding under those chef whites!

Russell Bateman is the head chef at Colette’s, the fine dining restaurant at The Grove, Watford. The 35-year-old, from West London, won the Craft Guild of Chefs National Chef of the Year 2014 award and prides himself on using the freshest ingredients for his cosmopolitan style food. He will be joining us at the NEC for the 2015 Hospitality Show.

At The Staff Canteen we want to see what makes chefs tick. We asked Russell a few questions about what he gets up to when he’s not in the kitchen:

What made you want to be a part of The Staff Canteen Live?

I think it is exciting to be able to showcase new food to other people in the industry and they can get a better understanding of who you are and what you produce. It is a great vehicle for that.

What do you do in your spare time?

I look after my son; he is only two so he is quite a handful. I listen to a lot of music and watch a lot of football.

What is the last album you bought?

I think it was Jake Bugg.

Chocolate or cheese?

Cheese.

Marco or Gordon?

A bit of both.

>>> Read more in the Behind the Chef series here

What is the worst injury/cut you have ever had in the kitchen?

Once someone slid a knife along the bench, I put my hand out to stop it and it slid right through the palm of my hand.

If you weren’t a chef what would you be?

I would probably work in a Fred Perry shop so I could get good discounts.

Russell will be joining us on Wednesday, January 21 at 11.30am for The Staff Canteen Live. We are extremely excited to welcome such a well-respected name in the industry. It will be a great day for chefs and foodies alike.

By Samantha Wright

The Hospitality Show takes place at the NEC Birmingham from January, 19-21, 2015. Registration for the show is open now at: http://www.hospitalityshow.co.uk/sc/

>>> Read more from The Staff Canteen Live here

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The Staff Canteen

The Staff Canteen

Editor 14th January 2015

The man behind the chef: Russell Bateman