Chef Watch – Craig Stafford, Fishers in The City, Edinburgh

CHEF WATCH

 

Featuring Craig Stafford, Head Chef, Fishers in The City, Edinburgh

 

How long have you been a chef?

24 years.

 Why did you become a chef?

I was always cooking & baking as a kid, loved watching Ready Steady Cook & cookery shows when I was wee, so I enrolled in catering college when I was 18 to pursue my love for food more.

Favourite ingredient

Salt, simple but effective.

Favourite or signature dish

Halibut, such a versatile fish, pairs really well with pancetta, pearl onions and a butter sauce. It’s a sturdy fish so stands up well against exciting ingredients.

Favourite kitchen tool or equipment (apart from sharp knives)

A good frying pan, no sticking of fish.

Food hero(es)

Gary Rhodes and Nathan Outlaw are chefs I have always looked up to.

Any food you can’t/won’t eat

Raw oysters, hate them.

Comfort food/guilty secret

Spaghetti Bolognaise, total comfort food

Stupidest customer or kitchen experience

Customer asking for a poussin chicken cooked medium rare.

A brief biography

Enrolled in college at the age of 18 in Glenrothes.

My first restaurant of note was Kilconquhar Castle in Elie, that ignited my love for fish.

I moved to events at Murrayfield Stadium, then on to the Macdonald Hotel for 3 years. After that I worked at the Tower Restaurant (part of the James Thomson collection) which was a great experience for me. From there to Apex International Heights restaurant.

Finally moving on to Fishers in The City 9 years ago, working my way up from senior chef de partie to Head Chef.

I have been eating at Fishers in the City all the time that Craig has been there and have never had a poor course, never mind a poor meal. It's one of our favourite places in town, one of the very few to which we return on a regular basis. Find contact details for Fishers and read more about it in our recent review.

 

 

 

 

2 Comments

  1. Mark Baird on 3rd July 2021 at 1:18 pm

    Always surprised (although shouldn’t be) at how many chefs choose salt as their favourite ingredient.

    • Tom Johnston on 4th July 2021 at 10:07 am

      Indeed. I’m considering outlawing it as a response, as I exclude sharp knives from the favourite piece of equipment. As an aside, I’m well through the Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat book which you recommended. Fascinating stuff. I’ll get round to reviewing it one day

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