On course for success

Karla Sinclair has a quick catch-up with the passionate teenage head chef who’s cooking up a storm in the north-east

Passion, drive and creativity are three of Jack Duncan’s attributes. What do you get when you marry them with the 19-year-old’s ability to create stellar dishes? A thriving force in the northeast cooking scene. It’s not often you come across a teenage head chef who runs a six-strong kitchen team. In fact, Jack, who lives near Turriff, is the only one I am aware of.

The pressure that comes with such a position is something I could only imagine. The long unsociable hours, physically demanding tasks and working in a stressful setting.

But Jack would take all of this to continue doing what he loves most – cooking. And this was something he made very clear to me when I paid him a visit at The Fife Arms Hotel in Turriff.

It all started at The White Heather, a fellow Turriff-based restaurant and hotel, where Jack began washing dishes at the age of 13 before trying his hand at creating desserts.

He was just 14 and a pupil at Turriff Academy at this point.

“This is where I did work experience, got my health and hygiene certificates, and realised I enjoyed cooking,” said Jack.

“I got roped into helping out with desserts and did this for six months before working on the larder section – plating up, making salads and so on.

“Then I decided to leave school and work there full-time.

“After a year, I was the only one in the kitchen. I was there for three-and-a-half years.”

I queried if Jack learned the ins and outs of cooking at college. He said: “I had to go to college for six weeks because, at the time, I was too young to leave school.

“It wasn’t for me, I didn’t learn anything. I was already getting hands-on experience in a kitchen.”

The next part of his journey saw the then 16-year-old chef learn the ropes in The Fife Arms Hotel kitchen. He has remained there ever since.

Jack said: “I decided it was time to move on, open up and see different styles of cooking, so I came here just before lockdown.

“Then we went into lockdown, so the team and I worked on things in the background ready to reopen – doing takeaways. I really got the hang of it.

“I started off on the larder section again, doing salads and starters, and then I got on to sauce cooking and making main courses.”

When there was a recent opening for a head chef position at the venue, Jack took on the role.

“It is very stressful at the weekends – you’re just wondering if you’re going to have enough food. We try to keep all the customers happy and cater to everybody,” he said.

Jack, the youngest in the kitchen team, is joined by two commis chefs, a junior chef de partie, a junior sous chef and a breakfast chef.

“It’s a young team with modern ideas,” he added. “We all learn from each other. They teach me things while I teach them things, it’s a great team.

“Instead of doing the same as everyone else, we’re trying to think outside the box here at The Fife Arms Hotel and bring our own ideas to the table.

“A lot of people come here and say ‘oh, that’s quite a risky move to take doing that dish’, but then it pays off when they taste it.”

There is something for everyone on the menu – ranging from tapas to seafood-based dishes and Italian plates to decadent desserts.

Past and present desserts include a peach bellini posset, pistachio and rose panna cotta tart, white chocolate pavlova, and lemon parfait. Jack showcases his creations on social media.

Jack is often highly praised for his talent on social media platforms.

In addition, he was named runner-up for the Young Chef of the Year Award at the North East of Scotland Chef and Restaurant of the Year Competition in October.

Jack had to cook three courses in a timed kitchen. He made a scallop starter, venison main, and wild berry parfait dessert.

“I wanted to make dishes that we offer here at the hotel,” Jack said. “We do a lot of seafood and game, so I wanted to bring that into the competition.

“It was really tough. When my name was called out, it was so surreal.

“Even now, people are still coming here and saying ‘oh, is the chef that came second in the awards still working here?’”

Jack’s main career aspiration is to open his own restaurant or food outlet.

However, in the meantime, he says he is “living every day as it comes”.

“I’ll be trying my hardest to think of new dishes to give our customers the best experience when they come to the Fife.”

To view more dishes made by Jack, visit www.instagram.com/chef_jack duncan

INSTEAD OF DOING THE SAME AS EVERYONE ELSE WE’RE TRYING TO THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX HERE AT THE FIFE ARMS HOTEL

Pictures by Kath Flannery. KITCHEN KING: Jack Duncan is head chef at the Fife Arms Hotel in Turriff.