Chef profile - Mark York from True North in Halifax

It’s been a year since True North opened its doors at the magnificent Dean Clough, with the promise of breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner.

So, a regular kind of place, you might think, poised to feed the many folk who work there, but word was out pretty quickly that this was no ordinary grab-a-sandwich and coffee kind of place. There was talk of croque monsieur and eggs Royale, glazed pork belly mac & cheese, crab & lobster lasagna and miso cod fillet.

It was a mix of surprise events, circumstances and luck that led Mark York to Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall and the Charles Hallé restaurant as a teenager. He immediately fell in love with the adrenaline of kitchen life and very quickly moved through the ranks. He also worked at Le Mont at Urbis in Manchester and was head of food operations for New World Trading, helping to establish The Botanist brand. Global pandemic notwithstanding, the True North team has won rave reviews and a loyal following despite everything that 2020 has dished up.

What’s the first thing you cooked – and did it work? Honey Mustard Chicken. From a jar and with rice, which I burnt! As a chef, I aim to create food memories. In this instance, it was the wrong kind of memory; namely a smoky smell and an unsalvageable pan.

Who is your culinary inspiration? Robert Kisby, a much-respected chef from Manchester who’s taught me so much. James Scott also helped me understand the complexity of flavour levels, which is a skill often missing in cooking. Then the usual greats: John Campbell, Raymond Blanc and Marco Pierre White.

Which cookery books do you use the most? John Campbell’s Formulas for Flavour is certainly my most dog-eared cookery book. In it, the two-Michelin starred chef reveals the secrets of restaurant-calibre, gourmet dishes in step-by-step photos.

Who would be at your dream dinner party? Top of my list is Sir David Attenborough. He’s a brilliant storyteller and with all his accomplishments he’d certainly bring amazing stories to the table. I’d also want someone there who would share my love of good food. I’d definitely also invite Rick Stein too – a very inspirational chef who always shows a commitment to good quality produce.

Which piece of kitchen equipment couldn’t you live without? A charcoal, open-flame grill. They give your meal a pure, unique texture and a mind-blowing flavour. Chargrilled food appeals to our most basic instincts; it’s intense and distinctive and is perhaps why our customers love our Steak Nights.

What is your guilty pleasure? Whether you consider it chocolate or simply a sweet substitute of the real thing, it’s white chocolate.

What are your plans for the restaurant post-lockdown? I can’t quite believe we’re celebrating True North’s first birthday at the end of October. Over the past few months, we’ve had to change the way we do things and we couldn’t have asked for more support from our customers. We were able to introduce our free-flowing, small-plates Friday Social, which has developed quite a following. We’re so pleased that we’re succeeding in offering them a little bit of normality in these unprecedented times. We’re also gearing up for Christmas. Fingers crossed, we’ll be running a festive menu and this year we’ll be open on Christmas Day. Christmas needn’t necessarily mean turkey, though of course, we couldn’t leave it off the menu. I’ve worked hard to blend tradition and invention to create some superb, seasonal showstoppers.

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