Say hello to our new head chef!
Our Food & DrinkDrum roll please as we warmly welcome our new humble head chef to the St Michaels kitchen.
Introducing Daniel Kerr, who started cooking almost 16 years ago in Kenilworth, Warwickshire. Moving swiftly onwards to work as a commis chef in Michelin Star Tom Aiken's Kitchen, Daniel's passion for producing creative, seasonal dishes flourished.
His previous roles include working for The Lugger in Portloe, as a pastry chef for The Idle Rocks and at gastropub The Bear and Ragged Staff, where he achieved his first rosette. We sat down and asked him a few questions to get to know him a little better...
What's the best dish you’ve ever eaten? Crab tortellini (which was just one giant tortellini), served with the best shellfish bisque I have ever eaten, infused with basil. I had it with a Picpoul de Pinet while in the south of France.
Who would you invite to dinner? My sister, Gino D'Acampo, Adam Sandler, Jim Jefferies and Marco Pierre White.
What’s your favourite winter ingredient? I like all the festive flavours of mulled spices, apples, pears and clementines, it's too hard to pick just one!
Who are your inspirations? Daniel Humm - to this day my meal at Eleven Madison Park is the best I have ever had and I was lucky enough to meet Daniel. The way he spoke about food and produce, made me completely re-think how I thought about food. His mantra for the kitchen is simply "make it nice". I think sometimes chefs get carried away and forget that all people want is a great tasting plate of food.
What do you do in your spare time? I walk my dog/puppy Narla whenever possible. We love long beach, coastal and woodland walks. I try to keep active and love playing football, tennis and squash, whenever I get the chance. I also enjoy going out to eat as often as possible, I love to see what every other chef is doing.
What’s your favourite drink? Wine! Bordeaux or Burgundy... Or after work a 15 year Balvenie single malt.
What made you want to become a chef? I sort of fell into the career! I used to play football and go to a sports college studying sports and exercise science(while working part-time in a pub), but managed to attain a few sporting injuries. I decided to apply for some great kitchen jobs in London and was lucky enough to get a commis job at Tom Aiken's Kitchen in Chelsea. Ever since then I haven't looked back.
What music do you listen to in the kitchen? I could listen to Stereophonics all day, but I often get overruled.
The whole team were really great, on the day we visited there was a Garden Party for the Platinum Jubilee, we enjoyed some of the best beef brisket I've ever tasted , prepared lovingly by James and served with a smile by Josie.
