TA: World Oceans Day follows my interest in fish. I’ve always been interested in fish and the conservation of fish for a number of years; hence my fish book. A large part of the book is about fish conservation. I’ve been on the boats with the fishermen. It’s very interesting to see all this from a produce point of view, as well as the welfare of it. It’s important to know that fish is net caught rather than trawled. I make sure that the fish we use has been caught correctly. I’ve done a bit of work with WWF as well, to highlight to the consumer the lesser known breeds of fish that are endangered. I’ve also just went running in The Marathon Des Sables. Every year I do a couple of things for charity to raise money. I choose a different charity each time specifically for children. I’ve done things for Great Ormond Street in the past. The Marathon Des Sables looks at saving the faces of diseased children who suffer from noma which is caught through dirty water, which then turns into gangrene. A child can die in six weeks. It’s not on. Of course it was also good to be away from work and get a good sporty break with no pressures of work.

GC: Where do you see the future of our oceans?

TA: The main focus on where it’s all going is if we do carry one as we are then there will definitely be a problem in 20 years time. I work with the marine conservation society and marine stewardship council who do audits on the fisheries to make sure a solid chain of custody. Change has to be managed now.

GC: How do you think the TV handles our best chefs these days?

TA: TV has come along way since I’d say the days of Jamie and the Naked Chef, and Delia, who was probably the first TV personality. There have been lots of styles that have allowed some great characters to come through. I think the days of reality cooking shows are dying a little bit of a death though. They’re fun for a short amount of time but they can get repetitive and people can get bored. The Great British menu is a great concept because it gives the public a real insight into how chefs think in terms of creativity, skill, demonstrating their own philosophy on food and where they get their own ideas. I did Iron Chef because there were no real constraints except the time. To a degree I could show my style of cooking, how I worked and how creative and simple cooking can be.

GC: What team do you support? [GC is a Liverpool supporter]

TA: Manchester United. [GC OMG!]

GC: To create Michelin starred food to the standard at which you do how would you describe the standard of discipline required in the kitchen?

TA: I think overall discipline is very necessary though how you implement that discipline has changed over the years. From when I started cooking things have really changed. I’ve worked with some pretty hard chefs in my career and as I’ve moved on I’ve had to adapt. I mean today, you can’t carry one like some of the chefs I’ve worked for otherwise you burn out. Today you can’t have the hard core kitchen, communication needs to be direct but you also need to create an environment for chefs that is fulfilling, educational and offers development. It can’t be hostile.

GC: When parents were told you can’t slap children different parenting models emerged within society. In the same way, how do you get perfection from chefs when you can only talk to them nicely?

TA: I think you’ve got to get the communication level right and pitched at the right level. It’s very important to cascade communication in a way that respects supervision but also breeds leadership and respect. My approach is that I remain very hands on but recognise that communication is key to the teams’ success. Sometimes there can be a bit of verbal diarrhoea but I’d rather be overly communicative than not communicating at all.  When I run the service, I’m the one that’s feeding the information so we tend to have a quiet kitchen during service. There doesn’t need to be anyone else talking at key times. In terms of teaching and development, my Sous chefs take an active role which means we share the same message at all points. There has to be chain of command not unlike the army.

GC: Do you think that stress is key to the success of a chef?

TA: Not at all. I want my chefs to be measured and assured in what they do. Using stress to lever performance is something I gave up years ago. It doesn’t achieve anything. If I loose my rag, if I get frustrated, if I get angry, what’s the point? Communication is key. Without good communication we have no team. If you don’t offload responsibility, and empower your team then everything goes through me and that causes too much stress for everyone. Things changed a long time ago, both here and in other kitchens too. Every chef at some point goes through a control freak stage. If you don’t offload trust to your staff then you’re not going to get anywhere, and be stressful all the time.

GC: If your life ever became a Hollywood movie who would you want to play you? [Cartoon animated characters allowed]

TA: It would have to be someone who’s a little bit mad... Dennis Hopper [chuckle] if he was alive. He was a really creative man who had some really interesting philosophies in life. He was a bit out there.

GC: How much are you cooking at the moment?

TA: Too much at the moment. It’s an exciting time at the moment with Somerset House, a new deli and other bits and pieces coming along. I never stop thinking about new ideas. I’m very fortunate to sleep, then wake up with an idea and write it down and that’s how I’ve always done it. I’ve certainly got a creative mind which does help. I do like the simpler side of cooking which is why Toms Kitchen appeals to me too. That style is very much now in people’s lives. I love what we’re doing at the moment.

GC: Tell us about your career highs and lows and how have they shaped you as a person.

TA: Well, lows, quite a few. Pied a Terre was a low point and two years ago with this business was too.

GC: How do you cope with the lows?

TA: I’m quite tough mentally but it is difficult. When you see what people write about you in the press and people call you up, people assume things that they shouldn’t, write things that aren’t true that have been far from the truth. But for legal reasons or just for shear effort what’s the point in pursuing these people. There is no point because it just adds more fuel to the fire. You have to be reserved and just get on.

GC: Do you have good support?

TA: Oh god yeah. I have a very good team behind me which is what it’s all about. Without my team you’re nothing. I’m only as good as my team and you have to recognise that sharing responsibility together is key to moving forward.

GC: The year is 2065. You’re not around any more. What will be your legacy?

TA: I just think that I would love people to remember me for my restaurants and my cooking, But also as an achiever from my own perspective which is why I support so many charities and try to make a difference. I’m also doing work with the Olympics as an ambassador for team 2012 which is fulfilling and links in nicely. I do all these things on the sly. [Smile] I think I’m a giver and a doer, not a taker. We must all give back.

GC: Is there a question we’ve missed today? What would you like to come out through this article?

TA: I just think that one of the main things is what people think of me as a person or a chef. There always seem to be historic clouds that don’t really belong where I am right now. When I keep hearing the same things over and over it’s just uncalled for. I want to look forward to an exciting future and to be a leader in so many different fields. It’d be nice for people to look at the positives in my life rather than always looking back.

As I left Aikens Restaurant (surprised I’d actually got through an hour of questions) I realised more than ever that in the final analysis we need to assess a chef for the food that he cooks first and foremost - and in fairness the majority of us do. Sure, genius in our industry is often accompanied by pressures young chefs were never trained to cope with, let alone cope with well. If we make mistakes, fine, then lets deal with them and move on. I just don’t get the slighty heretic, pop culture, scavenging view of needing to slam someone forever.

I wonder in the UK if we need our chefs to be slightly criminal, mad or insane to justify their cookery genius so that we think normal people can’t reach perfection? Is it the media that makes it this way? 

Aikens isn't the first celeb chef I've met to offer the antitheses of his media reputation.

Of Tom Aikens, now? He came across as a good guy, a bloody hard worker, and someone who puts a lot back in.

But his food already told me that... find the meal HERE

Tom Aikens Restaurant.

43 Elystan Street,

Chelsea

London

SW3 3NT

Tel: +44 (0)20 7584 2003
Fax: +44 (0)20 7589 2107

Email: info@tomaikens.co.uk

OPENING HOURS

Lunch: Mon - Fri 12pm - 2.30pm
Dinner: Mon - Sat 6.45pm - 10:45pm

Text and Pictures Copyright 2010 Regent Consultancy.