CHEFS
Cookery Demonstrations
Meet Cornwall’s top chefs, food and drink enthusiasts and seafood experts. Each day local chefs demonstrate their gastronomic flair and share their culinary skills. The programme includes a focus on native oysters, seafood sustainability and cookery masterclasses.
Thank you to all the brilliant chefs and expert sommeliers who entertained us this year. Take a look below at the exciting line-up who joined us in 2023….
GUY OWEN
Born and bred in Cornwall, Guy started his career in kitchens around Cornwall. His first experience of Michelin starred cooking came with Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s where he discovered the attention to detail required when cooking to this level. He went on to work at one Michelin starred La Trompette and 2 Michelin starred Gidleigh Park.
Guy took up residency at The St Enodoc Hotel in January of 2020. Since joining, the hotel he has introduced a new, intimate fine dining restaurant called Karrek as well as giving the brasserie a new makeover.
NICK HEMMING
Nick is the award winning chef owner at The Heron Inn Malpas. Recently crowned “Licensee of the Year 2022” with the British Institute of Innkeeping, along with his wife Amanda, their riverside pub goes from strength to strength. Their success is down to their strong core values of developing youngsters into a career in hospitality, this includes chef apprenticeships and supervisor courses working with Truro & Penwith College.
DAVID WATERS
Born and raised in Cornwall, David’s passion for creating innovative and exceptional dishes, using ingredients sourced from his beloved homeland, is evident in every one of his wonderful culinary creations.
Despite studying Accountancy and Economics at university in Birmingham, David knew that he wanted to follow his dream of a career as a chef. This eventually lead to an invaluable opportunity to work with the renowned chef Nathan Outlaw at his flagship, two-Michelin Star restaurant in Port Isaac. Working as a Sous Chef is where David really cut his teeth and mastered the art of fine dining, and where he developed his love, and vast experience, of sourcing and preparing fresh fish and seafood.
ANNIE SEABOURNE
“Having worked as a fishmonger in Cornwall for the past 25 years, I’ve found that so many people I meet love eating Cornish fish but have no idea how to cook it”.
Annie Seabourne set up her cookery school, My Fish Kitchen, in 2008 sharing her knowledge and enjoyment of Cornish fish.
Annie’s courses, based in the village of Mawnan Smith, teach you all you need to know from understanding what to look for when buying fish, how to prepare (filleting, skinning, deboning etc) and how to cook to perfection.
NICK HODGES
Nick, born in Falmouth, has been cooking since an early age. Having worked with legendary chefs and personalities such as Keith Floyd and Jean Christophe Novelli, he returned to his home town after time working and travelling around the world.
In 2014 Nick joined The Greenbank as head chef, refocusing the menu to highlight Falmouth seafood and Cornish produce. The Greenbank was soon awarded two AA rosettes and the re-opening of the famous Working Boat pub soon followed.
Nick Batten & Ashley Carkeet
Nick and Ashley pair up. Both classically trained, with a wealth of experience behind them. Nick is currently Team Lead within the Catering Faculty at Cornwall College and Ashley lectures in both the Catering and Travel and Tourism Departments.
HYLTON ESPEY
Hylton is originally from South Africa and has made Falmouth his home since 2016. Together with his wife, Petronella, they opened Culture on Custom House Quay in July 2022.
All dishes are cooked in the open plan kitchen with ingredients sourced directly from individual farmers and fishermen creating menus dictated by what is available.
The Journey menu is a set tasting menu that takes you on a culinary tour of Cornwall with an optional wine flight selected from the glass wine cellar.
Hylton was awarded a MICHELIN Green Star in 2023 for sustainability.
ALFIE HAZLITT
Head of one of the most popular and fun food destinations in Falmouth INDIDOG, Alfie’s dishes are flavour lead with beautifully elegant plating. His processes before plating are intriguing and complex, a talent gained through years of experience and creative exploration. Alfie really enjoyes sourcing from the most sustainable produce and the most local suppliers. He’s mad into using absolutely every bi product to make something surprising and delicious. He is able to produce stunning dishes at high volumes whilst retaining processess and authenticity that engage his team.
Alfie came to Falmouth as an Art Student and his artistic flair found its home in local kitchens and most pivotally as Sous Chef and Head Chef for Arty Williams of The Cove and ultimately Head Chef for Micheal Caines of the same venue.
JUDE KEREAMA
Born and raised in New Zealand, Jude Kereama moved to the UK after training under Simon Gault.
Having gained rewards in both Auckland and London he moved to Porthleven in 1996 and since moving to Cornwall, has become one of the County’s favourite chefs.
Kota proudly holds three AA rosettes and has been named ‘Restaurant of the Year’ in the Cornwall Life Food & Drink Awards.
Kota and Kota Kai are both highly acclaimed by The Good Food Guide.
One of Jude’s proudest moments in his career so far, was representing the South West in four seasons of the Great British Menu.
ED HUGHES
Beer Sommelier, Sharp’s Brewery
Ed Hughes is a leading accredited Beer Sommelier and is responsible for the Mariners collaboration with Paul Ainsworth and Sharp’s Brewery. Ed has regularly featured on BBC1’s Saturday Kitchen and in 2018 co-authored Sharp’s first cook book Brimming with more than 60 recipes inspired by the Cornish coast.
Today Ed provides expert beer tastings both at the brewery and with key customers, as well as in the renowned Sharp’s Secret Bar.
Having worked with top chefs such as Paul Ainsworth, Nathan Outlaw, Jude Kereama and Tom Brown, Ed has developed an in-depth knowledge of pairing beer and food and regularly provides interviews for media on this subject.
JAMES STRAWBRIDGE
Chef, Author and Presenter
James Strawbridge is an award-winning Cornish chef, photographer and sustainable living expert as well as the author of several cookbooks including Salt & the Art of Seasoning, The Complete Vegetable Cookbook, The Artisan Kitchen and Practical Self Sufficiency with Dick Strawbridge.
Recent television presenting and appearances include Escape to the Chateau (Channel 4), Strawbridge over the Drawbridge (BBC) and The Hungry Sailors (ITV).
ADY FOULKES
Head Chef, St Michaels Resort
Cornish Head Chef Ady Foulkes is a serious lover of local produce and when he’s not cooking up a storm at St Michaels’ Brasserie on the Bay, he’s often found in his nearby allotment or stopping by Newlyn Fish Market. Naturally cooking by season is something Ady strives for when curating a menu in St Michaels’ two restaurants, Brasserie on the Bay and the Garden Kitchen, where he prides himself on delivering food big in local flavour and low in food miles.
DAVE RIDGEON
Head Mixologist, St Michaels Resort
When a creative imagination and natural flair combine with years of mixology experience, the result is a mouth-watering cocktail revolution. Always keen to uncover new flavour combinations (as well as the tried and tested classics), Dave has put his own spin on the Oyster Festival this year with his Oyster Vermouth champagne cocktail.
RUPERT COOPER
Philleigh Way Cookery School & The Cove Café
Formerly a professional rugby player, Rupert Cooper swapped the field for the kitchen in 2018 and quickly went from work experience in Michelin star restaurants to the head chef role in a busy French bistro. With a passion for food and a natural ability as a communicator, it’s no surprise that Rupert soon found himself as owner and head chef of Philleigh Way, a cookery school on Cornwall’s Roseland Peninsula renowned for its authentic and refreshingly unpretentious approach to cooking great food. In 2023 he also took over The Cove Café above Riviere Towans beach in Hayle, transforming it into a year-round venue for locals and visitors alike where they can indulge in wholesome food against a breath-taking coastal backdrop.
Jasmine Sharma
Daaku, Falmouth
Daaku’s small menu changes weekly and Jasmine and her husband cook everything from scratch. Changing the menu so frequently allows them to work closely with the seasons and utilise the best produce from land and sea as it arrives.
Jasmine and Ben cook and develop all of their recipes together and have a shared passion for researching unusual or rare Indian dishes
They also like to mix ancient and modern techniques and presentations to achieve their style of food.