Quickfire Q&A with…Mike Harlow, Area Manager Cooking, Hobart Chef Brigade
With a passion for the industry stemming from catering college, Mike Harlow has a wealth of experience. From working in large catering kitchens to grafting on weekends and evenings in a restaurant, he now has over 40 years in the industry under his belt.
Starting off his journey in early life watching his grandmother cook and gardening in her vegetable patch, to later having his very own allotment, it’s safe to say Mike has green fingers, and a passion for all things fresh. He now finds himself a vital part of the Chef Brigade at Hobart.
What's your background in hospitality?
I began my career many years ago, initially enrolling in a General Catering Course at catering college, which covered a bit of everything. During college, I worked part time at a Restaurant called ‘Read’s’ in Kent and upon graduating, I got a full-time job there. I then moved on to Shell where I started out as a chef, before I gained several certifications in Food Safety and then moved to Sainsbury’s – undertaking a range of jobs including retail training, before moving up to head office to work in Retail Catering where I expanded my catering knowledge and experience.
How did you end up at Hobart?
During my 15 years at Sainsbury’s, we were a customer of Hobart. In the staff restaurants, we used the old combi ovens, so I was no stranger to how the kit operated. After I left, I saw a job advertised at Hobart for a Catering Specialist. I’ve been at Hobart for 17 years now and the rest is history.
How many years have you worked in the hospitality industry now?
In total, about 40 years. That’s one of the great things about the industry, you can be doing all sorts of things, and they are all connected to catering. Even if you’re not directly working as a chef.
Any notable mentors along the way?
I’d go back to my first job at Read’s. The couple who run it – David and Rona Pitchford – they’re still in charge today and we’re regular diners - we even had our wedding reception there! The time I worked there taught me a lot about the industry in general. I didn’t realise it at the time, but you certainly don’t forget those early experiences. They give you so much grounding and knowledge.
What do you love most about the industry?
The diversity of it all. There are so many different facets – you don’t have to be a chef all the time. And it’s all about food – the love of food and drink and discovering new things.
In your view, what are the biggest issues affecting professional kitchens at the moment?
The labour market is a big issue at the moment. There are so many factors affecting the market and getting and retaining the calibre of people needed is difficult. On top of this, there are issues with food & energy costs, and the post-covid recovery. It’s an accumulation of all these things. Central London seems to be slower to recover, especially with people working from home. That’s great for a lot of people, but for those working in hospitality it has a huge impact as buildings at 20% capacity mean a real decrease in footfall.
Why do you like being part of the Hobart Cooking Brigade?
We’re all different. Although we’re all from catering backgrounds, we’ve all had different experiences. That’s what makes a good team, isn’t it? If you’re all the same, there’s only one dimension to the team, but for us, there’s all these different experiences. It’s part of the fun and we’re all different people.
If your role was to mirror that in a professional kitchen, what would it be?
A Chef de Partie. Travelling around different sections, you’ve got to know a bit of everything.
What’s your favourite bit of Hobart kit?
The High-Speed Steamer. It’s one of those pieces that has been around for a long time – since 1969. I used it when I worked at Shell, so I know first-hand what it does. It’s a great piece of equipment, and still so relevant today.
The kitchen’s on fire – what’s the first thing you take?
My knives. I've still got my college knives at home – we had to have our names engraved in them! I’d grab those. I'm not a big gadget person.
What’s the best meal of your life, and why?
For me, it's all about the quality of the ingredients that makes a meal so memorable. If I’m on holiday, I enjoy whatever the local food and wine is. We’ve had an allotment for a long time, since 1994, and the best food is always the freshest food. Things like the first asparagus of the season, with my wife’s hollandaise sauce – there’s nothing better than that.
If you could only eat one cuisine for the rest of your life, what would be your go to?
British cuisine – mostly because I’m here. I like all sorts, but we’ve got some great ingredients here and produce some fantastic food.
What would be the dish that you would cook for the rest of your team?
Bacon rolls, that would be the thing. It’s not a tradition, but generally if we have a team meeting, there will be a bacon roll to start with. It’s a nice way to start the day. Everyone’s got their particular tastes of course, but for me it’s got to be brown sauce and no butter on the roll!
Who’s your favourite chef, dead or alive?
My grandmother. I love food and it was always a part of family gatherings when someone would visit – that sense of hosting and hospitality was so important to her. I used to watch her cook and she wouldn’t weigh anything out, she’d just know what to do – it was so instinctive. That’s where I get my interest in gardening too – she used to grow veg in the garden and cook it fresh.
What’s your guilty pleasure food?
Bubble and Squeak. You can throw anything in there! Obviously, potato and cabbage or sprouts – but it’s all about the leftovers. And with a fried egg on top.
What’s your favourite ingredient?
Probably whatever is growing. If whatever you've got is in season, I’m happy.
Do you have a favourite cookbook?
Delia Smith’s Christmas. It's just about recipes that work. Every year we make home-made mincemeat. It's fantastic and there's no comparison. You can't buy anything like it. When it's cooking, it just fills the house with a fantastic smell. There are a couple of chutneys I make every year. Pickled pears are another recipe using pears from the allotment. After the June drop, I thin out the rest of the pears and use the little hard ones for pickling. Every year we go back, and we make our favourite recipes for Christmas.
What’s the cheffiest thing you have in your home kitchen?
We have a Magimix we’ve had for years. It’s got a juicer part on it which we use a lot. There are a lot of apples on the allotment, so we juice some of them. I make a lot of juice with apple, fresh ginger and mint.
What’s the best back-of-house set up you’ve seen in a restaurant?
Any place that is relaxed, friendly and open. You can get a sense of places, and I think anywhere that is organised and calm has a good atmosphere. The open kitchen has helped us because everything is on display, it’s about the theatre and the occasion of the evening. It’s also great to see these places that have got their own kitchen gardens, growing things. It’s how it should be, we shouldn’t be flying ingredients around the world when we have such great produce here to be proud of.
We invite you to come and meet our chef brigade and experience the benefits of cooking with Hobart for yourself, book a demonstration.