The Great Bath Feast last weekend took over Milsom Street with oh-so-tempting smells, chefs demos and a buzzing market with all sorts of foodie delights. We spent time chatting to three of the chefs about their food inspirations, Richard Bertinet, Dan Moon and Ping Coombes.
RICHARD BERTINET
Originally trained as a baker in Brittany, Richard has been in England since 1988, moving to Bath in 2005 to open The Bertinet Kitchen.
What is the most effective way of enthusing others about baking?
The best way to enthuse people is to make them realise that they can learn a new skill and they can get that baking bug. I try to take the fear away; then when they achieve something, their first fougasse for example, I can see them smile and beam with confidence at their new-found skills.
PING COOMBES
Winner of MasterChef 2014, Ping stunned judges with her Malaysian Heritage food.
What makes Malaysian food so good?
It’s diverse, fun and varied and there is always something new to discover even for a Malaysian like myself.
What do you love about teaching and passing on your skills?
I love helping my students discover ingredients unfamiliar but accessible to them to produce unexpected results. I love inspiring them to try something new.
Ping created Malaysian Black Beef with Curry Leaves at the Great Bath Feast, which is one of the signature dishes at Ping At Home, her meal service inspired by her home country Malaysia
DAN MOON
Dan is the Founder and Head Chef of Yuzu by Dan Moon, a fine dining at home box delivery service located on the outskirts of Bath.
What type of cuisine are you most influenced by and why?
I’m influenced by Asian cuisine, which I got hooked on when I did some work in Singapore and Kula Lumpa 6 years ago. I fell in love with flavours like Yuzu, seaweeds, miso and all the different soyas. I have always been into my very classical flavours and now use Asian twists with those flavours to really elevate dishes and flavour profile. My new business is called Yuzu, which really shows my real love for Asian ingredients!
Why is the kitchen your natural environment?
I’ve been cooking for almost 25 years now – it’s all I’ve ever done and I can’t ever see myself doing anything else. I love working in a kitchen, for me it’s not a job it’s my real passion. I say I have been cooking for 25 years but it really doesn’t feel like that, I get just as excited putting my whites on now as I did when I first started.
Dan created his signature Creedy Carver Duck dish with Foie Royale spring roll, plum and sesame at the Great Bath Feast.
Main image: Richard Bertinet