Blue Skye thinking?
Last February, not five months after winning a Michelin star for her food at Petersham Nurseries Skye Gyngell decided that enough was enough. Initially denied by Petersham management, the story gathered pace until three days after the story broke it was confirmed. Needless to say Miss Gyngell tried her best to deflect the unwanted criticism, instead trying to shift the blame onto Michelin themselves and their guide’s disciples saying;
People have certain expectations of a Michelin restaurant but we don’t have cloths on the tables and her service isn’t very formal. You know, if you’re used to eating at Marcus Wareing then they feel let down when they come here.
Miss Gyngell also claims that;
It’s been a curse. That probably sounds very ungrateful. Since we got the star we’ve been rammed every day, which is really hard for such a tiny restaurant. And we’ve had lots more complaints.
Now I’m not so naive to think that the Michelin guide is the be end all of guide books, it isn’t. They are all flawed in one way or another, but without doubt the clout that the little red book carries has saved more than one restaurant from closure.
So you have a chef who can’t cope with demand. Effectively creating a rod for her own back by being recognised by the most prestigious guide book & before her departure removes from all of the restaurants literature, their Michelin status. Sounds a little spurious to me, could it be that Miss Gyngell was possibly concerned about the potential loss of the star come October this year?
Any chef will tell you that having the prefix ‘Michelin starred chef’ to your name carries weight & kudos, it will open doors for you that would otherwise be closed. So when I posted that Miss Gyngell looks to be the new ‘big name’ chef at Lime Wood, I thought there must be more to it than that. Sure enough out of the blue came some messages via the social networks.
It appears that Miss Gyngell is also going to be consulting on the culinary offerings at Heckfield Place, after the departure earlier this year of Chris Staines and the promotion of Peter Quinion. Sources have told ChefHermes.com that Miss Gyngell has already been interviewed for the position & did a cook off within the last two weeks.
The problem with this comes in October, when effectively Miss Gyngell will no longer have the ‘Michelin starred chef ‘ prefix, instead she will just be the food writer for The Independent or The Guardian newspapers or what ever middle class paper she’ll be writing for. Not really the profile of somebody who would be able to handle the pressure of a multi-million pound food operation is it?
PostScript: As a postscript to this post I’d also like to add that crisp linen table clothes & starched service isn’t a prerequisite for gaining a Michelin star as Miss Gyngell seems to think. Two restaurants that instantly spring to mind are Siena in Dorchester (possibly the worlds smallest Michelin starred restaurant) & the wonderful Walnut Tree near Abergavenny. The Walnut Tree in places doesn’t even have carpet on the floor, but the food is outstanding.
A very good source at Petersham Nursery told me that Skye was also not exactly the easiast to deal with, finding it somewhat easiar to give out criticism than receive it.
Good post & my sentiments exactly, not sure Miss Gyngell will see it like that, show me a cook/chef that does not want to have a star or be in any guide for that matter & then I see someone that does not want to be a cook/chef ….all guides have their faults I speak about it here – http://fergusmiller.com/2012/05/08/le-chateaubriand-the-worlds-100-best-restaurants/
Thanks.
It appears that Miss Gyngell is trying to have the kudos associated with being a ‘Michelin starred chef’ whilst not actually cooking for the public who so adore her.
A cake & eat it type scenario if you will. I’ve often commented on The Worlds 50 (or 100) Best list, and it’s biggest flaw is it’s transparency or lack of it, coupled with the fact that you don’t actually have to eat in a place to vote for it.