Action man

03 January 2002 by
Action man

For Gary Witchalls, the slogan would read: "Been there, done that, got the T-shirt - what's next?" Tessa Fox found him enthusing over his new pub-restaurant, but already planning his next venture.

If there were a prize for versatility, Gary Witchalls would be up there with the best of them. So far in his 23-year career, he has taken his cooking skills to top hotels and, most recently, into private homes through his event catering service, Epicurus Fine Dining. He has honed his management skills in the education sector as chef-director and deputy director of Butlers Wharf Chef School and, in contract catering, as group executive chef at Sutcliffe Catering, where his division embraced 400 City and central London restaurants. He has proved his resilience as executive chef of the Millennium Dome's fine-dining restaurant, Acclaim!, triumphed in scores of cookery competitions, and passed on the benefit of his experience through numerous consultancies.

Witchalls's latest project takes him in yet another culinary direction. But, as the countdown to the late-November opening of his new pub-restaurant began, he seemed to have finally found his niche. "Yes, it is a new direction for me," he admitted at the time, "but I've believed for a long time that there's a market for good food in pubs and I've wanted to open a restaurant in one for ages." He confirmed that belief during a brief spell with Steven Doherty at the Punch Bowl Inn in Crosthwaite, Cumbria, but lack of money frustrated his ambitions.

Until now, that is. Witchalls has struck a deal with the owners of the Leather Bottle, a pub in Witchalls's picturesque home village of Blackmore, in an affluent part of Essex, to open Epicurus at the Leather Bottle. "It's a simple arrangement, and a fantastic set-up for both parties," says Witchalls. "I pay no rent, we split the fuel costs and, after all operating overheads, including a salary for myself, we split the net profit 50:50. It takes away what [owners] James and Gwen Wallace see as the headache of catering and allows them to retire but stay at the pub. They keep the cold beverage sales, but good food will enhance the pub's reputation and bring in more drinkers. Also, they'll make a profit on the food instead of a loss."

Witchalls has invested just under £5,000 to cover the cost of new crockery, cutlery, linen, uniforms and light equipment, while the Wallaces have invested £90,000 to extend and fit out the kitchen to Witchalls's specification and build a conservatory to increase covers. Now, in addition to the 35 seats inside, there's a 32-seat conservatory, a sheltered patio that can seat 30, an area for barbecues and spit roasts, and a covered terrace seating a further 40.

The menu, most ingredients for which are sourced locally, comprises eight starters, nine main courses and eight puddings, including British cheeses. "Friends have read it and say: ‘It's so Gary Witchalls.' I think that means it's simple, good food," he says.

Starters include roasted shallot and tomato tart, Roquefort dressing; and Moroccan lamb kofta kebabs with celeriac tzatziki. Among the main courses are black treacle-seared salmon, mustard seed crushed potatoes, French-style pea dressing (£12.95); and spiced crispy pork belly, coconut lime leaf rice, Chinese greens (£10.50). Puddings include strawberry brûlée, tuile biscuit; and vanilla panna cotta with candied kumquats.

There is a daily-changing specials board and a light lunch menu with panini, wraps and burgers, while children can choose from home-made favourites such as chicken nuggets and spaghetti Bolognese.

Witchalls is paying careful attention to pricing, both to avoid alienating locals used to a cheaper menu based on frozen food, and to retain the pub feel. Starters are all £4.25, main courses £7.50 to £12.95, and puddings £4. "Some pub restaurants charge too much and just turn into restaurants," says Witchalls. "I want the Leather Bottle to remain a lovely pub that just happens to do really nice food in a nice restaurant, and where you can eat three courses for under £20. I've always been hot on costings and I get a kick out of knowing a place is financially successful."

Witchalls will cook full-time at the Leather Bottle until he's trained his young brigade, one of whom has just finished an NVQ level 2, while the other is about to start a course. In time, Witchalls will take Tuesdays off and offer a light menu his two chefs can prepare.

He hopes to run the new restaurant easily alongside Epicurus Fine Dining, a business he set up while at Acclaim! but which he didn't promote until he left the Dome. He will now use the kitchen at the Leather Bottle to prep events, and put a chef in to finish and serve them, enabling him to focus on the restaurant.

But it's not surprising to hear Witchalls already talking about the next stage. With two wealthy dinner-party clients keen to invest, the search will begin for a suitable site for the next "Epicurus at… " restaurant as soon as the Leather Bottle is established. "I'd like to think that within a couple of years we could start looking," says Witchalls, eager as ever to move on to the next project.

Witchalls on…

Training
Gary Witchalls was chef-director and later deputy director of Butlers Wharf Chef School, from February 1996 to August 1999. During that time he received the Craft Guild of Chefs Chef of the Year award in the education sector in recognition of his contribution to training.

"The Butlers Wharf job was probably the one that's given me most satisfaction," he says. "I loved it and it was such a shame it closed.

"The biggest problem in training is the lack of finance. The industry needs to support colleges financially if it wants to raise skills standards. Colleges are on very tight budgets and under pressure to achieve NVQ results, because that's how they get paid."

The Millennium Dome

Witchalls took the position of executive chef at Acclaim!, the fine-dining restaurant at the Millennium Dome, after leaving Butlers Wharf.

"On the whole," he says, "it was a great year and we cooked food that we were proud of - even if AA Gill panned it! I had a great team led by Steve Bush [now at Shish in Willesden Green] but never as many chefs as I needed - much of the year we had nine instead of 15.

"It was sad that we had to change so much because the Dome wasn't as busy as expected. A programme of guest chefs was cancelled, we cut covers from 200 to 120, and we didn't open in the evenings. Morale throughout the Dome was bad. Front of house at Acclaim! was very turbulent and it wasn't all rosy in the kitchen either.

"Was I glad to move on? Yes and no. The place became so notorious, and I hope people will take the view that I opened the restaurant, stuck with it and closed it as planned. I don't regret any of it."

Competitions
Witchalls is a veteran competitor, with some 30 gold medals to his name. On the international stage, he has competed at the Culinary World Cup and the Culinary Olympics, and he was a finalist in the 1998 National Chef of the Year competition and a semi-finalist in the same event two years later.

"I've always really enjoyed live competitions," he says. "They're a great way of developing skills and making contacts and friendships, and they're exciting - but I've done enough now. Anyway, the restaurant now takes priority.

"Probably the most satisfying win was taking students from Butlers Wharf to La Parade des Chefs and seeing them win a gold medal for the first time. In the end, the team won gold three years running."

Epicurus at the Leather Bottle, The Green, Blackmore, Essex CM4 0RL. Tel: 01277 823538.

Epicurus Fine Dining Web site: www.entertain-at-home.co.uk

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