CELEBRITY chef Bryn Williams is just 32 years-old yet runs his own top restaurant, Odette’s, in London’s trendy Primrose Hill.
Bryn, originally from Denbigh, has become an ambassador for quality Welsh produce and was in Wrexham this week because of his association with the Rhug Gourmet Food Club, a collaboration between the Rhug Estate, near Corwen, Bryn himself and the catering department at Yale College.
Tickets for the event, held at Yale’s Rendezvous restaurant, had been very much in demand but were only available to members of the club.
Bryn and his team had travelled from London especially for the event and spent the day with the Wrexham college’s catering students, preparing a fantastic five-course meal, using Rhug estate meat as well as other fabulous ingredients from the region.
Speaking to the Free Press Bryn said: “The menu here is straight off Odette’s menu where we use Rhug meat. The chocolate is Welsh.
"It’s made by a friend of mine, Toby Beevers, whom I used to go to college with.
"He’s a very good pastry chef (who worked at the Michelin starred restaurant in Chester’s Grosvenor Hotel) who turned his hand to chocolate making and set up Kokonoir (based in Broughton).
“I asked him to come up with something great for our chocolate orange fondant and he did just that.
“However, I don’t use it because he’s a friend or just because it’s Welsh, I use it because it’s excellent.
“In London we are competing on an international level so there’s no point in using it just because it is Welsh.
"If I used poorer quality ingredients just because they’re from Wales it wouldn’t do anything to help the reputation of the really great produce we have.
“The quality and consistency has to be there and that’s what we have with Rhug.”
Lord Newborough’s organic Rhug Estate, near Corwen has built up an excellent reputation and has won numerous awards.
The Gourmet Food Club is an extension of this success.
Members receive a hamper of Rhug produce along with a recipe card from Bryn and another produced by level three students at Yale, under the guidance of hospitality and retail manager Mark Parsons.
The project provides an excellent opportunity for the students to develop their skills and to learn about the fantastic produce available in North East Wales.
They also get the chance to learn directly from chefs like Bryn.
“It’s great for the students,” Mark Parsons said.
“Bryn is a local celebrity and he has come here with three of his chefs from Odette’s to cook with our students.
“The food club gives the students the opportunity to work with high quality, locally produced ingredients and to learn about the value of building relationships with suppliers in the area.”
Bryn is also happy to give up his time to pass on some of the skills he has learned to aspiring chefs.
“Knowledge is useless unless you share it,” he said
“When I was taking on Odette’s and looking for staff, I found that skill levels seemed to be falling so if I can help students in any way I’m more than happy to do so.”
For more information on the Rhug Gourmet Food Club visit www.rhug.co.uk or call the estate office on 01490413000 selecting option 1.
Rendezvous restaurant at Yale College is open Tuesday to Friday, serving coffee from 10am to 11am and lunch between noon and 1pm.
The restaurant is also open for dinner on Tuesday evenings.
For more details visit www.rendezvous-yale.co.uk or call 01978 316457