Andrew Fairlie Scholarship 2023

Meet the Finalists - Darren Seggie

Darren Seggie, Culinary Arts Lecturer, City of Glasgow College

Where are you originally from?

I am originally from Blairgowrie, a small town just north of Perth, which grows the best berries in the world. I lived there until I was 23 when I moved to Glasgow to try and expand my career opportunities and experience the restaurant scene of a big city and I have lived there ever since.

What inspired you to apply for the scholarship?

I was inspired for several reasons to apply for the Andrew Fairlie Scholarship. I have a tremendous respect for Andrew Fairlie as a chef, the restaurant and Stephen McLaughlin and how he has carried the restaurant on. The chance to showcase my skills, passion and learn from the competition, judges and other competing chefs is a very special thing to me. Secondly, I have a great appreciation for the importance of competing. To me it is the purest form of evolution for a professional and is something I have always tried to pass on and support students through, and I believe there is no better competition to enter than this one. I have spent a few years coaching and mentoring students in competitions and I now feel the time is right for me to get back into competing myself and kicking me back into testing myself against others, finding weaknesses that I need to improve upon to get better as a chef.
Lastly, I have an opportunity to put to rest one of my biggest career regrets. Back when I was studying at Perth College, Andrew hosted a small competition at the College with the winner having the opportunity to work at the restaurant. Through a lack of confidence and understanding of the opportunity at the time I did not enter. I then watched and listened to the student who won it talk about how incredible it was and I have regretted it ever since.

Can you give us a brief description of your career to date?

Ever since I have been legally allowed to work I have always worked in or around kitchens. From the humble beginnings of most chefs as a Kitchen Porter during High School, to working in bars and eventually moving into the role of a chef. Originally when I left school I studied Architecture. During my studies and short lived career as an architectural technician, I still kept a part time job in a hotel bar at the Bridge of Cally Hotel. Very early on I discovered that I took much more of an interest in the kitchen at the hotel than I did my actual career so after about a year I made the full time commitment to quit architecture and pursue a career as a chef. The hotel I worked at allowed me to switch from my job as a waiter/barman and begin work as a commis chef and I never looked back. The hotel supported me through my studies at Perth College and I continued to work there and over the course of a year, I was promoted to chef de partie. Working in a small rural hotel, with a very small team forced me to learn and develop very quickly and my head chef at the time was extremely supportive in developing my skills. He would frequently organise for fresh fish to be delivered so I could practise filleting, we would have whole deer arrive at the kitchen from local estates so that I could skin, butcher and learn how to work with a whole beast and fresh game birds and local vegetables were a staple. A really amazing way to start a career and I learned so much in my first year of working there.
After about a year and a half an exciting opportunity at a newly opened restaurant opened up close to home so with the support of my Head Chef at the time I moved to work at The Dalmore Inn as a chef de partie. There I learned much more about fine dining and on a larger scale, with more customers and working as part of a larger team. Over 2 years there I really developed my skills to include more refinement, still working on fundamentals, however also learning more about the role of a chef de partie in a larger brigade.
I then decided to move to Glasgow and really kick my development into another level. I began work as a commis chef at Stravaigin, which at the time had 2AA rosettes and a Michelin Bib Gourmand, and the learning curve here was steep. The dishes that were being created at the time, the chefs skills that were being displayed and the work hours were nothing like I had experienced. It was extremely hard work that involved all the sacrifice that people associate with the hospitality industry, but I was able to thrive there. I became even more obsessed with food than I thought possible, it took over my life and really moulded me into the chef I am today. I stayed there for a further 5 years or so, with occasional opportunities to experience other restaurants within the group popping up along the way, until I eventually worked my way to Head Chef of the restaurant.
The last year or so there, I began to pursue my career in teaching. I attended City of Glasgow College to complete my HND in Professional Cookery and give me more of an insight into education. During my time at the College I was fortunate enough to compete in many student competitions and allow me to stand out to the College, which eventually led to my role as a lecturer there. I was lucky enough to turn this into my full time career and have been teaching since. Education has given me an even deeper appreciation and love for the industry, and focused me to become even more skilled as a chef. Teaching a skill means I have to understand every detail about what I am doing to be able to explain it fully, so I feel even though I may not work in a restaurant kitchen every day anymore, I am still only getting better as a chef.

What does it mean to you to have been shortlisted for the finals of the scholarship?

It is an incredible honour for me to have been shortlisted for the Andrew Fairlie Scholarship. Andrew Fairlie as a chef, the restaurant and Gleneagles as a whole have always been held in the highest regard to me, it holds a special place in my heart and to be associated with it in any way is a dream come true. As mentioned earlier, it also helps to undo one of the biggest regrets of my career.
The Scholarship provides money can't buy world class experiences and an opportunity to once again focus on taking my skills to the next level, all of which will help me to grow as an educator and provide better learning opportunities for my students for years to come. 

Have you always wanted to be a chef?  What made you choose this career? What do you love about working as a chef?

Aside from my brief stint in architecture, I have always wanted to be a chef. I remember when I first learned to make cheese on toast when I was about 5 or 6 years old, I told my parents when I was older I was going to open a restaurant that only served cheese on toast. While that may not have become reality, I still take opportunities on when I write menus to pay homage to that childhood dream and do some variation of it in a dish. I truly have a passion and obsession for food, paired with a desire for sharing. Good food makes people happy so why wouldn't anyone want to work in a job where they make people happy? I also love that no two days are the same as a chef. Foods change, nature hands you curve balls, seasons change throughout the year and the industry is always developing at a rapid pace. All these things combined make being a chef the most exciting job in the world. The constant search for perfection is something I know I will always be chasing and will possibly never achieve due to how fast the industry changes and improves, but it gets me out of bed in the morning, I can't imagine living a life without the search for it. 

What is your favourite Scottish ingredient to work with? And why?

It's so difficult to only name one Scottish ingredient that is my favourite, but at the moment I have a real love for Pearl Barley. Such an under used, versatile ingredient that lends itself to a range of cookery or production methods. From cooking in stews, use in salads to distillation of vinegars and even moulds like koji and desserts, I feel like there needs to be more respect put on barley. It should be as revered in Scottish cuisine as other grains like arborio or sushi rice is in other cultures. So wherever I get an opportunity at the moment, I like to showcase pearl barley in some form.