Wealden Times | WT243 | August 2022 | Taste Of The South East Supplement inside
The lifestyle magazine for Kent & Sussex - Inspirational Interiors, Fabulous Fashion, Delicious Dishes
The lifestyle magazine for Kent & Sussex - Inspirational Interiors, Fabulous Fashion, Delicious Dishes
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Chef’s table<br />
Meet <strong>The</strong> Stile Bridge’s <strong>South</strong> American chef, Oscar Fonseca Volkmar, who<br />
gives British produce an exciting twist, cooking on an open fire and seasoning<br />
with charcoal and a generous sprinkle of inspiration from around the globe<br />
Who taught you to cook?<br />
It’s a bit of a mix of things really, I don’t have a<br />
mentor. It has been an empirical process. Working in<br />
different places, with people from around the world,<br />
travelling, eating delicious food and remembering<br />
my life back in Colombia has made me the chef I am<br />
today and my food is a reflection of this.<br />
Who has been the biggest influence<br />
on your career so far?<br />
I wouldn’t be able to say that there is one person<br />
who has had the most influence on my career as a<br />
chef, but there are many chefs who I look up to and<br />
admire including Jason Atherton, David Chang,<br />
David Muñoz, Sean Brock and Liam Tomlin.<br />
What’s your favourite kind of cuisine?<br />
I don’t really have one favourite, but I really like<br />
flavour profiles found in <strong>South</strong>-American, Asian,<br />
African and Middle-<strong>East</strong>ern cuisine.<br />
Do you have a signature dish?<br />
Not one dish but I like to cook seasonal ingredients<br />
using fire.<br />
Where are your favourite places to eat locally?<br />
<strong>The</strong> Poet in Matfield, Tallow in Tunbridge Wells and<br />
Birchwood in Flimwell.<br />
What’s your favourite dish on your current menu?<br />
Our house dry aged beef Chuleta to share – 1kg<br />
of meat cooked over charcoal, soy glaze, jalapeño<br />
chimichurri and patatas bravas. It’s something that we<br />
do really well here.<br />
What couldn’t you live without in your own kitchen<br />
at home?<br />
A mortar and pestle.<br />
Are there any ingredients you can’t bring yourself to<br />
cook with?<br />
Happily, not that I know of.<br />
If you could dine in any restaurant in the world,<br />
where would it be and why?<br />
Burnt Ends in Singapore. It’s a fire cooking restaurant<br />
serving modern food, nice wines, and spirits in a fun,<br />
relaxed atmosphere. That’s all I want!<br />
You’re allowed to invite three guests to dinner – who<br />
would they be and why?<br />
My wife, daughter and son – family time is short<br />
when you work as a chef.<br />
Book a table to try Oscar’s firey dishes at <strong>The</strong> Stile<br />
Bridge in Marden, Kent thestilebridge.com<br />
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