Jack

As we re-opened Paris House under the post-lockdown rules of ‘Terrace only’ in April 2021, we welcomed a bright new lad to the kitchen. Hailing from Solihull and brought up in Bromsgrove, Jack arrived green but full of promise, and he hasn’t disappointed.

With a background in 1 & 2 AA Rosette pubs, this was Jack’s first foray into fine dining, a long held interest that a change in personal circumstance meant that he finally had the wings to pursue. He bought with him a winning smile, lots of chat and bucketloads of passion, but confessed that his organisational skills left something to be desired.

Jack’s love of cooking came from the desire to prove a teacher wrong: aged 10, his cooking class produced a chocolate bread that his teacher declared was the worst thing she’d ever tasted. Not one to accept criticism lightly, with the support of his mum he set out to improve and defy the teacher’s advice not to pursue this as a career. By the age of 15, and with a new and totally inspirational teacher, he had decided that cooking would be his life.

A hugely supportive family instilled a desire to achieve and never give up – Mum helped him practice and improve in the kitchen, Uncle Gary provided life lessons on resilience and ambition and Stepdad Rob took Jack to restaurants and events that showed him more of the culinary world, including his first Tasting Menu aged 15.

Jack describes his Paris House experience so far as a rollercoaster. Expectations are high, but stress levels are balanced out by Phil and Head Chef Dan’s unwaivering support. He loves the highs and rides the lows, learning and growing all the time. Jack has learnt to take his time, strive for perfection and ask for help, but his biggest breakthrough has been organisation which he admits is the key to everything in the kitchen.

He loves that his ideas are listened to and incorporated into the menus, and thoroughly enjoys the challenge – his latest being a brief to ‘design a stonefruit dessert with a parfait’ which resulted in his Nectarine dish: a Nectarine parfait, frangipane & apricot pâte de fruits, pistachio crumble & Amaretto crème patissiere which was hugely popular with guests.

His growth in technical ability during his time here has also been considerable. From breadmaking and classic french skills to Japanese knife skills and fishmongery. Coupled with his excitement for all the interesting ingredients we use at Paris House (particularly Hamachi, seaweeds, soys, mirins and sake that he’d not used before), his knowledge is ever-increasing.

With Chef heroes such as Gareth Ward (Ynyshir) and Nathan Davies (SY23), Jack is all about not being afraid to be different. He loves that these chefs cook what they love and do things their own way. With enough non-stop chat and banter to give aspirin a headache, his questionable mullet and love of country music, Jack certainly does that – and we love him for it.

Jack’s Best Bits

Best dish from back home: Uncle Gary’s Seafood Linguine

Favourite PH dish: Olive oil poached Hamachi with Barigoule artichoke, Isle of Wight tomato & preserved lemon – Summer 2021

Jack’s Dream: To run his own restaurant in the middle of nowhere cooking the best produce with the best team

Jack’s biggest kitchen lesson: Organisation is the key to everything. Rely on your team and be reliable.

Jack’s proverb to live by: It’s hard to soar like an eagle when you’re surrounded by turkeys

Paris House best bit: The team dynamic – we’re like an orchestra and everyone plays their part

January 2023

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