J’AIME MARCH 2022

says Jack. “People come here and they have their
own space for as long as they want, and they can
help to design everything about their event.
“If you want a certain thing on the menu, you can
have it. You can have your own drinks and even your
own music.
“And it’s a complete experience; you get to see
everything that goes on in the kitchen, and if you
want to get involved with things like plating up, you
can.”
Jack and his family spent months transforming the
cabin into a working kitchen and stylish dining room.
With the pandemic still raging and the opening
delayed, Jack adapted by offering design-yourown
dine-at-home boxes, then outdoor fine dining
barbecue events as the weather warmed up.
Finally, as restrictions eased and indoor dining was
once again allowed, Jack welcomed his first diners to
Dubberley Delicious in May last year.
Jack runs every aspect of the operation himself,
going from chef to waiter, sommelier and pot wash
throughout the course of each event. On busier
nights, sister Lucy - a full time teacher - pitches in, as
well as helping Jack with his social media.
“It’s a family business, and we’re excited by every
single booking we get,” says Jack. “It makes us happy
knowing that people want to come here.
“We want people to feel like they’re getting a special
experience, and go away happy. Luckily, our reviews
speak for themselves, and we get people coming
through word-of-mouth recommendations. Also,
we’ve found that most of our guests so far have
already come back. And we’ve got regulars who have
been four or five times.”
Jack’s passion for what he does is the driving force
behind Dubberley Delicious, and his love of cooking
JACK HAS TRANSFORMED A
GARDEN CENTRE CABIN INTO
A UNIQUE ‘CHEF’S TABLE’
EXPERIENCE
started at a young age: “I’ve always enjoyed cooking
with my mum, and baking,” he says. “I’d always
watch famous chefs like Gordon Ramsey on the TV
too.”
It was at Lichfield’s Friary School, studying for his
GCSEs, where Jack’s food technology class saw
him spend a day in a professional kitchen, receiving
tuition from chefs and honing his skills by cooking
for his family and teachers later that evening. The
experience sparked Jack’s interest in the culinary
world and, with his exams done, he decided to apply
to UCB’s College of Food in Birmingham.
“I passed the first year really well and I enjoyed it;
there were a few rough patches, like seeing a whole
fish being gutted for the first time, but it
showed me a lot about what to expect,” says
Jack.
As part of his course, Jack had to find work
experience in a professional kitchen, so
he approached the team at the prestigious
Swinfen Hall Hotel, who offered him a stint
in the kitchen.
During Jack’s second year at college he
contacted Swinfen again about a part time
job to complement his studies - only to be
offered a full time role.
“It was a bit of a shock,” says Jack. “I was
halfway through my NVQ Level Three, but I
went away and thought about it, weighed up
my options and decided that taking the job
was the best way to go, to get a start in the
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