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CHEF Stuart Deeley
Restaurant/Café:
Stu’s Pop-Up @ Simpsons.
Location:
Birmingham, UK.
Twitter:
@stuartdeeley
Instagram:
@stuart_deeley Unassuming yet with exceptional talent, Chef Stu Deeley is a credit to the well-established Birmingham food scene. Whilst refining delicious recipes during lockdown, Stu is busy with exciting plans for his own restaurant in his home city following on from his major MasterChef: The Professional win. We are proud to feature this creative talent as May’s Chef of Chef Works and cannot wait to visit his new place in Birmingham soon (we hope!)…
1. Your restaurant/business:
Stu’s Pop-Up (at Simpsons), but Soon to be our own Bricks & Mortar in Birmingham.
2. Describe your kitchen:
Creativity-fuelled, fusion flavours. No shouting, bad banter and ‘Brummie’ tones.
3. Favourite Chef Works item and why?
I love my Chef Works Galveston cross-back apron just because of the cool design and the useful pockets. Plus it’s easy-to-clean and keeps its great quality.
4. First job:
The first Job I had was at a local restaurant in Jonathans Hotel, near to where I grew up. It Introduced me to a professional kitchen environment and I guess gave me the cooking bug.
5. Favourite cookbook:
My go to cookbook is Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking. It’s almost like a encyclopaedia of food as it covers all areas, from sauces to pastry across its volumes.
6. Your awards:
I’ve been quite fortunate over the time I’ve been cooking to get some great praise. I was awarded three Rosettes during my first Head Chef role at The Wilderness in Birmingham, UK.
7. Your cooking inspiration:
I look up to any Chef/Restaurateur as it takes so much of your life and good will to do what we do. With only a small number getting the credit or recognition they deserve, so they all inspire me.
8. Your speciality dish:
My favourite dish of the moment is Teriyaki Pig Cheek with Glazed Carrots, Chimichurri and Pork Scratchings. I feel like it reflects my style of what I like to cook and love to eat.
9. Favourite dish to eat:
A BIG juicy Chicken Kebab!
10. Weirdest thing you ever ate:
Crickets and Ants are definitely up there for the strangest, but there have been some shocking combinations I’ve had the pleasure of trying over the years…
11. Favourite ice cream flavour:
Salted Milk Ice Cream… Yum!
12. Favourite drink:
A Mojito when on holiday or a Pint of Lager with the LADS! aha.
13. Favourite wine:
A big White Burgundy.
14. Who would you most like to cook for?
Taking part in the Chefs’ Table episode on UK MasterChef: The Professionals, I was able to cook for some of my all time heroes. Hopefully one day I will get to join them 🙂
15. And who would you least like to cook for?
No one specifically comes to mind, but maybe Anton Ego from Ratatouille – he seems like a hard guest to please.
16. Favourite things to do when not cooking:
Family days out, driving fast on a track and looking on Insta or YouTube at other people cooking – it never stops.
17. Your latest project:
The current project (pre lockdown) is great, we were running a 12 seat communal table from upstairs at Simpsons in Birmingham, UK. It means I have total interaction with the guests and its almost like cooking in my own home. Looking forward to continuing where we left off.
18. Favourite city?
Birmingham, because it’s simply the best city in the world (I maybe biased?!). It has a great food scene, okay football teams and is home to the Peaky Blinders. What more do you want???
19. Your greatest indulgence?
Domino’s Cookies. So simple to cook at home, but everyone deserves to be spoilt sometime.
20. And finally, your all-time best culinary tip?
Find yourself a mentor that you can depend on for life. You never know when you might need them.
Photography:
@Beckytranterphotography and Stuart Deeley.
If you wear Chef Works and would like to feature, please email:
marketing@chefworks.co.uk