An English Chef in a Swiss Kitchen - Tom Watson of Le Maitre Jacques in Nyon

Tom Watson is passionate about fish, he's also passionate about two other ingredients he says go into making a good meal; using good produce and lots of preparation.

“Fresh produce and preparing as much of it as you can in advance are not only key to a well ordered kitchen, but ultimately a great meal. When the time comes to cook the main dish, you can do it as quickly and freshly as possible, concentrating on getting the taste and texture right in the knowledge that everything else is ready to go. When I explain to people that we begin work at Le Maître Jacques at 09:00 each morning, they are surprised at the early start, but these hours of preparation are crucial to our success”. As the restaurant is famed (among other things) for its fish, Tom can indulge his love of it by cooking it on a daily basis with the traditional "Filet de Perche". Although initially he wasn’t familiar with the regional dish. “At first I thought perch was just the muddy old fish we know in Britain, only used for catching in angling competitions, or as bait for pike. Discovering that it is served quite differently here was a quick learning curve for me, and a good thing too as it our most requested dish on the menu”.

Tom (36) came to Le Maître Jacques with an impressive culinary background having worked as a chef in London at Scotts of Mayfair, Sartoria (one of the Conran restaurants), and Le Caprice plus an 18 month spell in a restaurant in Mallorca. However his initial training came right under the nose of his parents who run their own highly regarded restaurant The Riverside in Bridport in Dorset on the UK coast. “I suppose I starting cooking from the age of around 10, they let me help make the puddings and although I enjoyed it, I didn’t think cooking was going to be my career. After college in Yeovil I bought a bus and spent the next three years touring around the UK visiting music festivals such as Glastonbury etc. I also had a son with my partner at the time. But by chance (as these things happen) I was at home when one of the chefs working in my parent’s restaurant had a waterskiing accident, so I was roped in to help. I ended up working there on and off between 1991 -1997 and after that went to work in other restaurants in London and abroad. When asked how he managed working in a kitchen in a different language, he says, “It was easier here in Switzerland as at least I had learnt French at school, whereas when I worked in Mallorca I didn’t speak a word of Spanish, so I quickly had to immerse myself in it to get by. I firmly believe that learning the language is key to successful integration in any country”. Tom is well integrated now, he lives in Nyon, is married to Laure who is Swiss, and they have Lola, a 9 month daughter.

Tom loves living in the town, “It’s home now”. He also loves the freedom the owners (Francesco and Nicoline Olivero) of the restaurant give him with the menu. “They let me cook what I want, and to experiment. I have tried some dishes out which didn’t quite work. I once introduced a good old fashioned English Christmas pudding made to a Constance Spry recipe and we served it at the Christmas market a few years ago. Those that tried it, loved it, but it was difficult to tempt people in the first place. Every nationality has their favourite food at Christmas and here in Nyon, without a doubt, it is Oysters and Foie Gras”. “We are coming up to the Christmas season now with reservations for office and group Christmas meals. For this we produce three different menus to choose from, otherwise it would be a logistical nightmare if everyone wanted something different and they all needed to be served at the same time. Our busiest time of year though without a doubt, is the week when then the Visions du Réel film festival is in town”.

Tom is keen to point out that although the restaurant is famed for its fish, it also serves a wide variety of other food. “There are Italian, Spanish and other dishes on the menu and filet de perche is not the only fish available. We serve lieu jaune (pollock) and cod too, but I am careful about sourcing my food, I am conscious of fish quotas. I no longer buy or serve tuna and the cod is farmed, not wild”. Understandably he is also an admirer of the British chef Rick Stein and not just because he is another fish fan, it's also "because Rick reminds me of my father, solid, down to earth attitude along with a belief in supporting local suppliers”. When asked what it was like working as a British chef in a Swiss kitchen, were there any raised eyebrows when he started there? He replied; “Not at all, our clients are very international, the owners are Italian and Dutch, and the team in the kitchen are made up of two Portugese, two French, two Swiss and myself. So there’s a real international feel to it - we are all used to adapting. Tom himself is not only used to adapting but is skilled at multitasking, the day I interviewed him he was in the process of ordering new uniforms for the staff, dealing with phone calls (all in fluent French) whilst checking on the kitchen. At 14:30 with the lunches over he had a short break of a few hours before starting all over again at around 17:30. “The day doesn’t stop when we have served the last meal. At around 22:30 I am phoning through for supplies of vegetables, meat, fish and other produce. This can be based on pre-existing reservations but it is also down to years of experience knowing how much to order. Having said that some things are beyond my control, events such as bad weather the night before in the Bay of Biscay can affect supplies of certain items so you have to go with what is available and what, of course is fresh". Tom arrived in Nyon back in 2002, on a temporary stay with his brother who was living in an apartment above the Fishermen's Pub. At the time Tom was applying for work as far afield as Beirut. Just a few feet away Le Maître Jacques was looking for a chef. As Tom says, these things often happen by chance and he started working for Le Maître Jacques. Beirut’s loss. Nyon’s gain. Maître Jacques Rue de Rive, Nyon Tel: 022 361 86 38 Closed Sunday and Monday

Editor’s note; “Try Tom’s version of fish and chips. Batter as light as a feather, big, chunky tasty chips and peas flavoured with fresh mint”. Delicious!