Masterchef champion – ‘Most exciting time for Scottish food in 30 years’

UK Masterchef: The Professionals winner Gary Maclean has joined the judging panel of Scotland’s top competition for hotels, restaurants and gastro pubs. The Senior Chef Lecturer at City of Glasgow College beat 47 other professional chefs in seven weeks of culinary challenges in the BBC TV show. The final programme attracted a viewing audience of 10 million. The 45-year-old father of six said he was surprised to have been asked to join the Advisory Board of the Catering Scotland (CIS) Excellence Awards as he had twice finished runner up in the Hospitality Educator category. “It’s an honour,” he commented. “I’ve looked up to others on the Board throughout my career. Each is an expert in their field.” Gary, who started working in hotels at the age of 15, said he was joining the panel at “the most exciting time in food in Scotland in my whole career. Edinburgh has been a guiding light for more than 10 years. Loads of young chefs are opening restaurants all over the country, especially in Glasgow, and the food is often magnificent.“ His career has included Head Chef at Glasgow’s Yes and October restaurants, work for the GI Group of bars and restaurants, and Executive Chef at Ayrshire’s Buzzworks. He has taught many thousands of students and teaching has been the love of his life. “I get a big kick out of it,” he said. “It allows you to hone your own skills and it’s a massive responsibility to coach the next generation of…

Scotland’s top young chef Adam Newth, about to launch two new ventures and triple his staff, has called on others in the restaurant business to put themselves in the limelight by competing for industry awards. The 26-year-old Chef-Proprietor of the two AA Rosette Tayberry restaurant in Broughty Ferry near Dundee, who took the inaugural Young Chef of the Year title in the Catering Scotland (CIS) Awards in 2016, is due to take over the catering at Kinnettles Castle at Forfar following its transformation into an exclusive use wedding and private events venue. In the Spring he will launch a second Tayberry restaurant in the new Kinnettles hotel in St Andrews. “Winning a competition gives your business a buzz,” he commented. “It gives you the reassurance you’re doing a lot of things right and indicates to the outside world you’re a trusted brand. You get the wind behind you and it boosts your profile. Articles go in the press and social media, and readers say ‘I must try that place!’” Success certainly hasn’t come on a plate for Newth who began restaurant work preparing salads and making sandwiches in a cafe in his home town of Arbroath at the age of 14. Confessing to not having done well at school, he took day release classes in cooking at Angus College before leaving home at 16 to work as a commis chef at former Rangers Football Club Chairman David Murray’s Circus restaurant in Edinburgh. Restaurants where he then honed his skills included…

As Scotland’s annual competition combining the catering, hospitality and tourism industries, the CIS Excellence Awards are seen as the ultimate accolade for Scottish hotels, restaurants, gastro pubs, chefs and other organisations. The Awards presentation dinner will be held on Thursday 25 May at the Glasgow Hilton. To enter see www.cis-excellenceawards.com.