room4living_restaurant-thechefsmw

restaurant

Mark Whittaker

THE CHEFS
MARK WHITTAKER \| MATTHEW ARNOLD

MARK WHITTAKER

Age:	33

Career span:	16 years

Experience:	Trained at Metropole Hotel in Brighton, then moved to The Savoy in London. Following this he worked for a private jet company providing cooking for 'rich and famous' people around the world before moving to Hurtwood Park Polo club in Surrey. Moved to Worthing in 2004 and launched the Room 4 Living restaurant with business partner and fellow chef Matthew Arnold.

Ambition:	Room 4 Living is my ambition. It's my first restaurant.

Advice to others:	Running a restaurant is hard work but it's very rewarding.

What's your favourite restaurant?	Le Caprice, London. Great food and service.

What is your favourite food?	At the moment it's braised pork belly in a Szechaun sauce.

Which culinary tradition has most inspired you?	I was first inspired by classic French cuisine, but having worked on Italian menus I have also developed an interest in Italian food. I love its colour and simplicity.

What is your essential 'must have' piece of equipment in the kitchen?	My knife. I use it for carving and chopping - absolutely everything.

What is the most important course in a restaurant?	I don't think there is. Each course has to be good.

What is the dish that you would most like to be remembered for?	Probably my braised pork with chilli.

What do you think is the best dish on the menu?	Customers are telling us that the banana sticky toffee pudding is fantastic, but from night to night people have different favourites.

What do you most enjoy about the job?	The cooking. I love being in the kitchen. Much nicer than filling in tax forms!

What is your biggest gripe about the hospitality industry in the UK?	People being ripped off. They are offered food that's come out of a box, that nobody really cares about.

Is the customer always right?	Absolutely. We aim to give the customer what they want.

Which TV chef do you most admire?	Gordon Ramsay does some wonderful recipes, and you have to respect Jamie Oliver for what he has achieved.

What do you eat and cook at home?	They say that a chef's meal is normally between two slices of bread and that's certainly true for me! If I have a bit of time, I love a roast dinner.

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118-120 Portland Road • Worthing • West Sussex • BN11 1QA
TELEPHONE: (01903) 820287 • FAX: (01903) 820305 • E-MAIL: info@room4living.co.uk