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CHEF EMILY SCOTT
Restaurant: The St. Tudy Inn
Location: Bodmin PL30 3NN, UK
“Combining motherhood with
running a restaurant”
Completing our #ChefWorksWearers blog series is Emily Scott, head chef and owner of St Tudy Inn, situated in the beautiful Cornish village of St Tudy.
Emily took over St Tudy Inn in December 2014 and under her watch, she and her team have received critical acclaim and a host of awards, including the Michelin Bib Gourmand.
Before taking over the helm at St Tudy, Emily ran the Harbour Restaurant in Port Isaac from 2007 to 2013, before selling it to Nathan Outlaw. That year she was also named as Food Magazine’s Best Chef South West. She managed to do all this with three small children, aged two, four and six.
Known for her simple, seasonal approach to cooking, she’s managed to rise to the very top of her game whilst raising her clan, proving anything is possible if you put your mind to it and work hard.
We think she’s a true inspiration.
Manging it all
My kids are now 16, 15 and 13, but when I opened the Harbour Restaurant, they were only six, four and two. It was definitely a challenging time, but I was really excited about finally opening my own restaurant and it’s that that got me through. I’m also naturally ambitious and needed to work, so it seemed like a natural thing to do.
I was lucky enough to find a fantastic nanny or ‘manny’ called Peter who helped me juggle the demands of family and work life and enabled me to make my dream a reality.
Unfortunately, my marriage broke down, which was very difficult, so since then I’ve had to learn to juggle even more.
Her advice to other female chefs
My advice to female chefs with kids who are thinking about opening a restaurant is that the demands of both are huge, so you need to carefully consider everything before embarking on doing both at the same time. You have to be super organised, committed and willing to work the hardest you’ve ever worked, but if you do that and sort great childcare, then it’s completely possible.
Hardest juggling moment since having kids
Some of the hardest moments I’ve had were missing my children’s school events and bedtimes when they were young. I’m now four years into running The St Tudy Inn and I have a great team who have all been such a part of this journey with me, and that really helps, plus my children are older now. Saying all that, it’s my children, and the need to provide for them, that has driven me to do well.
Her kids’ love of food
My children all love food and have grown up in a restaurant environment. We actually live at St Tudy Inn now, so they’re surrounded by food constantly. Fish pie is a favourite at home or ‘fish n’ mash’ as my son Finn calls it.
All three enjoy cooking and Evie, my daughter, really loves baking. I’m not sure they’ll follow me into the industry but Oscar, my eldest, works behind the bar and Finn has helped out as a kitchen porter in the past, so they’re learning valuable skills to take with them into the world. I wouldn’t encourage or discourage them to enter the profession – it’s entirely their choice.
Would she do it all again?
Would I do it all again… probably, yes! I think women are more modest about how good they are and what they can achieve compared to their male counterparts. It is important to realise what you can achieve on your own and as part of a team. Long hours and huge pressure are part of the job, but if you love what you do it makes the journey a whole lot easier.
I am also incredibly proud of my children and their ability to get excited about the adventures that I’ve thrown at them along the way.
Thank you to Emily for taking part in our Chef Works Wearers series. She is pictured above wearing a few of her favourite items from our collection: the Rochester Chef Coat, £39.99, and the Rockford Bib Apron, £24.99.
Photography: Beth Druce