Chef returns to his roots with a whole world of experience

"When you are doing something you love the hours just don't matter," says Sam, 28. His father was working as a lecturer at York College but advised his son that the best training was to work in a kitchen.

After working his way up in restaurants in York and the Cotswolds, he decided to try working abroad and was lucky enough to find work at Spain's renowned restaurant El Bulli.

"I always wanted to travel, to try different stuff and meet different people and see different food cultures. In Spain, there is so much more to it than just eating food, it is more of a lifestyle."

Sam says he always wanted to work at the highest level and to be as good as he possibly could be and was therefore delighted when he was offered the job of sous chef at Noma, in Denmark.

Noma has recently been voted best restaurant in the S. Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants Awards, renowned for its unconventional use of seasonal produce.

"This type of style and area of cooking is what I am interested in. Everywhere you cook at this level there is attention to detail."

In the 18 months he has worked at Noma, Sam has been promoted to second chef, which involved making sure that the kitchen is running smoothly.

As for the future, Sam isn't too sure. He is happy where he is at the moment, but would dearly love to the return to the UK one day to open his own fine dining restaurant, possibly in Yorkshire or the Cotswolds.

Sam will be returning to his roots next month when he will be celebrating Yorkshire Day on August 1 at The Cooking Rooms in York.

Sam will be creating an eight course tasting menu that combines Noma style with the quality of Yorkshire ingredients.

Sixteen lucky customers will experience some of the best cooking available in the world today and get to see the chef in action at The Cooking Rooms.

For anyone fortunate enough to secure a place, this event at The Cooking Rooms represents a unique opportunity. Not only to sample the culinary style that thousands of diners across the globe have joined a three month waiting list to sample, but also to meet the chef and his helpers as he prepares the dishes that promise to be a total food experience.

The cost per person for Sam's Noma-style tasting menu with carefully selected wine to match is 75

per person.

n To find out more about the Cooking Rooms, call 01904 500700 or visit www. thecooking rooms.com