A 21-year-old Senior Chef de Partie from The Art School, Liverpool has been crowned as the best young chef in the region, cooking his way to the coveted title of North West Young Chef of the Year 2019.
Despite its vastly improving reputation, the pressures of the working kitchen can sometimes be overwhelming. In 2017, Unite, the country’s biggest union, conducted a survey of professional chefs in London and the impact of their jobs on their wellbeing. Almost half regularly worked between 48 and 60 hours a week while 78% said they’d had an accident or a near miss through fatigue. More than a quarter were drinking to get through their shift, a figure which doubled to 56% when it came to taking painkillers. Fifty one percent of respondents said they suffered from depression due to overwork.
The six finalists of North West Young Chef 2019 have been treated to an inspiring lunch at Simon Martin’s Mana Restaurant, Manchester.
A competition chef born and bred, James’s kitchen life started early, working weekends at Cambridge Regional College. It was here that his career began to blossom.
