1. Why on earth did you move from New Zealand?I wanted to discover what else was out there, New Zealand can feel like it's very far away from the rest of the world, especially Europe. I couldn't wait to get to the UK, although I had heard of the dreaded 'Heathrow injection', which to be fair happens to the best of us, what with all the old traditional pubs serving tasty beer (see how I didn't mention the beer being warm, that's how you can tell Kiwi's apart from Ozzies!)
2. What food do you miss most from New Zealand?Burger rings
and
Kiwi onion dip. Although that's probably not selling my cheffing abilities very well, but there you have it, we all have our guilty pleasures!
3. What's been your favourite place to work in Brighton & Hove and why?The Foragers Pub, where I ended up meeting two of my best friends and certainly two of the most inspiring female Chefs I've ever had the pleasure to work with and learn from. I joined the Foragers as it launched and wow, what an incredible culinary learning curve. It really taught me about seasonality in the UK and what foods we can forage and use to enhance classic dishes.
4. What's your favourite place to eat out at the moment?Oshio
- Korean/Japanese restaurant in the North Laine. On my rare date nights these days, that's the first place we'll try to book into. The food is stunning, simple, fresh, bursting with flavour and goodness.
5. What's your favourite food to cook and indulge in?
As it's coming up to summer time, you'll find me at my happiest with a pinny on, tongs in hand guarding my BBQ. I love to
spatchcock a chicken
and make a rub for it with paprika, lemon, garlic salt and fresh thyme, let it marinade for 24 hours if you can and then get it over those coals. Being a Kiwi, give me a marinated lamb rack and char that bad boy on the barbie, serve with a Greek salad, garlic bread and Tzatziki. Barbie gold! (If you're unsure of how to spatchcock a chicken, click on the highlighted link above, we just made a quick video to show you how, let us know how you get on in the comments section on my
youtube channel)
6. When & why did you move from a standard Chef to a Cooking Tutor?It made sense to me to make that my next move. Becoming a mum and loving cooking with my boys, it was kind of organic and it gave me a better work life balance, which ultimately means I enjoy my job more. Having the flexibility in my hours and the ability to work with schools, I get to work more regular kiddie friendly hours than that of a chef working double shifts!
7. What's your favourite part of your new role?I run cooking classes at a girls school and it's been an absolute delight watching the girls really enjoying cooking fresh food, embracing kitchen etiquette and working as a team, like a little kitchen brigade. They even master CACAYG! (Clean and clear as you go.) The washing up does make them cringe, but it's part of being in the kitchen, I don't want them going home and recreating the dishes, only to leave it looking like a disaster zone! It's a great atmosphere, we always have fun, laugh, have a wee dance here and there! They're learning really important life skills without realising, and their growth in confidence in the kitchen from the start of the term to the end is amazing.
8. What can people expect from Maz's kitchen when they hire you or one of your team as a personal chef?Food cooked with passion made with love. Food of a high standard with some cheeky banter thrown in, oh and of course we won't moan about the dishes, we'll just crack on and get out of your hair as quick as we can, leaving you happy, satisfied and with a spotless kitchen to boot.
9. What can customers expect when they hire you as a private cooking tutor?Again, food cooked with love made with passion, but this time by YOU! You're going to cook your pinny off, learn some great new recipes, tips and tricks and eat some fabulous food, whether it's a three course meal or freezer fillers. And of course we will always have a laugh and maybe a cheeky glass of bubbles!
10. How can parents get you teaching cooking to their children in school?Mention it to the school and if possible, get a contact name and email address of the person who deals with extra curricular activities and we'll contact them to see if we can be of service to the little cooks at the school. Alternatively, they can contact us at contact@mazskitchen.com or give us a call on 01273 640369. After first contact, we make a site visit to see what we've got to work with and create a selection of cookery classes to fit in with their budget and time frame. After your first little cooks lesson, expect some tasty treats to be coming home for you to try, never fear if they gobble it all before you get a look in, as we always follow up our cooking classes with recipe and method cards so they can recreate for family and friends. If it doesn't work out at your kiddies school this time around, then don't fret, we can still cook with your little one at your home or party venue, we could even set up a cooking club if you had a group of friends who fancied having a cookery class once a week, fortnight, month.
Maz's kitchen offers school's/groups extra curricular cooking classes, school holiday cookery classes, little and big cooks cooking parties, personal chef for dinner parties, celebrations, hen's parties, gatherings, corporate events and private chef tuition in your home.Get in touch if you'd like to get IN or OUT of your kitchen, Maz and her team will take care of the rest.contact@mazskitchen.com | 01273 640369 | @mazskitchenltd
