10 minutes on local produce with Sat Bains

Outside at the Langham I finally managed to catch Sat Bains, an English chef with Indian heritage who has one Michelin star for his Nottingham restaurant and hotel.

He’s big,black bald and ballsy. Plus he also swears a lot. He was one of the highlights of the many Michelin starred chefs attending the 09 Melbourne Food and Wine Festival.

You can read my story for SBS Food here.

Sat Bains talks at full throttle:

“Marco (Pierre White) made a big impression on us because White Heat was out when I was 18/19 and it blew me away. I thought who was this guy. Within three hours I had read his book. I had read it ten times within a week. Blown away. Saw a guy crazy, didn’t know his name. Half French, half Italian. Didn’t know who he was. Crazy hair. Rock ‘n’ Roll lifestyle. Smoking. It was everything. It was like ‘Oh shit’ I want to be a chef.

“He put British cooking on the map. He was the first British chef to get three stars. Blown us away. He was a great kickstart to the state Britain is now. Marco helped kickstart that loyalty to British chefs.

“It is a bit of a gastronomic desert (in Nottingham). So we just do what we do. I’ll be honest it doesn’t matter where I am. Surely a gastronmic restaurant or a Michelin star restaurant shouldn’t have to be someone to make it good. It is about the food that you get when you are there.

“So these snobbish fucking journos that are too lazy to get off their fucking arse in London because itis inconvenient. Fuck em I don’t want em.”

Here he gives some great insight into his philosophy for using only local produce while he smokes an imported cigarette. Listen to the full 10 minutes below:

I don’t want a generic Francophile menu you can get anywhere in the world.