The great British chef shortage: why eating out is under threat3
It was, says chef patron Alexis Gauthier, “not the last resort”, but almost. Last September, he needed to fill three positions at his central London restaurant, Gauthier Soho: a pastry chef; a chef de partie, to head up one of the stations in the kitchen; and a sommelier. Gauthier has held a Michelin star since 2011, but that is not enough of an enticement in an age where new restaurants seem to open every hour and there are not enough trained chefs and waiters to go round. Gauthier, a 44-year-old from Provence, decided to sweeten the deal: the winning candidates would each receive a £1,000 “golden handshake” in return for committing to work for one year.
The unusual offer received some industry press and Gauthier, who has worked in London for 20 years, was pleased with the response. There were some strong applicants and all the spots were taken up within two weeks.
Six months on, I check in with Gauthier: how are they getting on? “All three did not last,” he sighs. “One left after a week. The other two left after two and three months.” Each had their reasons: one chef went home to France, the other returned to Italy and the sommelier decided to go back to studying oenology.
Gauthier doesn’t take the rejection personally and prides himself on being a fair boss. “I used to be an employee for many years myself, so the day I became an employer I did not want to be a bastard,” he says. Gauthier pays his staff comparatively well: they also receive a private pension, health insurance and each has access to a research and development fund, for trying out other restaurants and bakeries, that pays out between £250 and £1,000 a month per person, depending on experience. One pâtissier and sommelier saved up their stipends and went to eat at Eleven Madison Avenue in New York. Gauthier says: “We try to make sure they can develop their professional career with our help….Readmore