MARTIN WISHART, Restaurant Martin Wishart, Edinburgh www.martin-wishart.co.uk Martin and wife Cecile opened Restaurant Martin Wishart in Leith in 1999, and in 2001 he became the first chef in Edinburgh to be awarded a Michelin star.
He serves modern French cuisine, produced using the finest, freshest ingredients. Martin has developed his own unique style of cooking that combines classical traditions with light, unique flavours. Signature dishes include lobster and smoked haddock
soufflé and roast halibut with pigs' trotters. He regularly changes the menu to feature the best seasonal ingredients, organic where possible and carefully sourced from more than 40 regular suppliers. Martin Wishart has been described by Michelin chef Gordon Ramsay as "Scotland's next big thing, no question".
PAUL TAMBURRINI, Hotel du Vin, Glasgow www.hotelduvin.com Paul has worked for a number of Scotland's five-star establishments since he began his career in 1989. He spent a year at Marco Pierre White's Michelin-starred L'Escargot in London, and in 1999 was chef proprietor, at the launch of Restaurant Martin Wishart. In 2006, the Bistro at Hotel du Vin at One Devonshire Gardens was opened, with Paul as executive chef. In just over a year, it gained three AA rosettes and was named Glasgow Restaurant of the Year by The List magazine. Paul recently won the title Scottish National Hotel Chef of the Year at the Scottish Hotel of the Year Awards.
NEIL FORBES, Atrium, Edinburgh www.atriumrestaurant.co.uk Neil became head chef of Atrium eight years ago. An avid promoter of local seasonal produce, he is often seen sourcing produce from Edinburgh's Saturday morning farmers' market. His menu changes daily, with the emphasis on quality. Neil has affiliations to the "slow food" movement and can be seen hosting slow food farmers' market lunches to mark seasonal changes.
STUART MUIR, Forth Floor Restaurant, Harvey Nichols, Edinburgh www.harveynichols.com
Stuart Muir has been head chef at the Forth Floor Restaurant since it opened in 2002. He has earned a reputation for creating consistently exciting dishes from first-rate Scottish produce. He won a Michelin star and three AA rosettes at the age of 22 while head chef at Knockinaam Lodge, the youngest chef in Scotland to win this accolade. He was recognised as one of the 12 best chefs in Scotland by the Scottish Chefs' Association in 2006.
TOM LEWIS, Monachyle Mhor, Perthshire www.monachylemhor.com For ten years, Tom has been in the kitchen at Monachyle Mhor, picking up awards for his daily changing menu based on fresh, seasonal, local produce. By the end of 1996, it had won its first AA rosette, a Booker Prize industry award in 2003 and an Egon Ronay in 2005. Tom is very passionate about "slow food".
JEFF BLAND, Number One, The Balmoral, Edinburgh www.thebalmoralhotel.com Jeff is the chairman of the Scottish Academy of Culinary Arts and is dedicated to raising the standard of cuisine in Scotland. He has cooked for the Royal Family and been called upon to judge on various TV programmes, including Master Chef. The Balmoral has a Michelin star.
GEOFF MALMEDY, Abstract, Inverness www.abstractrestaurant.com As head chef of Abstract, Geoff was named as a rising star in the Michelin Guide Great Britain and Ireland 2007. Abstract's blend of modern French culinary expertise and superb local produce has earned the fine-dining restaurant a host of top awards.
JACQUELINE O'DONNELL, The Sisters Restaurant, Glasgow www.thesisters.co.uk Jacqueline and sister Pauline run two very successful restaurants in Glasgow, aptly named The Sisters. Jacqueline's signature style is Scots-Irish home cooking, and she works with local suppliers to bring a taste of the real Scotland to the middle of Glasgow. Scallops and langoustines, landed at the pier in Ullapool, are brought to the restaurant by the fishermen themselves, and wild venison is brought in regularly by a gamekeeper from Ardnamurchan.
ROY BRETT, Dakota, Edinburgh www.dakotahotels.co.uk Roy Brett's career has taken him from the Grill Room at The Savoy in London to the Concorde Hotel in Kuala Lumpur and back again. He has cooked at Downing Street for the French summit, and was chef for the Queen's Golden Jubilee dinner. Roy is a man who can genuinely go misty-eyed at the thought of an Arbroath smokie, and his passion for seafood is almost evangelical. Closely involved with the Marine Stewardship Council, he is doing his bit and trying to encourage others to do theirs.
MALCOLM WEBSTER, Sheraton Grand Hotel, Edinburgh www.starwoodhotels.com Malcolm has been the executive chef at the Sheraton Grand Hotel since 2007, having worked as the executive sous chef at the Westin Turnberry from 2004. His excellence lies in his ability to cook for a large number of people and to ensure that operations run smoothly. Malcolm picked up Hotel Chef of the Year at the Scottish Chef of the Year Awards 2008, and was awarded Gourmet Menu of the Year (more than £50) for the Louis Jadot dinner menu, demonstrating his creative flair and thought-provoking ideas.
JAMIE WAKEFORD, winner of the Scottish Food Scholarship www.scottishfoodscholarship.co.uk As winner of the Scottish Food Scholarship 2008, Jamie was asked by Edinburgh Inspiring Cuisine to create Edinburgh's signature dish and in March unveiled "Holyrood Lamb", to be demonstrated at Foodies. Since August 2006, Jamie has worked at the De Vere Cameron House, and was previously at the Old Course Hotel. He likes to use modern techniques to create classics with contemporary twists and is passionate about Scotland and its fantastic larder.
PIERRE LEVICKY, Chez Pierre, Edinburgh www.pierrelevicky.co.uk Pierre trained at Grenoble's Ecole Lesdiguieres; arguably France's best cookery school. He enjoyed a number of educational and inspirational stints in the kitchens of some great traditional French chefs. Pierre opened his first restaurant – Pierre Levicky French Restaurant – in Belfast, before moving to Edinburgh and opening the Michelin-recommended Vintners Room Restaurant. In 1988, he opened the first Pierre Victoire restaurant in Edinburgh. In less than ten years, the Pierre Victoire chain numbered more than 140 restaurants with a global turnover of more than £40 million and some 2,000 employees. However, financial problems arose and Pierre become bankrupt in 1998, but he has now returned with the opening of rustic French restaurant Chez Pierre in Edinburgh.
HARDEEP SINGH KOHLI www.hardeepsinghkohli.co.uk Glasgow-born Hardeep is a renowned writer, presenter and Bafta-winning broadcaster; his successes include Meet the Magoons on Channel 4 and Saturday Live, Midweek and The Food Programme on Radio 4. Hardeep currently writes a weekly column for Scotland on Sunday, and presents the BBC's The One Show. He was also a runner-up on Celebrity Masterchef. Hardeep's new book, Indian Takeaway, is the hilarious story of his attempts to cook his way round India, dishing up very British meals for the people he meets.
The full article contains 1153 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
