Andrew Fairlie Scholarship Finalists 2023
The finalists have been announced for the 2023 Andrew Fairlie Scholarship!
The finalists have been announced for the fourth Andrew Fairlie Scholarship!
Five talented chefs have been shortlisted to compete in a skills test for the chance to become an Andrew Fairlie scholar and take part in once-in-a-lifetime culinary educational experiences.
The Andrew Fairlie Scholarship is an invaluable opportunity for chefs seeking first-hand experience within some of the world's most renowned establishments. It offers the ultimate education for up-and-coming chefs.
Launched in 2019, the late Andrew Fairlie was a key figure behind the scholarship initiative. The scholarship is offered in partnership with HIT Scotland, an industry charity with which Andrew was closely connected. Now in its fourth year, the Andrew Fairlie Scholarship is supported by HIT Scotland, Restaurant Andrew Fairlie, Perth College UHI and The Gleneagles Hotel.
The five skilled chefs competing for this ‘ultimate scholarship’ are
On Wednesday 22 November, Perth College UHI will host the skills test and judging portion of the day, with the winner’s announcement being made at Gleneagles. This year, the finalists have been challenged to create a dish with potato as its star ingredient, as well as incorporating Scottish dairy.
An all-star panel of the country’s finest chefs will judge the 2023 competition. Stephen McLaughlin, Head Chef at Restaurant Andrew Fairlie, will be joined by fellow 2 Michelin starred Chef Sat Bains, 1 Michelin star Head Chef at Cail Bruich and winner of Great British Menu, Lorna McNee, and Masterchef winner and National Chef of Scotland, Gary Maclean.
The winner of this year’s Scholarship will be taken on an incredible 2-day educational trip to France with Grand Cuisine, and gain hands-on experience at the 2-Michelin star Restaurant Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles, the 3-star Core by Clare Smyth in London, an international stage, as well as receiving a bespoke chef’s jacket. These highly informative experiences will be taken over two years, allowing the scholar to develop their learnings over a period of time.
“This is a unique opportunity for chefs in Scotland to not only hone their culinary skills but to also carry forward the remarkable legacy of Andrew Fairlie. It is a gateway to a world of fantastic industry opportunities that can enhance their careers and personal development.
We remain committed to showcasing the exceptional talent in Scotland while continuing to champion Andrew’s incredible legacy. Best of luck to all of our finalists!”
“Our five finalists have earned their rightful place in this year’s Andrew Fairlie Scholarship final. I can feel how they have all been inspired by the brief - they have challenged both themselves and the humble potato to be as good as they can be.
I often talk about simple things that are brilliantly done and they have all shown their understanding of this in their well thought out recipes. I now look forward to seeing the chefs recreating these dishes on finals day”
Meet the Finalists - Daniel Robb
Chef de Partie, Gleneagles
Where are you from originally, where did you grow up and where do you live now?
I was born in Aberdeen and grew up in a small area called Mastrick. When I began my journey at Gleneagles in 2021 I moved to the village of Auchterarder in Perthshire.
What inspired you to apply for the scholarship?
I am always open to improving my skills as a young chef and wanted to give myself a new challenge. Chef Andrew Fairlie’s legacy has had an incredibly powerful impact on myself with his journey of becoming the first Roux Scholar and working his way from being a young chef to having the only 2 Michelin Stars in Scotland is very inspiring. I am in a place where I am surrounded by multiple talented chefs where their passion for the industry is infectious and the competitive atmosphere is constant, and this has inspired me to apply for the Scholarship.
Can you give us a brief description of your career to date?
During my time at college studying Professional Cookery, I got my first job at 'The Merchant Bistro', a small French Bistro with a classic French Menu with a twist to each dish. My time there introduced me to a working restaurant kitchen and educated me on the operations behind the scenes. From here, I moved to work in a fine dining restaurant, ‘Granite Park’ this improved my skills as a chef and introduced me to the world of fine dining and private events. After learning about this new environment and gaining more skills and confidence in the kitchen I moved to a restaurant in Aberdeen called Cognito on the Corner. This was a brasserie style restaurant with a private dining room and fun menu.
During the pandemic, I looked into new beginnings and wanted to further my career. I felt I was ready for my next challenge and so I applied to work at The Gleneagles Hotel where I was hired as a Commis Chef in their two AA Rosette restaurant - The Strathearn.
I spend a lot of my time mastering the fish section and also furthering my skills on both the hot and colder larder sections as well as garnish. During my time in The Strathearn I earned a promotion to Junior Chef De Partie. After having conversations with my senior chefs, I felt ready for a new challenge and so we decided to further my career I should move to 'The Birnam', another restaurant within the hotel, to gain knowledge on cooking large meat cuts and different proteins.
I have currently been there for 1 month and I am learning new skills every day. It is a different style of cooking as we grill the food over the coals and the service style is new for me.
What is your favourite Scottish ingredient to work with? And why?
My favourite Scottish ingredient to work with are fresh Scottish mussels because of their versatility. The meat is plump and the stock you create from them is full of flavour. I enjoy using fresh Scottish mussels in fine dining cuisine where they can be the main focus of the dish due to their sweet flavour or they can also compliment a dish by being added to it. I enjoy working with them also as they are an affordable alternative to other seafoods and when it comes to preparing them, there are not one hundred steps included in making them so tasty – they are already so fresh and delicious.
What does it mean to you to have been shortlisted for the finals of the scholarship?
On hearing I had been shortlisted for the scholarship I was in shock. I called my family straight away to tell them the good news and rushed off the phone to celebrate with my friends. I felt really proud of myself for making the move to apply for the scholarship and I feel like I have more confidence within myself.
Being shortlisted will give me the chance to showcase my skills and capabilities to the judges and having the opportunity to show my creativity and passion through my dish is something I’m really excited about. I’m very excited to be a part of the final and make my family, colleagues and myself proud.
Have you always wanted to be a chef? What made you choose this career?
Growing up, both of my parents were terrible cooks. I have always wanted to eat well and growing up with parents lacking the basic kitchen skills, this was difficult. When I was growing up, my Grandma would always tell me stories about my Grandpa who was a chef in the Navy and I always thought about him and how his cooking abilities must have a skipped a generation. Hearing all these stories and wanting to eat better I realised at a young age I felt at home in the kitchen. During my teenage years, I would dine out in nice places, try new foods and cook meals for family and friends and my passion only grew. When it came to deciding what I should do for the rest of my life, I wanted to be a part of something that I enjoyed, so going to college for Professional Cookery was the next step for me.
What do you love about working as a chef?
More than anything, I enjoy the people I work with. The camaraderie within my current brigade is strong. We share knowledge, recipes stories about our lives outside of the kitchen and we all enjoy what we do every day. Working as a Chef I have always felt that the term ‘work family’ means more to me than someone in an office job. The long hours and time we spend together can be intense but we all achieve the results together and have fun while doing it. I enjoy hearing guest feedback and the stories behind their journeys to the restaurant. We share our guests special occasions and create the memories served to them.
Meet the Finalists - Rachel Bremner
Commis Chef, The Balmoral Hotel, Edinburgh
Where are you originally from?
I was born in Stirling, scotland. However I did not spend a lot of time in Scotland as a kid. I grew up in the middle east in a country called Oman. Moving back to Scotland when I was ready to go to High School.
Life brought me to Glasgow in my twenties where I stay to this day with my partner, cat and my dog.
What inspired you to apply for the scholarship?
Knowing the legacy that Andrew Fairlie left behind, and having the opportunity to soak up some of the knowledge he left to those he mentored is the main draw of the scholarship.
However I love a challenge and pushing myself right out of my comfort zone. I always get so much out of making myself try something scary.
Can you give us a brief description of your career to date?
To be honest, no I didn’t want to be a chef! I really wanted to be a PE teacher, but I never followed it though. I’ve always enjoyed cooking though. When I could I would always help my gran in the kitchen, peeling the carrots and potatoes, and making my gran’s yorkies and a dessert for Sunday roast.
I believe the career choose me in a way as I stuggled to get into a kitchen as a young boy from school with no experience. I was lucky that my first Head Chef was taking on a new restaurant and wanted a fresh commis to teach, and he had a few chats with my mum who was cutting his hair! So my journey in this trade began.
What does it mean to you to have been shortlisted for the finals of the scholarship?
I am incredibly proud and grateful to be shortlisted. I could not have done this without the support from everyone at the hotel, both past and present. I am looking forward to meeting everyone else who was shortlisted and seeing what they came up with in their interpretation of the brief
Have you always wanted to be a chef? What made you choose this career?
I thought I wanted to be a vet, then a gamekeeper, then settled for making coffee. Lock down, like for most people, was difficult. I needed a change. I wanted to find something that would be fulfilling, not just working for a paycheck. I decided to apply to college, for what I thought would be just to gain some confidence, and go into my own business, just baking cakes. Little did I know my life would completely change. I chose this career because I realized how exciting food could be, and it brings me such great joy allowing my creative brain to flourish.
What do you love about working as a chef?
I love that I am always learning. No matter how long you have been in the industry there always seems something new to know. From a new technique or a new way to approach a task. This makes every day interesting and exciting.
What is your favourite Scottish ingredient to work with? And why?
This changes depending on the season.
But coming out of summer means I am going to miss those beautiful Scottish strawberries. They bring back such good memories of strawberry picking with my grandfather, where they would joke about who to weigh at the end (since I ate so many), to making strawberry jam with my gran.
They are sweet, juicy and delicious as well as being so good for you.
Meet the Finalists - Darren Seggie
Culinary Arts Lecturer, City of Glasgow College
Where are you originally from?
I am originally from Blairgowrie, a small town just north of Perth, which grows the best berries in the world. I lived there until I was 23 when I moved to Glasgow to try and expand my career opportunities and experience the restaurant scene of a big city and I have lived there ever since.
What inspired you to apply for the scholarship?
I was inspired for several reasons to apply for the Andrew Fairlie Scholarship. I have a tremendous respect for Andrew Fairlie as a chef, the restaurant and Stephen McLaughlin and how he has carried the restaurant on. The chance to showcase my skills, passion and learn from the competition, judges and other competing chefs is a very special thing to me. Secondly, I have a great appreciation for the importance of competing. To me it is the purest form of evolution for a professional and is something I have always tried to pass on and support students through, and I believe there is no better competition to enter than this one. I have spent a few years coaching and mentoring students in competitions and I now feel the time is right for me to get back into competing myself and kicking me back into testing myself against others, finding weaknesses that I need to improve upon to get better as a chef.
Lastly, I have an opportunity to put to rest one of my biggest career regrets. Back when I was studying at Perth College, Andrew hosted a small competition at the College with the winner having the opportunity to work at the restaurant. Through a lack of confidence and understanding of the opportunity at the time I did not enter. I then watched and listened to the student who won it talk about how incredible it was and I have regretted it ever since.
Can you give us a brief description of your career to date?
Ever since I have been legally allowed to work I have always worked in or around kitchens. From the humble beginnings of most chefs as a Kitchen Porter during High School, to working in bars and eventually moving into the role of a chef. Originally when I left school I studied Architecture. During my studies and short lived career as an architectural technician, I still kept a part time job in a hotel bar at the Bridge of Cally Hotel. Very early on I discovered that I took much more of an interest in the kitchen at the hotel than I did my actual career so after about a year I made the full time commitment to quit architecture and pursue a career as a chef. The hotel I worked at allowed me to switch from my job as a waiter/barman and begin work as a commis chef and I never looked back. The hotel supported me through my studies at Perth College and I continued to work there and over the course of a year, I was promoted to chef de partie. Working in a small rural hotel, with a very small team forced me to learn and develop very quickly and my head chef at the time was extremely supportive in developing my skills. He would frequently organise for fresh fish to be delivered so I could practise filleting, we would have whole deer arrive at the kitchen from local estates so that I could skin, butcher and learn how to work with a whole beast and fresh game birds and local vegetables were a staple. A really amazing way to start a career and I learned so much in my first year of working there.
After about a year and a half an exciting opportunity at a newly opened restaurant opened up close to home so with the support of my Head Chef at the time I moved to work at The Dalmore Inn as a chef de partie. There I learned much more about fine dining and on a larger scale, with more customers and working as part of a larger team. Over 2 years there I really developed my skills to include more refinement, still working on fundamentals, however also learning more about the role of a chef de partie in a larger brigade.
I then decided to move to Glasgow and really kick my development into another level. I began work as a commis chef at Stravaigin, which at the time had 2AA rosettes and a Michelin Bib Gourmand, and the learning curve here was steep. The dishes that were being created at the time, the chefs skills that were being displayed and the work hours were nothing like I had experienced. It was extremely hard work that involved all the sacrifice that people associate with the hospitality industry, but I was able to thrive there. I became even more obsessed with food than I thought possible, it took over my life and really moulded me into the chef I am today. I stayed there for a further 5 years or so, with occasional opportunities to experience other restaurants within the group popping up along the way, until I eventually worked my way to Head Chef of the restaurant.
The last year or so there, I began to pursue my career in teaching. I attended City of Glasgow College to complete my HND in Professional Cookery and give me more of an insight into education. During my time at the College I was fortunate enough to compete in many student competitions and allow me to stand out to the College, which eventually led to my role as a lecturer there. I was lucky enough to turn this into my full time career and have been teaching since. Education has given me an even deeper appreciation and love for the industry, and focused me to become even more skilled as a chef. Teaching a skill means I have to understand every detail about what I am doing to be able to explain it fully, so I feel even though I may not work in a restaurant kitchen every day anymore, I am still only getting better as a chef.
What does it mean to you to have been shortlisted for the finals of the scholarship?
It is an incredible honour for me to have been shortlisted for the Andrew Fairlie Scholarship. Andrew Fairlie as a chef, the restaurant and Gleneagles as a whole have always been held in the highest regard to me, it holds a special place in my heart and to be associated with it in any way is a dream come true. As mentioned earlier, it also helps to undo one of the biggest regrets of my career.
The Scholarship provides money can't buy world class experiences and an opportunity to once again focus on taking my skills to the next level, all of which will help me to grow as an educator and provide better learning opportunities for my students for years to come.
Have you always wanted to be a chef? What made you choose this career? What do you love about working as a chef?
Aside from my brief stint in architecture, I have always wanted to be a chef. I remember when I first learned to make cheese on toast when I was about 5 or 6 years old, I told my parents when I was older I was going to open a restaurant that only served cheese on toast. While that may not have become reality, I still take opportunities on when I write menus to pay homage to that childhood dream and do some variation of it in a dish. I truly have a passion and obsession for food, paired with a desire for sharing. Good food makes people happy so why wouldn't anyone want to work in a job where they make people happy? I also love that no two days are the same as a chef. Foods change, nature hands you curve balls, seasons change throughout the year and the industry is always developing at a rapid pace. All these things combined make being a chef the most exciting job in the world. The constant search for perfection is something I know I will always be chasing and will possibly never achieve due to how fast the industry changes and improves, but it gets me out of bed in the morning, I can't imagine living a life without the search for it.
What is your favourite Scottish ingredient to work with? And why?
It's so difficult to only name one Scottish ingredient that is my favourite, but at the moment I have a real love for Pearl Barley. Such an under used, versatile ingredient that lends itself to a range of cookery or production methods. From cooking in stews, use in salads to distillation of vinegars and even moulds like koji and desserts, I feel like there needs to be more respect put on barley. It should be as revered in Scottish cuisine as other grains like arborio or sushi rice is in other cultures. So wherever I get an opportunity at the moment, I like to showcase pearl barley in some form.
Meet the Finalists - Spud Henderson
Sous Chef, Craig Millar @16 West End
Where are you originally from?
I was born and raised in Kirkcaldy; I now live in Anstruther.
What inspired you to apply for the scholarship?
To be able to work with some of the best chefs in the world gaining valuable skills that I can take with me throughout my future in the industry.
Can you give us a brief description of your career to date?
I started with 3 years at college and a job in a pub as a commis. After college I started at Craig's as a commis chef, I have been there for 10 years and worked my way up to a sous chef. During my time at Craig’s, I focused on the game chef of the year. It took 5 years of entering but I finally achieved a win in 2020. after game chef I have shifted my focus to the scholarship i made the final in 2021 and hope to get the win this year.
What does it mean to you to have been shortlisted for the finals of the scholarship?
It takes me one step closer to being able to learn from some of the best in the industry. I am determined to prove that I deserve this opportunity.
Have you always wanted to be a chef? What made you choose this career?
Yes! I always loved being in the kitchen and learned from my Mum and my Gran. I was 11 years old when I met my current mentor Craig who inspired me to take my current career path.
What do you love about working as a chef?
I just love cooking; it makes me happy and the pleasure I get seeing people enjoy my food.
What is your favourite Scottish ingredient to work with? And why?
I love working with Venison. I find the butchery relaxing I just focus on what I'm doing and love it. You can do so much with it as well and it's full of flavour.
Meet the Finalists - Rita Varga
Chef de Partie and Trainer, Voco Grand Central Hotel, Glasgow
Where are you originally from?
I was born and raised in Hungary. In 2014, I decided to learn a new language and have some new challenges and experiences, so I moved to England. After 4.5 years there, I took a chance and moved to Glasgow where I still live and work.
What inspired you to apply for the scholarship?
My old Head Chef Sean Currie was in last year’s final. I enjoy challenging myself & this year’s brief meant I had to really be creative with my dish. This scholarship offers me the chance to test myself & try something that I have never done before. I have learned so much already as part of this process & take a lot from the experience. I have a passion for learning & gaining new experiences.
Can you give us a brief description of your career to date?
In 2014 I worked as a Kitchen porter at the Ibis Hotel in Portsmouth, I was very committed & was offered the chance to be a breakfast chef. As I gained my confidence in the kitchen, I was asked to work at dinner & became the lead cook on shift. In 2016 I moved to Bristol for a demi CDP position in Bristol Royal Marriott Hotel and from 2017 I worked as a CDP, then head breakfast chef which made me very proud.
In 2018 I needed a change of scenery and applied for a job in Glasgow. I got a CDP job offer from Glasgow Marriott Hotel; I worked on different sections of the kitchen & learnt new styles of cuisine. In 2019, I applied to Glasgow’s only five star hotel the Kimpton Blythswood Square Hotel as a CDP which gave me a great opportunity for learning in a high standard kitchen, I was part of the team that opened the hotel up after the pandemic as well as launching a new restaurant Iasg. In 2023, I moved to Voco Grand Central Hotel where my role is CDP and kitchen departmental trainer. I am responsible for coaching new starts & commis.
What does it mean to you to have been shortlisted for the finals of the scholarship?
Being shortlisted this prestigious scholarship is fantastic. I am happy that I can be part of it because I highly respect the work HIT does, how they bring hospitality together. This is also an opportunity to learn and develop. It makes me feel lucky that I have a chance to show my skills. I am genuinely grateful that I can be part of this competition with the Andrew Fairlie name.
Have you always wanted to be a chef? What made you choose this career?
When I was a kid, I wanted to become an airplane pilot, an architect, or a retail and advertisement manager! My plans changed constantly, but being a chef never crossed my mind. I started working in the kitchen and slowly fell in love with how creative and rewarding being a chef can be and can't wait to see what challenges the future brings. It has given me the opportunity to as a person & learn new skills.
What do you love about working as a chef?
No two days are the same. It's tough and challenging at times but also rewarding. It makes me feel great that I can help create special dishes for people with all sorts of needs and requirements. I enjoy so much cooking for friends & family seeing them smile. I am proud to see when a guest is happy or gives the kitchen positive feedback on their meals.
What is your favourite Scottish ingredient to work with? And why?
It would be hard to choose one favourite. I love working with locally sourced fish and shellfish. There is something wonderful about working with these very delicate ingredients. Getting in the zone while filleting and preparing can be very therapeutic and peaceful. From cleaning a fish to garnishing the plate, just love it all.