Chef Andy Bates
Private Chef In Bay Lake
Andy Bates is a champion of British food and family-style cooking. His love of cooking started at the age of 15, when his holiday job was as a kitchen hand at his local country pub, the Hooden on The Hill in Kent. After finishing school in 1994, he was determined to pursue his love of food and headed to Canterbury College to study catering where he qualified in 1997. During the course, Andy worked, evenings and weekends, at 1-Michelin-starred Reid’s Restaurant in Faversham as a Commis Chef. He went on to spend part of his third year, working for the Fecamp Chamber of Commerce in Normandy, France, at the well-known Frigate and La Plaisance restaurants, famed for its classic regional cuisine and seafood where he also learned fine dining and French.
Following his qualification, Andy was appointed Regional Manager and Head Chef of restaurants of the Hooden Horse Inns (subsequently Business Inn’s PLC) where he worked until 2000. Between 2000-2008, Andy went on to work in media production, ending up as an AD; but he never stopped cooking, working at weekends and evenings at various respected restaurants and bars such as BAFTA and the Light Bar. It was in 2008 that Andy saw a new trend, which was in street food and he started a number of market stalls in London, celebrating great British baking, where he became well-known for selling his award-winning signature cold-raised pies and scotch eggs, along with his famous Victoria Sponges and renowned custard tarts. This ultimately led to him getting his first break on television, thanks to a keen-eyed TV producer.
Andy loves to create modern twists on classic dishes from traditional British to international street food inspired by his travels for his Food Network TV series, ‘Street Feasts’. He is also a regular contributor on the BBC Two series, Food & Drink. Andy has a passion for discovering the places and the people/characters behind the dishes and regularly participates at food festivals and events both in the UK and around the world including, for the first time, the Abu Dhabi Food Festival. His Food Network TV series ‘Street Feasts’, now in its third season, has consistently rated on the channel and also airs on Food Network international channels across the EMEA and Asia.
Andy has become a leading expert on street food and new food trends. He has also written a cookbook offering modern twists on classic dishes and is the founder of catering business ‘Eat my Pies’ which specializes in classic British pies, Scotch eggs; pastry and tarts. Andy lives by the quote "You should always finish on a little bit of pudding". Andy ensures he keeps an active hand in kitchens/catering with residences at friend’s restaurants as well as pop-ups. He is also working across the country on new street food ventures, helping support and guide local small businesses on how to achieve their ambition, across British and world cuisine, inspired by his experience and travels.
More about me
For me, cooking is...
A never-ending story, keep learning, listening and enjoying. Be like a sponge and absorb it all!
I learned to cook at...
Mums kitchen, college, France, London, The world... In that order
A cooking secret...
Fewer, better ingredients that are well prepared
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