Bryn Williams 3 Lle

-888

-888

-

-888

-888

-888

-888

-The Vale of Clwyd should be called

-the Village of Clwyd.

-It's like a village

-where everyone knows one another.

-Everyone looks after one another.

-There's an abundance

-of quality vegetables and fruit here.

-That's why I cook them in London.

-The land is fantastic.

-For me, the Vale of Clwyd

-is the best place in the world.

-We're on Llwyn Mawr farm,

-Llanrhaeadr.

-It was my uncle's farm...

-..and my grandfather's before him.

-I lived here every weekend.

-I helped Dad and Uncle Arwyn

-every night.

-It's a family farm - sheep,

-beef cattle and dairy cattle.

-When I was a boy,

-there were over 50 pigs here.

-There was a vegetable shop here.

-It was a family business.

-Every time I'm home,

-I visit the farm.

-We go shooting

-in the area around here.

-I like visiting Llwyn Mawr.

-I have a lot of fond memories.

-I remember Uncle Edward here,

-Dad and Uncle Arwyn.

-There was always something

-going on here.

-People would always visit the farm.

-I have many fond memories

-of the area.

-A lot of young people lived here,

-a lot of Welsh speakers.

-I remember Uncle Arwyn and Dad

-chopping wood...

-..and giving the wood away

-in return for wine.

-Uncle Arwyn would shoot rabbits...

-..and exchange them

-with another farmer for potatoes.

-Everyone swapped what they had.

-It shows that communities

-are still alive in Wales.

-My favourite place on the farm

-is that forest behind me.

-Playing with my brothers,

-Gareth and Sion, in the forest.

-There were a lot of toads in there.

-We'd go shooting

-between October and January.

-The forest was our Center Parcs

-or Alton Towers as children.

-There was a swing in there,

-and a tree house.

-We built everything inside it.

-That's my favourite place.

-The first time I saw Bryn...

-..he came to the bakery

-with his father.

-He was eleven or twelve years old.

-His father said...

-..this boy's always baking cakes...

-..and cooking Sunday lunches.

-He wanted to gain some experience.

-He started working here

-on Saturdays...

-..and stayed here for five years.

-At the end of the five years,

-he went to Llandrillo College...

-..to study Bakery.

-After a month,

-he came to the bakery and said...

-.."Bad news, boss.

-"I've changed my course.

-"I'm not going to be a baker

-any more. I want to be a chef."

-He was on his way

-to becoming a chef after that.

-When I worked at the bakery,

-I saw Alwyn doing everything.

-He'd take flour, water,

-salt and pepper.

-By combining those ingredients,

-he would create something magical.

-You'd see the yeast growing

-as if it were alive.

-That's what inspired me

-to start cooking.

-Seeing ingredients

-turn into something you could eat.

-Alwyn has played a huge part

-in my career.

-I left the bakery when I was 16

-and started working in a kitchen.

-I worked in Cafe Nicoise

-in Colwyn Bay while I was at college.

-I worked with chef Carl Swift.

-He'd worked in London.

-He told me I should go to London.

-I finished college in June.

-In March or April, I was flicking

-through the catering magazine.

-I read that Marco Pierre White

-was looking for chefs.

-I asked Carl if he thought

-I was good enough...

-..to work for Marco Pierre White.

-Carl had already worked in London.

-Carl answered

-by handing me the phone.

-He punched the numbers

-into the phone and handed it to me.

-I spoke to Marco Pierre White's

-head chef from Cafe Nicoise.

-I went to London and worked there,

-without pay, for a week...

-..to try and prove I could do it.

-I was taken on

-and by the end of June...

-..I was working in London full-time.

-It was a huge culture shock.

-The hours I worked,

-the way I worked and where I lived.

-I lived in a small bedsit

-with just enough room for one.

-A cell would have been bigger!

-I was paying 100 a week

-to live there.

-I remember the shock

-of the first six months.

-I came home

-having lost a lot of weight.

-Mam was close to tears.

-The tears were welling up

-in her eyes.

-She thought I was working too hard.

-I went back to London.

-I've been there for over ten years.

-The farm isn't in our family now,

-and that's strange.

-As a child, I always thought

-our family owned the farm.

-Everyone knows

-the Pen y Maes family.

-Now that the Pen y Maes family

-no longer owns Llwyn Mawr...

-..it is rather sad to think

-that all the memories I have...

-..are just memories.

-I can't visit the farm as I used to

-- I have to ask permission.

-The owners always say yes...

-..but I'd rather see the farm

-owned by our family.

-It was an important part

-of my childhood.

-If I had my own children...

-..I'd like to bring them

-to see where I grew up.

-It's a farm, but as a child, I drove

-tractors, cars and motorbikes here.

-It was a huge park for me.

-It's sad to think

-that it's all gone now.

-When I pulled off the road

-and drove into Llwyn Mawr...

-..the first thing I remembered

-was the fun with Dad and Uncle Arwyn.

-The memories of the families -

-one family, two or three families.

-We'd have so much fun together.

-No amount of money can buy that.

-.

-888

-888

-

-888

-I left London because I wanted

-a different experience.

-I'd worked in London

-for six or seven years.

-London's a busy place.

-I wanted to sample different food

-and live at a different tempo.

-Working in the south of France...

-..I found that people relaxed more

-when they cook.

-I enjoyed my time here,

-sampling different food...

-..and living in a different country.

-I wanted different experiences

-before returning to London or Wales.

-When I came to work at Le Negresco...

-..lots of famous people

-stayed at the hotel.

-The restaurant

-had two Michelin stars.

-I learnt from the best chefs

-in the world.

-It was a shock to the system

-but in a positive way.

-In London, there was a lot

-of shouting in the kitchen...

-..and a lot of pressure.

-In Nice, and in Hotel Negresco,

-it was very different.

-Everyone walked or cycled to work.

-When you arrived at work,

-the pace was much slower.

-There was less shouting,

-less rushing around.

-Even though

-I was being paid to work...

-..it felt like a holiday.

-The worst part about working

-in Le Negresco was the language.

-I had worked in Le Gavroche,

-a French restaurant...

-..but everyone spoke English until

-lunchtime before turning to French.

-When you work in France,

-everyone speaks French.

-No-one wanted to speak

-Welsh or English to me.

-That was the hardest part.

-I knew I could cook, but when

-you don't understand the language...

-..you look as if you can't.

-For the first two months, learning

-the language was a huge challenge.

-There are huge differences

-between food in Nice and London.

-I worked in Le Gavroche,

-which had a classic French menu.

-The dishes were heavy -

-a lot of butter and cream was used.

-Here, the food was much lighter.

-It was similar to Italian cuisine.

-A lot of olive oil,

-vinegar and salad was used.

-It was different to London.

-What I'm trying to do now

-is combine both.

-Food inspired by France

-cooked with lighter ingredients.

-People work six days a week in Nice

-because it's a seasonal city.

-For six days a week,

-I'd walk to and from work.

-One day a week, I'd explore old Nice.

-Nothing's changed. The hotel still

-looks good, still looks majestic.

-It's a beautiful place

-and it's great to be back.

-I should return more often!

-When I left Nice, the time

-was right to return to London.

-I'd worked in the south of France

-for eight months - one full season.

-I didn't know what would happen

-when I returned to London.

-I wasn't sure what would happen.

-Fortunately,

-I found work before leaving Nice.

-The next job had been arranged

-before I left Nice.

-When I left, it was time to leave.

-I missed London,

-my friends and my family.

-I lived alone for eight months.

-It was a shock to the system.

-Every time you go somewhere new,

-you learn something new.

-As a chef,

-I enjoy learning new things.

-I learnt a lot here.

-Nice is an important part

-of my culinary career.

-It's quite emotional.

-It's a good feeling.

-It was originally a house.

-It isn't a very big place.

-It's romantic and intimate.

-You feel as if

-you're entering someone's home.

-I call Odette's a romantic place

-in a small village...

-..in the middle of London.

-I still pinch myself

-every time I walk in.

-There's no reason

-why a boy from Denbigh...

-..should have a business

-in London...

-..but I always think to myself...

-..what have I done well

-and how have I reached this point?

-I know that there's a lot

-of hard work ahead of me.

-It's wrong to think you've reached

-a pinnacle and everything's fine.

-It doesn't work like that.

-You reach that place

-and then the work starts.

-For me, the best thing about London

-is how busy it is.

-There's always something to do.

-So many people come to London

-and bring something new with them.

-In some ways,

-trends begin in London.

-I enjoy being in the middle

-of it all and being busy.

-I enjoy being busy and working hard.

-I came to London in 1997

-to work with Marco Pierre White.

-Working with Marco

-was the hardest work of my life.

-I thought work

-would never get harder than that.

-I left Marco Pierre White

-to work in Le Gavroche.

-Working for Marco was hard enough.

-I'd start at 8.00am every day...

-..and finish at midnight.

-When I moved to Le Gavroche,

-I'd start at 6.00am on Monday...

-..and finish at midnight.

-I was working two hours longer

-every day.

-Both chefs

-prepared fantastic food...

-..but both ran their kitchens

-very differently.

-Marco Pierre White

-was constantly on top of you...

-..shouting at you from 8.15am

-until midnight - all day!

-He saw everything.

-Michel was far more laid-back.

-Having said that...

-..I'd have ten arguments a day

-with Marco.

-I only had three arguments

-in three years with Michel.

-Normally, young chefs

-stay for a year at Le Gavroche.

-Bryn stayed for three years.

-He showed a lot of dedication.

-To be honest, I missed him.

-If he were still here now, I'm sure

-that he would probably be head chef.

-He's that good,

-he really is a talent.

-With Bryn,

-what you see in the kitchen...

-..is maybe not what you see

-out of the kitchen.

-As a chef, he's very focused.

-He's very focused

-and will look at the minute detail.

-When you get him out of the kitchen

-in a relaxed mode, he's a great guy.

-He's great fun to be with.

-The two chefs I've worked with...

-..are the best two chefs in Europe...

-..in different ways.

-Marco Pierre White

-is intense, intense, intense.

-If he sees you standing still,

-he thinks you're slacking.

-You have to be working all day.

-When I worked with Marco,

-tasting was crucial.

-Tasting, tasting, tasting.

-He was intense, always thinking

-about the dish and the kitchen.

-When I worked with Michel...

-..I started to realize that eating

-was a way of life for the French.

-Michel was passionate

-about taste and produce...

-..but there was something else.

-At the time,

-I didn't know what it was.

-When I left Le Gavroche, I realized

-why it's been there for 35 years.

-You realize when you leave.

-The produce has to be good,

-the cooking has to be good...

-..but you also have to look after

-your customers.

-It's like a home.

-That was the difference.

-Marco would throw people

-out of the restaurant.

-Michel invited people in.

-I'm more like Le Gavroche...

-..but the food is cooked

-like Marco's food.

-It has to be tasty.

-Bryn Williams

-is a mix of Marco and Michel.

-You soon see that it's similar

-to being a football manager.

-He chooses the 4-4-2 formation.

-It's up to the captain

-to carry out his orders.

-It's the same in the kitchen.

-I choose the menu, and pass

-everything over to my number two.

-It's up to him

-to stick to the kitchen rules.

-There's a lot

-of man management involved.

-Sometimes, you shout at someone

-to get the best out of them.

-Sometimes,

-you put your arm around them.

-There's a lot

-of man management involved.

-Apple and potatoes.

-OK, that's interesting.

-Interesting? Interesting!

-You won't see these in college.

-Bryn has obviously been trained

-in French classic cuisine.

-That shows, but he's passionate

-about Welsh produce.

-He's made it his own style now,

-which is wonderful.

-Really, really, truly Welsh origins

-with a touch of French.

-I like being busy.

-Once you begin the journey

-of running a restaurant...

-..and working seven days a week...

-..it's very difficult

-to stop the train.

-I like pushing the boundaries

-as a man, a chef and a businessman.

-If someone tells me

-something can't be done...

-..I'll try to do it just to show

-that nothing is impossible.

-I'd like one or two places.

-I'd like a place in Cardiff

-and one in North Wales...

-..using good Welsh produce.

-I'd like to show the world

-what Wales has to offer.

-For me, Welsh produce is fantastic.

-I love preparing a good dish

-for my customers.

-In 20 years' time,

-I'll be in the same place...

-..in front of the oven, sweating.

-S4C Subtitles by Adnod Cyf.

-.