Born and bred in St Ives, I’ve been working in the food industry for the past seventeen years, working in restaurants all over the region, and, more recently, as a private chef. I’m the daughter of a St Ives fisherman and having someone who is so integral to Cornwall’s food culture so close fuelled my ambition to become a chef. The best seafood was a stone’s throw away from where I grew up and this began to open my eyes to the bounty of produce our region has to offer.
Despite the determination from a young age, my professional career didn’t begin until I started college training in classical French cooking and cuisine. The practises I learnt there became a cornerstone of my gastronomic knowledge, but my perspective soon widened after I left and began to work in professional kitchens.
I’ve worked in restaurants throughout Cornwall, specialising in various cuisines and styles that have allowed me to fulfil what I intended to do all those years ago. Working both front and back of house has also allowed me to learn how a restaurant is best-run, not only from the product offering, but how to connect with people through the way we eat.
Wanting to branch out even further, I worked in chalets around Europe as a private chef, enjoying the experience of catering for smaller groups. The ski seasons were short and I had truly been bitten by the travelling bug, deciding to travel to Indonesia, Canada, and Australia for as long as possible. Several years and a child later, I decided to move back home.
Moving back to Cornwall made me realise that the blueprint of fine dining had changed significantly. As a county, Cornwall had become a food hub, with chefs and city-dwellers flocking to make the most of sun, sea, and sand. With new restaurants popping up every month, I found a new niche: bringing fine dining into the home. It made sense. With Cornwall’s picturesque scenes, long summer days (and even shorter winter nights), and its cornucopia of produce, the idea came quite quickly, and my commitment to it from the off was strong. Utilising the space of these perfect Cornish home offers a unique opportunity to dine, making the experience truly your own.
Since pursuing the idea, I haven’t looked back. The chance to tailor menus to my clients’ needs is something I take very seriously and have plenty of fun with. It is rare that the chef is able to have an intimate dining experience. Being friendly and personable are qualities that I believe are paramount in private dining, and being able to interact with diners is what makes what I do as fun as it is.
My advertising works solely through word-of-mouth. I’ve never paid for advertising as I believe that having people talk about their experience to the people they know is more trustworthy and dependable than anything else.
My mission has always been to make the experience as enjoyable as possible for those that I am cooking for, and whether that is through tried and tested courses with humble ingredients, or more unique dishes, with produce that isn’t so common, the aim is always the same.
