FOOD + DRINK
MEET THE CHEF :
ROB MARSHALL
Owner and Head Chef , The Square Peg
PHOTOS BY SALTWICK MEDIA
THE SQUARE PEG IS A 14-SEAT RESTAURANT ON CAMDEN ROAD IN TUNBRIDGE WELLS , KENT . OWNED BY HEAD CHEF ROB MARSHALL , WHO COOKS SOLO IN THE KITCHEN , THE SITE BLURS THE LINE BETWEEN A FINE-DINING RESTAURANT AND SUPPER CLUB SERVING AN EIGHT-COURSE TASTING MENU WITH ONE DINNER SITTING . THE SET COURSE MENU IS £ 79 AND FULL FLIGHT OF FIVE PAIRED WINES IS £ 45 .
What led to you becoming a chef ?
I was born and raised in Zimbabwe and came to the UK when I was 22 . I came to cooking having had previous careers including a brief stint in the British Army with The Royal Engineers and attending Sandhurst . I have always been fascinated by food and the experience of eating out in restaurants from a young age . When it came to food and being a chef , I wanted to pursue something I loved doing and hadn ’ t found my niche elsewhere . A bit of a square peg if you like . I cook the kinds of things I like to eat - dishes of what I hope are robust flavours with contrasting and complementary textures , temperatures and tastes .
Where did you train ?
I am self-taught , mostly by way of my well-worn collection of cookbooks which includes all the usual suspects ranging from The French Laundry to the Noma cookbook , but these sit alongside Elizabeth David and Rosemary Hume . I love tradition but am equally fascinated by modern techniques . I have been a finalist and a semi-finalist in both the British Culinary Federation Chef of the Year and the Craft Guild of Chefs National Chef of the Year competitions . Trial and error , and just being thoroughly engrossed by food , endeavouring to acquire as much knowledge , not just in terms of technique but tradition as well , as I can , has made me the cook I am now .
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