If you keep up-to-date on the north-east food and drink scene, then Graham Mitchell will be a familiar name to you.
His culinary journey has seen him named Scotland’s first surf and turf chef of the year and Scottish beef chef of the year.
He has also received gold for the north-east seafood chef of the year.
But the 36-year-old is not only commendable for his string of award wins, but also for how he, alongside the hardworking team, put the Newmachar Hotel firmly on the local foodie map over recent years.
Graham’s schedule is hectic, to say the least, but I was able to catch up with him for the next installment in my series, The Realities of Hospitality, to hear all about his thoughts on the local food industry – and why 2022 is ‘the year of Aberdeen’s food scene.’
Graham Mitchell
Graham recently parted ways with the Newmachar Hotel.
Did this mark the end of his chef career? No, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
The award-winning chef recently announced the launch of not one business in Aberdeen, but two – one being beachfront food truck The Hungry Beast and the other being up-and-coming restaurant Tarragon by Graham Mitchell.
Watch the full video about Graham’s journey below
The Hungry Beast is currently open for business, dishing out a range of burgers, hot dogs and loaded fries.
Tarragon by Graham Mitchell, located in Rosemount, is still a work in progress, but I have no doubt an opening date will be revealed in the next few months.
Graham now being a multi-business owner raised a number of questions for me regarding his home life, among other things.
What does running a restaurant mean for your home and family life? Do your children miss you? Do you need to have a strong support network? What are the key attributes you need to be a successful chef? How many hours per week do you work?
These are some of the burning questions I asked Graham, and he was open and honest about his experience so far.
These are the realities of hospitality for Graham Mitchell…
This interview was filmed while Graham was still a member of the team at the Newmachar Hotel.
Conversation