Travel is the spice of life for this chef

Sep 24 2007 By Jule Wilson, The Journal

Gareth Marks has been at the forefront of Newcastle’s food scene for 16 years and is about to introduce an entirely new concept in restaurants to the city. But for him it’s not about flamboyance in flavour. Gareth’s philosophy is all about keeping it simple, as Jule Wilson discovers.

GARETH Marks has led what some may call a bit of a nomadic existence. Beginning life in Ascot, Berkshire, many of Gareth’s formative years were spent in Knutsford, Cheshire before he finally settled in the North-East. But the travel bug never left the 34-year-old, who cut his culinary teeth living in La Clusaz in the French Alps before returning to Newcastle to help cement the success of one of the city’s premier hotels, Malmaison.

Gareth says: “The real cornerstone of what cooking is all about and what is so interesting about life for me happened when I was about 13. About eight members of my family and I travelled to Morocco and it was just amazing. It was the first experience I had of a totally different culture and experiencing that has really become a passion of mine. Even now when I travel no matter where I am going I like to get off the beaten track and right into the heart of things.”

Gareth, who attended Ponteland High School in Northumberland, feels that a country’s cuisine and its wider culture are inextricably linked.

He says: “Food is central to any culture. For example if you have a traditional Saudi Arabian curry, every single ingredient that has gone into the dish is typically served separately alongside it as an accompaniment. It’s that kind of thing that really excites me, and I particularly love cuisine from all of the countries around the equator. The weather they have means they have all the great spices and because many aren’t the wealthiest of nations, they need those ingredients to give flavour to the scrawniest of chickens.”

It is this simple way of thinking about food that sums up Gareth’s attitude to his profession, and he feels many TV cooking programmes have lost sight of the exploration of ingredients and their origins.

He says: “The first daytime cookery shows were great but as their popularity has grown, to me they’ve become plastic and overly scripted. It’s all just too manufactured.”

Gareth himself is a TV chef. having travelled all over the North in recent months to make the Tyne Tees series A Taste of the North.

He says: “I’ve spent the last few months discovering the best quality products in the North. Half the time it was just me, a couple of cameramen, the researcher and a producer stuck in the middle of a field somewhere. There was nobody to do any of the prepping for us. We just had to get on with it and cook, but then it really is all about the ingredients.

“If you’ve got something really fresh in front of you, you shouldn’t need to do much with it in order to make a really great dish. It’s about keeping it very very simple and using carefully selected ingredients

But Gareth says he is anything but a food snob. He added: “Normal home cooked food can be just as tasty as any meal in a posh restaurant. Last night I had a jacket potato and it was great. Meals often depend on mood as much as anything else.”

Gareth is due to marry his partner Helen, 33, next May and his philosophy helped them to choose the ideal venue. He says: “We’ve chosen the Wood Hall Hotel in Wetherby because it has retained some individuality and the menu is very much in keeping with what we would have chosen anyway. Again, just very simple.”

And whenever he’s not in the kitchen, Gareth enjoys spending as much time as possible with his family, including Helen’s daughter Chloe, nine and his little girl Keira, also nine.

He said: “It’s very important to me that we spend as much time as possible together as a family and that’s what I focus on whenever I get the chance to relax.

“I was brought up around the idea that sitting down to have a meal together was a big part of family life and I’m a big believer in that.”

Helen and Gareth have been friends for the last 10 years after meeting when they worked at Malmaison. Gareth says: “Helen was the restaurant supervisor and I was a chef when we first became friends, and she worked her way up to become the food and beverage manager while I became head chef.

“She is definitely a calming influence on me because I can be a bit of a wildcard. In fact, the one word I’d use to describe myself is nightmare. My epitaph should read, ‘It wasn’t always my fault, just about 60% of the time’.”

Gareth switches off from work by watching films but he is also a big rugby fan. He adds: “I’m a bit of an adrenaline junkie. I love trying new things and have been known to bungee jump and kickbox. I love skiing and have dreams of spending much of my retirement on the slopes and on a boat.

“I love the sea because I like the idea of the freedom it gives you. But to be honest I can’t see myself ever really slowing down. Right now I have a wonderful house in Prudhoe, Northumberland, a great family, a partner I adore and a nice car. But I still want more and I think I’ll probably always want more.

“I think that’s healthy as long as it isn’t to the detriment of the quality of your life or relationships.”

Although undoubtedly a talented chef, Gareth says that he owes much of his success to fate, and good friends who have offered him opportunities throughout his career.

He says: “I’ve made a point of maintaining good relationships with those people that have helped me out over the years and I certainly think that’s been the key to much of the success I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy.

“But I also believe in myself and I think the experience of being a new kid at school made me stronger and a bit more arrogant, which has also helped.” Frustrated with the academic world, Gareth sought advice from careers experts who felt his gregarious nature was perfectly suited to the hospitality industry.

He says: “If you’ve got confidence with people, make the most of it because it has certainly been a useful tool for me. After receiving that careers advice I did a BTEC in hotel and catering operations followed by an HND which gave me experience in a kitchen.

“I eventually went on to do a degree in hotel management at Newcastle University before being offered a job at the Gosforth Park Hotel.”

Gareth trained for two years, during which he was seconded to London’s famous Dorchester Hotel and both St Andrews and Gleneagles in Scotland.

But Gareth had always dabbled in the kitchen. He says: “My relationship with food is pretty straightforward.

“Even when I was a kid I just seemed to have a knack for throwing ingredients together to create something that worked, just the basics that you’d find in any household kitchen.”

But food isn’t simply a job for Gareth. He says: “It’s a passion. Even when I’m reading I generally choose books that are about cooking. Right now I’m reading the World Food Cafe by Chris and Carolyn Caldicott and it’s a brilliant read.

“I can’t wait to open our new venture, The Flatbread Cafe on October 1, which will have a very Persian influence. It’s a huge transition from my previous job at Malmaison but I’m eager for a new challenge.

“I’m finding it hugely rewarding to be involved with a business at it’s very beginning and to be able to be instrumental in it’s progression.

“The restaurant is also allowing me to develop within myself and what is most interesting to me is the fact that we will be cooking fusion food influenced by many different world cuisines, and yet we are an all English team.

“It’s that blend of flavours which excites me. We will be able to offer customers the taste of a place they may never be able to visit and we’ve worked really hard to create a rich and stimulating menu.”

Despite all the destinations Gareth has been to in order to gain his vast wealth of food knowledge, home definitely seems to be where the heart is.

He smiles: “Of all the places I’ve been nothing can beat the sight of the Tyne Bridge. I absolutely love it, and I’m really proud to be opening the Flatbread Cafe here.”

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Questionnaire

What car do you drive?

A black BMW X3

What’s your favourite restaurant?

The best one I’ve eaten is Balthazar in New York. Around this area, it’s The Star Inn in Yorkshire.

Who or what makes you laugh?

Peter Kay in Phoenix Nights.

What’s your favourite book?

I really enjoyed Trainspotting. I’m not a huge reader, I normally read cookbooks. I’m currently reading The World Café which is written by two vegetarians who travel the world experiencing new food.

What’s your favourite film?

Heat with Al Pacino and Robert De Niro

What was the last album you bought?

Solarized by Ian Brown

What’s your ideal job, other than your current one?

If I had enough money in the bank, I’d be helping the third world – probably working as a teacher in Africa.

If you had a talking parrot, what’s the first thing you’d teach it to say?

“It was my fault” – a brilliant way of getting me out of trouble.

What’s your greatest fear?

The dentist.

What’s the best piece of business advice you have ever received?

Don’t be in a rush to be successful.

And the worst?

Be as quick as you can.

What’s your poison?

Stella Artois

What newspaper do you read, other than The Journal?

On a consistent basis, The Times. I like to read it in Blakes on a morning.

How much was your first pay packet and what was it for?

I worked at Gosforth Park Hotel as a commis chef and received £587 a month – this was 12 or 13 years ago.

How do you keep fit?

I’m a fan of kickboxing.

What’s your most irritating habit?

I’m always seeking forgiveness from my future wife. It annoys her.

What’s your biggest extravagance?

Entertainment – personal indulgence.

Which historical or fictional character do you most identify with/admire?

James Bond – just because of his arrogance.

And which four famous people would you most like to dine with?

OJ Simpson, Sean Connery, Anthony Bourdain (Kitchen Confidential) and Peter Kay.

How would you like to be remembered?

With a smile.

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CV

Name: Gareth Marks

Date of Birth: February 18, 1973

School attended: Ponteland High, Northumberland

Degree in: Hotel Management

Head Chef at: The new Flatbread Cafe, due to open on High Bridge Street, Newcastle on October 1.

Previous form: Gosforth Park Hotel including experience in the kitchens of the Dorchester in London, St Andrews in Scotland and Gleneagles in Scotland (1994-1996), the kitchens of the French Alps and Notre Dame (1996-1997), Malmaison (1997-1998), The Magpie Room (1998-2000), opened Tavistock (2000- 2004), and back to Malmaison (2004- 2007).