Chef Colin Westal Brings A Taste of Le Cordon Bleu in India
Chef Colin Westal
A Taste Of Le Cordon Bleu In India
Chef Colin Westal, Teaching Chef at the famed Le Cordon Bleu (LCB) London engages us in a candid conversation about the legacy that is LCB and his visit to India
He tells us, "One of the attractions of visiting India is back in the UK, I was fortunate to do an LCB Masterclass last year with Chef Alfred Prasad, who at the age of 29, was the youngest Indian chef to be awarded a Michelin star in 2002. I was given the task of creating a dessert to go with his main course, which I found quite challenging since I'd never used Indian spices before. I ended up creating the Charcoal Roasted Pineapple, Mango, Almond & Pistachio Kulfi Dish and the dessert I'm doing today at Palate, Spiced Cardamom and Vanilla Blancmange, Pineapple and Kiwi Salad, is a take on that. Coming to India made perfect sense since it gives me the chance to work with local Indian spices and add it to my style of cooking. Also, the hospitality shown to me here at Palate has been heart-warming. It's like the friendship between Rakhee, who's also an LCB London trained chef, and me has been there all along. What sets Palate apart from other culinary schools is that it's very homely, warm and colourful and not industrial."
Rakhee adds, "It's a great honour to host Chef Colin, who is so humble despite the legacy he belongs to. For me, LCB is the temple of our culinary institutes and culinary world. Chef Colin is the third chef from LCB to visit Palate Culinary Academy. This is a ritual LCB does every year to allow students from Palate to lea from such wonderful chefs who motivate us and show us what the culinary world out there is like. Our students belong to diverse backgrounds, but food is the common language among everyone."
Chef Colin, who knew from the age of 12 that he would either become an RAF fighter pilot or a chef for the adrenaline that comes with the job, began cooking at around the age of 14. "I remember doing simple things like a quiche lorraine, pastries and such in the Home Economics class at school. At the age of 16, six months before I passed out from school, I read an article in a magazine on the Roux Brothers, Michel and Albert Roux and it was my father who believed in me and firmly insisted that I write to them and apply for a job."
After a successful stint at some of the world's finest restaurants namely, the Roux Brothers' three restaurants, Le Gamin, Le Poulbot and the then 3-Michelin-starred Le Gavroche; and Rowley Leigh's Kensington Place Restaurant and Le Café Anglais, Chef Colin joined the prestigious LCB's team of Teaching Chefs in 2014. Since then, there's been no looking back for him as he continues to enjoy teaching and cooking for his students at LCB London.
Le Cordon Bleu, the world's premier network of culinary arts and hotel management institutes, is home to 20,000 students annually across its 35 institutes in 20 countries. Culinary programmes include various diplomas in Culinary Management, Gastronomy, Nutrition and Food Trends, Cuisine, Wine, Gastronomy and Management, Bachelor and Master degrees and short courses, among others. LCB provides state-of-the-art culinary facilities as well as an Urban Cultivator and a rooftop herb garden to its students, while allowing the general public to savour its gastronomical perfection through an on-site café, Café Le Cordon Bleu, and its restaurants, tea salons, bakeries, gourmet products, professional equipment and cookery books. It also hosts competitions such as the National Chef of the Year and Bocuse d'Or to promote culinary innovation and creativity.
Getting into the prestigious institute isn't easy and Chef Colin Westal knows that only too well. "It is an unbelievable privilege to be a part of LCB. I had to pass several interviews and two cook-offs. The first cook-off was a 3-course meal and the second is a dish you have to cook in an hour where Teaching Chefs bombard questions at you, like in a cooking demonstration. I'm really grateful to work at such a fine place."
We are curious to know what prompted Chef Colin to leave his high-flying career in a kitchen and take up the teaching mantle. "When I decided to give up cooking in a professional kitchen and start teaching, I was at a stage in my career when I took a step back and thought to myself, "Well, what am I going to do when I finish this job in this professional kitchen?' I love cooking obviously, but I also love getting my knowledge across to people and seeing them use it. It's just a natural progression that I went into teaching. When I used to go to Billingsgate market to scout for the best fish and sell as well as cook them, I would give cooking tips and guidance to my customers. That was where I came across my love for teaching. When students at LCB graduate and later tell me about their progress, that drives me."
We ask Chef Colin for tips for prospective chefs and hospitality students and he kindly obliges. "Keep your head down, your ears and eyes open and work hard. Also remember: Taste, taste, taste! It's so important that you taste every single element you use. A lot of chefs taste the dish after cooking it, while others need to taste everything right from the start of their cooking. So taste is really important."
When not at the London institute, the self-confessed Manchester United fan catches up with friends and family on weekends and makes it a point to cook Sunday meals in between watching football! He also travels for work and pleasure and has an annual holiday abroad with his wife Lisa and children Lauren and Ted. "I am also a mad motorcyclist and wash and polish my 1000cc motorcycle regularly, on which I travel to London daily from my house in Epsom, Surrey."