IN THE SPOTLIGHT
SUCCESS ON A PLATE FOR JOSH
OP Joshua Overington ( 01-04 ) is one of the country ’ s finest young chefs . He ’ s worked at some of the country ’ s best restaurants and recently starred in BBC2 ’ s Great British Menu .
His restaurant in York , Le Cochon Aveugle , takes diners through a blind tasting menu using the best in season produce to prepare dishes , which have had food reviewers from national newspapers in raptures .
Josh , now 29 , credits a strong work ethic and self-belief nurtured at Pocklington School for his professional drive – although he admits it took a while to kick in !
“ I left Pocklington School as the epitome of that person with no idea what they wanted to do ,” he says . “ My family is foody ; I grew up knowing about food but I never had any ambitions to work in that area .”
After a spell at York College , Josh travelled to Australia , where “ literally the only job I could get was washing dishes .” He soon progressed to food preparation and the spark that would drive him was lit .
He returned to the UK to work at Michelin-star gastropub The Pipe and Glass Inn , South Dalton , and at the three-star Michelin restaurant The Waterside Inn in Bray . He then trained formally at renowned culinary school Le Cordon Bleu , Paris , before honing his craft at high-end restaurants in France , Canada and Spain .
Returning to York with girlfriend Victoria Roberts , Josh was taken on at Le Cochon Aveugle on Walmgate . When the owner moved on , Josh saw his chance : “ I ’ ve always wanted to open my own restaurant and I thought York had a really good scene . This was an opportunity for me to do my own thing so Vic joined me as front of house and we took it on ,” he says .
The couple started with just £ 800 in the bank , a determination to serve high-end food in a casual setting – but giving diners no menu to choose from .
At first , trade was slow . “ In a way I could understand – we were sitting people down and telling them they had to eat what I decided ,” Josh smiles . “ I know that ’ s a risky strategy for the north of England but it ’ s normal in Paris . And with our tight margins , I couldn ’ t afford to offer a wide menu anyway .
“ Plus , if you present people with a menu they ’ ll reject dishes without considering them . Give them no choice , and they ’ ll hopefully be pleasantly surprised .”
A glowing review from the Yorkshire Post proved a turning point . Trade picked up almost immediately , rave reviews from the national press followed , and now weekend tables are fully booked for months ahead .
“ It ’ s nice that people are travelling to York just to eat at our restaurant . It makes Vic and I really proud ,” says Josh .
Appearing on TV ’ s Great British Menu in June , when he competed against other chefs to reach the North East regional finals , also boosted Josh ’ s profile . He admits to being nervous in front of the cameras : “ It ’ s harder than you imagine but I ’ m glad I did it ,” he says .
It tickles him that Pocklington School teachers have visited the restaurant without realising he is the chefpatron . “ We have an open kitchen so I spot them but they often have no idea ,” Josh says . “ Sometimes they do a double take , then check their phones , and the penny drops .”
He ’ s in close contact with OP friends Charlie Cowley ( 98-05 ), Gemma Gray ( 96-06 ) and Alex Pinion ( 95-06 ) and enjoys returning to Pocklington
for the Good Friday and Boxing Day rugby fixtures when he can .
Josh ’ s own rugby-playing career was cut short by injury while playing for Pocklington School against St Peter ’ s . “ My leg was shattered in seventeen places . I was lucky not to lose it and now I have a huge plate holding it together ,” he reveals .
Although that ’ s one souvenir from his schooldays that Josh would rather forget , he has fond memories of English teacher Dr Mark Rowe ( 84-06 ), and says he is grateful for the strong work ethic the school encouraged .
“ Pocklington School instilled in me the sense that I should always give my best and work hard to do as well as I could , whatever my chosen profession . That ’ s why I got quite far so quickly ,” he says .
Le Cochon Aveugle is at 37 Walmgate , York YO1 9TX , www . lecochonaveugle . uk , 01904 640222
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