Celebrity chefs Gordon Ramsey, Rick Stein and Thomas Keller among the colleagues of our former catering student

An award-winning chef, who turned up unannounced at Gordon Ramsey’s restaurant shortly after finishing college to ask for a job, says the only way to achieve in life is to grab your own opportunities.

James Knappett, who runs a busy restaurant in central London, had not long finished a catering course at Cambridge Regional College, when he decided to go to Gordon’s kitchens to ask for a job.

The journey was worth it and he got to work with one of the most famous chefs in Britain while kickstarting a career that has seen him travel the world and prepare food for the rich and famous.

James, 38, said: “Not bad for a country boy from the small town of Soham! Gordon is an incredible man and an inspirational chef. I learnt a lot.”

After working with Gordon, James went to work for Rick Stein in the TV chef’s infamous flagship sea food restaurant in Cornwall, where he stayed for three years before heading back to Gordon again, working under his leadership at Petrus for five years.

When the opportunity arose to work with Thomas Keller, considered the best chef in the world, in his New York restaurant, Per Se, James jumped at the chance

Cooking for the rich and famous in New York

“This is fine dining at its best. I loved every minute of it. It is an amazing gastronomic restaurant where we served movie and music stars as standard. Robert de Niro was a regular. An incredible experience,” said James.

After three years he moved to the Noma restaurant in Copenhagen where he learnt the art of fine Nordic cuisine, followed by a head chef post at Marcus Wareing’s restaurant, The Berkeley,

James worked again with Keller when the American supremo opened up a temporary fine dining pop-up restaurant in Harrods, followed by a stint at Nottinghill’s The Ledbury.

James then took the plunge to open his own business, Bubbledogs in Fitzrovia serving gastronomic hot dogs with champagne alongside a bistro of refined Modern British food called The Kitchen Table. Run with his wife Sandia, the setting has recently been given five stars by Time Out magazine and has two Michelin stars.

Advice for young chefs

James said: “I’ve made a lot of sacrifices to build up my career and it has been a lot of hard work but it has been worth it.

“My advice to any young chefs, especially those still at college, is listen to the lecturers in class. They are good, they know what they are talking about. Learn discipline, respect your whites and respect the way of working as a team in the kitchen.

“Collect the tools of your trade. It’s tough when you’re starting out with no money but buy the best you can afford. Get a weekend job. Don’t waste time while you are in college, make things happen.

“As a chef your destiny is in your own hands. Choose your friends wisely, focus and learn everything you can and keep on learning. I was not academic in school but learning the catering trade at college was perfect for me and I loved it. At school I didn’t do very well, but I found myself and my passion in vocational education.”

“To achieve in life you must create the opportunities yourself,” he said.

Favourite dish

So, with so many gastronomic dishes under his belt what is James’ favourite meal to prepare and enjoy?

“A Sunday roast definitely!” he said.

“You can’t beat a properly roasted chicken and Paxo with all of the trimmings. I even named my dog Paxo as a tribute to my favourite stuffing!”

For more information on James’ business follow the link to Kitchen Table London

https://kitchentablelondon.co.uk/