An interview with Cary Docherty

I met Cary Docherty through a twitter connection. It was easy for me to click on his profile because I am a big fan of Gordon Ramsay and he happens to work for Gordon in the UK. What drew me in was diverse background. Having moved from his native fishing village in British Columbia, he graduated from the New York Restaurant School before beginning his career at Lumière and Feenie’s restaurants in Vancouver. Shortly thereafter, he packed his bags and moved to London where he first came to work for Gordon as Senior Chef de Partie at the Michelin starred Maze. It was there where the variety of flavors and textures of French cuisine with an Asian twist influenced his cuisine style. In 2007, he became the Senior Chef de Partie at the contemporary Japanese restaurant, Zuma. Seared, miso marinated foie gras with umeboshi compote and thinly sliced seabass with yuzu, truffle oil and salmon roe display the authentic but untraditional style this restaurant has to offer.

Cary returned to the Gordon Ramsay fold in 2008 where he worked as Junior Sous Chef under Head Chef Clare Smyth at the three Michelin-starred Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, before taking a position as the Senior Sous Chef at Indigo Restaurant. In 2011, he grabbed the reins as Head Chef of the much-loved Chelsea bistro, Foxtrot Oscar, an adored local favorite since 1980. Gordon Ramsay bought the restaurant in 1998 after he opened his own flagship restaurant a few doors down. When Gordon noticed his staff hanging out at the Foxtrot after dinner service, he decided to buy it, refurbish it and revamp the menu. Now Foxtrot Oscar is an informal upmarket bistro with a sleek, warm décor and deceptively simple menu, which many will call the best of modern British food. Cary always had an eye on Foxtrot, hoping that one day he could run the place and the opportunity happened to come available at the right time.

His menu is seasonal, greatly influenced by Cary’s former experiences. Items like braised caramelized pork belly with jasmine rice and Asian salad and cumin-spiced aubergine salad with parsley, mint yoghurt and toasted ciabatta, or a tart of boudin noir, foie gras, shaved shallots and roasted ceps show off Cary’s creativity and passion.  On Sunday, he offers a delectable ‘Sunday Roasts’ menu where the roast changes weekly—Dedham Vale mature beef, yorkshire pudding, duck fat roast potatoes, seasonal vegetables with thyme jus or roast leg of English lamb with homemade mint sauce, and red currant jus are just a few of the selections.

Tart of boudin noir, foie gras, shaved shallots and roasted ceps

Digging a little deeper, I wanted to find out a little bit more about Cary.  In the process, I found a very passionate, warm person willing to share his experiences and advice…

Pamela: Who’s the most daunting person you’ve ever cooked for?

Cary: I always get nervous when my wife Jennifer comes to dine at Foxtrot, she’s dined very well throughout the world and her feedback is always valued. I also get very nervous whenever I take a new dish to Clare at RGR (Restaurant Gordon Ramsay).  She’s usually the first person to taste anything going on the menu.

Pamela: If someone came in to your restaurant to apply for a job, what would you look for in their cooking experience?

Cary: I think more important than one’s experience most of the time, depending on which position I am hiring for, is the potential employee’s attitude. We’re a small team at Foxtrot and it’s important that any potential staff member doesn’t come in and upset the balance or disturb the chemistry that exists between the current team. It’s imperative that the individual is driven and also very important to have a sense of humor.

Pamela: When not cooking at the restaurant, what do you like to cook at home?

Cary: When cooking at home, which is rare I must say, I tend to cook very quick, simple dishes, often dictated by what ingredients are in the house at that given moment. Simple yet flavorful pasta dishes and a glass of wine chosen by my wife are usually the result.

Pamela: Speaking of wine, what’s your favorite food and wine pairing today?

Cary: Unfortunately, I am not as knowledgeable as I’d like to be when it comes to food and wine pairing. Fortunately, my wife Jennifer is studying her Master of wine and is very much into pairing our food and wine, I’m able to pull from that and see what works. I often like to taste two wines with a particular course, one that compliments and one that contrasts with the flavours on the plate.  This is an area I am working to improve. Foie Gras and Sauternes = Lovely.

Pamela: How important are certifications in the profession, such as Executive Chef or Master Chef? For those who already have talent, should they go to culinary school?

Cary: Culinary school can be great for a lot of people starting out in this industry, it can offer them a base from which to work and provide them with a great understanding of cooking fundamentals, but a degree is in no way essential to succeeding in this industry. I am a culinary school graduate, but most of the best chefs I know never went to culinary school to learn how to cook, instead they went straight into professional kitchens at a young age, worked long, hard hours, and soaked up everything around them in order to get to where they wanted to be. I definitely recommend doing a trial in a professional kitchen for at least a week before signing up to a four-year program. If after the trial is over they know that cooking is the career that they would like to pursue then they need to examine whether or not they feel getting a formal education or starting work straight away is the right path for them.

Pamela: What are some trends that you see in the field of culinary arts that might help prospective students?

Cary: One trend I see in our field right now is more and more chefs just cooking what they want to cook and not worrying about trends. If you follow trends, you’ll always be behind, be true to yourself and cook food that makes you happy and that you are proud to serve to guests. Don’t cook what someone else thinks you should cook, or cook with something just because it’s cool right now. Cook the food that you are passionate about and that you love to eat.

Pamela: Who has been the biggest inspiration in your career?

Cary: A lot of different people from many different fields inspire me for many different reasons, whether it be their innate ability to produce wonderfully beautiful, perfectly seasoned and balanced dishes, their creativity, their drive or level of ambition, their disposition, their resourcefulness, or their kindness. I always look to the people around  me in all capacities for inspiration, whether they are chefs that I’ve  worked for, my wife, chef’s that work for me, my mom and sister, suppliers or farmers that are so single mindedly determined to produce amazing quality ingredients, close friends, film makers, musicians, activists, nature, wine makers. The book Atlas Shrugged always  inspires me. The list goes on, that’s one of the most beautiful things about his world we live in, there are always people out there doing things we would never have imagined and pushing boundaries, as well as the people that laid the foundation for all of us to be at this point right now. The world is filled with endless sources of inspiration.

Pamela: What’s your greatest trick for lowering food cost?

Cary: The best trick for keeping your food cost at where it is supposed to be is being resourceful. One of the greatest challenges as a chef is to not let anything go to waste. Not only due to cost issues but also out of respect for the ingredients we work with, as well as the people that have dedicated their time, sometimes huge portions of their lives, raising, growing, slaughtering, and transporting the ingredients. One supplier that I purchase honey and  from started as a bee keeper and decided to plant apple trees, 17 years later his trees are starting to yield fruit, imagine throwing away one of those apples, it would be a crime. Therefore, we always try to make use out of everything in one way or another, that is our duty as a chef.

Pamela: What’s your favorite gadget(s)?

Cary: My favourite gadget in our kitchen is our Thermomix, but I’m very interested in getting my hands on a big green egg.

Pamela: What are your favorite cookbook(s)?

Cary: My cookbook collection is huge, it covers a very wide range, some  titles and authors include La Rousse Gastronomique, Ma Gastronomie, Cooking for Kings, Marc Veyrat, Alain Ducasse, Michel Bras, Elizabeth David, Thomas Keller, Hugh Fearnley – Whittingstall, Dashi and Umami, and of course Gordon Ramsay. The one book I find myself returning to time and time again when I need a question answered is On food and Cooking by harold McGee.

Cary, thanks for  taking time out of your busy schedule to talk with me, and wishing you continued success at Foxtrot Oscar!