Brighton based restaurant critic, author and Masterchef semi-finalist Andy Lynes will be swapping his laptop for a stove top when he collaborates with his professional chef son George at a pop up dinner in central Brighton in February.
The event, entitled ‘Generations’, will take place on February 6 at The Marwood Cafe in Brighton’s Lanes in association with Tabl.com and see the father and son team collaborate on a four course menu that will draw on their diverse culinary experience with dishes such as ham hock, broad bean and Sussex curd served with scorched beer-pickled onions, warm bacon and mustard emulsion and parsley oil.
Although this is not the first time Andy has cooked at a pop up in Brighton (as founder of the Brighton Food Society, he has headed up the kitchen at several events since the society’s inception in 2012), it is the first time he has put his name to an event.
“Cooking for up to 50 people at several sold out events over the past couple of years and getting great feedback has given me the confidence to do something for myself with my family. It’s a great opportunity to get together with my son to cook, he works long hours so its a rare chance to get into the kitchen together. My wife Gill and daughter Alice will be there on the night too, running the front of house alongside The Marwood’s staff.”
Andy is no stranger to professional kitchens, having staged in his spare time in numerous restaurants including Michelin-starred establishments in London and Belfast. He once ran the cold starter section for a night at the acclaimed Coohill’s in Atlanta, Georgia serving 100 people during a hectic dinner service, and has worked part-time in the kitchens of Hotel du Vin Brighton where the head chef at the time was Graham Ball, formerly of the two Michelin-starred The Square in London.
As an amateur cook, he reached the semi finals of the BBC’s Masterchef TV show in 1997 and was the only British contestant ever to take part in the prestigious Sofitel Amateur Cook of the Year competition in Lyon in 2000 with chef mentor Bruce Poole of the Michelin-starred Chez Bruce, competing against teams from all over Europe.
George, 21, began his career as an apprentice at Michelin Bib Gourmand-winning The Chilli Pickle in Brighton before taking a position as commis chef at The Coal Shed, also in Brighton. In his short career, George has managed to fit in stints at Maze and Chez Bruce, both in London and the Michelin-starred Curlew in Bodiam.
“I’ve never cooked with my dad in a professional kitchen, so it’s going to be an interesting challenge,” says George. ‘I’m really excited to have this opportunity to present some of my own dishes under my own name for the first time.’
The event is being promoted by Tabl.com, the Brighton based company that provides an online platform for pop-up kitchens, supper clubs and ‘food adventures’. “Tabl.com is thrilled to be working with Andy Lynes and his son George on a rare pop up dining event,” says Andrew Fisher , co-founder of Tabl Media. “As a nationally renowned food critic, food writer, and accomplished chef in his own right, Andy is collaborating with his talented progeny to bring us a one-off culinary experience that fits with our mission to bring interesting people together for shared experiences around food. Tabl is going from strength to strength with big and exciting expansion plans for 2015.”
Andy, a regular contributor to the national press on all things food, drink and travel, has written restaurant review columns for the Metro and the Guardian and is a member of the 60SecondReviews.com team.
“I’ve eaten all over the world in numerous Michelin-starred restaurants and interviewed some of the most famous chefs on the planet from Alain Ducasse to Jamie Oliver and I have very high standards when it comes to dining out,” says Andy. “I’m a bit of a cheer leader for the hospitality industry but I’m also not shy in saying what I really think. One London restaurant that I gave a scathing one star review to was so unhappy with what I wrote that they threatened to sue me. So it’s a bit scary being on the other side of fence for once and putting myself on the line like this, but I’m confident that we’ll be able to deliver some fantastic food and that it will be a really great night.”
The menu is partly inspired by Andy’s travels around the UK last year, researching his newly release eBook Kingdom of Cooks: Conversations with Britain’s New Wave chefs. “Speaking to a dozen young chefs, including Douglas McMaster at Silo in Brighton was truly inspiring. I picked up loads of ideas about ingredients, techniques and flavour combinations as well as how to present food in a modern way and all of that will be reflected on the menu.”
Generations, 6 February 2015, 7.30pm, £32.50, The Marwood, Brighton.
Found out more about it and book via Tabl.com
