Michelin-star chef heads for Maldives

ONE OF Yorkshire’s leading chefs will travel to the tropical islands of the Maldives next month to showcase some of his culinary creations that have seen him secure a Michelin star.

James Mackenzie, inset, the head chef and proprietor of the Pipe and Glass in South Dalton in East Yorkshire, admitted that he will be faced with a fresh challenge as he attempts to fuse his Yorkshire-inspired dishes with the constraints of operating on the remote islands in the Indian Ocean.

He will be visiting the Outrigger Konotta Maldives Resort from January 4 for 10 days, when he will be hold a cookery masterclass on the beach and also presenting a special fivecourse wine pairing menu prepared by him on two evenings.

The inspiration for Mr Mackenzie’s dishes at his Yorkshire restaurant comes from the changing seasons and seasonal products, such as game dishes in the winter. However, in the yearround tropical heat of the Maldives, menus are determined by the supply network of fresh products set up by the Outrigger’s executive chef, Christopher Long, who is also from Yorkshire. Mr Mackenzie admitted his time in the Maldives will be a learning experience, and added: “I’m very interested to see how the kitchen in a five-star resort like Outrigger operates on a small island in the Maldives.” His trip to the Indian Ocean will be his second overseas assignment as a culinary ambassador. In April, he was at the forefront of a Welcome to Yorkshire gastronomic promotion at the Michelinstarred Clocktower restaurant in Manhattan in New York. Mr Mackenzie led the Pipe and Glass to its Michelin Star in 2010, which it has kept since the initial award. Mackenzie’s debut cookbook, On the Menu, which was released in 2012, won Best Debut Cookbook at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in Paris.