WATCH: Famous British chef inspired by Beresford Street Kitchen

Monday 12 March 2018

Michelin-starred chef Michael Caines, who has built a successful career despite losing his right arm in a car accident, says he has been inspired by the team at Beresford Street Kitchen.

The charity project, which started six months ago to give people with learning disabilities and autism employment opportunities, had a special visit from the chef on Friday to not only teach them his cooking secrets, but to also show them that you can succeed in life despite the many hurdles in your way.

But Michael, who has received an MBE for his services to the hospitality industry, was left humbled by the people he met, saying: “They are just incredible, what an amazing project.

“It’s a shining light of success, opportunity, and creative thinking which is an inspiration for, I think, towns and cities up and down the country who can see this as an example of how they can use a project like this café to bring together a unique set of challenges and skills and to overcome them and to present to this community a really viable, charitable project, which I just think is inspiring."

Video: Michael interacting with the Beresford Street Kitchen staff.

Helping with the lunchtime rush for customers who were unaware that a Michelin-starred chef was helping cook their meals, Michael questioned the kitchen staff on recipes, ingredients and the equipment, which he offered to help provide, whilst also having a joke about football teams.

Amongst the excitement, one of the chefs, Kathleen Flambard, told Express: “I’ve never seen a celebrity chef in Jersey before so this is new.”

When asked what she hoped to learn from her time with him, she added: “Maybe to cut properly and how to use the spices because I never use spices when I’m cooking... I’ve been told you can grow and make new recipes and that’s how you become the best I’ve been told.”

Pictured: Michael Caines gave advice and tips to kitchen staff at Beresford Street Kitchen.

The Managing Director of BSK, Gabby Ellmers, described the visit as “absolutely wonderful."

"It’s been an honour to host Michael Caines and his team here today. It’s just been such a wonderful opportunity for our crew and our apprentices and trainees to get to show off what they do here and show their skills with him and show what they’ve learnt and he’s been in the kitchen with them giving lots of helpful hints on knife control and knife skills and giving them encouragement for the future which is great, it’s been really inspirational.”

But the Devon-born chef, who lost his arm in a car accident before building a successful TV career after appearing on 'The Great British Menu' in 2006, said it was he who was left feeling motivated by the BSK team.

Pictured: Michael Caines said he was "impressed" and "inspired" by the staff, management and carers at Beresford Street Kitchen. 

“Immediately people have a pre-conceived idea about what he or she is capable of doing and so therefore it’s quickly identifiable to a lot of people in this project, regardless of your background, everybody gets to contribute, everybody gets to show what their attributes can be, and once you see them given the chance with it you see their confidence and they feel worthy of their place in the team and it give them an outward looking feeling of joy and happiness – you can see that.

“I lost my arm at 25 years old and I thought that was the end of my career, but I was given the opportunity to go on and continue in my career and I was determined that I would be successful. So if my story can inspire people around and the people involved in this project to keep going and follow their dreams, that’s what it’s all about. But it also inspires me to keep going because I’ve achieved a great deal, but that success comes with responsibility... Being here and seeing what they’ve done, I can relate to their challenges and perhaps they can relate to my story, so that’s great.”

Michael also had the opportunity to taste the work of the pioneering chefs, with three different flavour of chocolate brownies to choose from: hazelnut, rum and raisin and stem ginger. After sampling the treats on offer, with a ‘Master Chef'-style suspense lingering in the air, Michael chose the winner, which will be packaged and sold with his endorsement.

Pictured: Michael chose the stem-ginger brownie recipe as the winner.

“When I tasted the hazelnut and I thought that was good, then I went for one of my go-to favourites, which is rum and raisin, and that was great, as the fruit gave the chocolate a little bit of a break and I thought, ‘mmm this is good.’ But then I had the ginger and at first it wasn’t obvious, but the warmth of that ginger came through and it put a smile on my face and that, for me, it was a recipe that connected to this place the most,” reasoned Michael.

It was a choice that pleased the café’s Head Chef Mary Whitsey, as it was a family recipe. She described having a Michelin-starred chef judge it as, “nervewracking, but actually really good to see the recipe works and it’s appreciated."

"I think it will be fantastic to say that we’ve actually got a recipe that is accredited by Michael."

Pictured: Jonathan Brinkman presents a cheque to Beresford Street Kitchen following an auctioned stay at Michael Caines' new hotel in Exeter. 

During Michael's visit to the island, he auctioned a stay at his new hotel - the Lympstone Manor in Exeter - during a dinner event at Longueville Manor. The highest bid was made by Jonathan and Christine Brinkman whose donation of £1,100 was presented to the Beresford Street Kitchen on Friday and will go towards the development of the charity project.