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chef profile Name: Devon Boyce Originally from: Cape Town, South Africa Head chefs at: High Road Brasserie, Chiswick
I’ve worked as a chef for nine years now, starting my career in South Africa where I worked in some top hotels in Cape Town. Then I got a call from London to come over and I began working for the Soho House Group. Back home I cooked mainly fusion and Thai food so British cooking was a bit of a change for me and I had to learn pretty quickly. That’s what is so great about being a chef - you can keep changing and keep trying something different.
High Road House & Brasserie 162-170 Chiswick High Road London W4 1PR Tel: 0208 742 7474 www.brasserie.highroadhouse.co.uk
At the High Road Brasserie we create the menu by cramming in as much seasonal food as possible and by using produce when it’s at its best. We are very aware of sustainability and try as far as possible to source British produce so we don’t have to wait for it to come from abroad. I’m looking forward to using crab over the summer or you might see some sea bass fillets with a chunky olive tapenade on the menu. We’ve served lots of British asparagus this season and we’re looking forward to including some courgette flowers soon too. The dining experience at the Brasserie is very laid back and focuses quite a lot on comfort food. We have an open kitchen and we’re quite a lovely bunch which people can hopefully see from where they are sitting. It’s not very formal
and we try to keep the food nice and simple. Our summer cooking is really fresh and light. I’m continually inspired by other chefs and there’s always something new going on at the brasserie. We actually have two kitchens in the building, as we have the members’ club too, and once a month a chef comes in to join us and show us some new tricks. Recently, Anthony Demetre visited, who is such a good chef. You can see that he loves being in the kitchen. It was also great to see Tom Aitkens, who came in a little while ago. One cook book I’m reading at the moment is Anthony Demetre’s new book called Today’s Special - A New Take on Bistro Food. It’s kind of similar to what we are doing at the moment. In London I enjoy eating at Nobu or Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester. I loved the food in Cape Town but there’s a restaurant at the moment in Spain that I’d love to go to called Mugaritz. It was awarded third place in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants recently and it would be really inspiring to go there. As a chef I don’t think you can limit yourself to one type of food and it’s always good to try different things. ■ 51