I loved this look into a world I guess I never thought about. Kind od like having a mother or father in the family who is a wonderful chef, gardener, and entertainer. Oh wait, that might be your parents. I really liked his view of making a dish for someone else. There was lots of care showing!
A great interview Brianana! I've been enjoying Will's Substack for a while. He's a lively and engaging person and writer.
I've done a lot of consulting and writing about burnout, so I'm impressed with Will's wisdom in stepping away from the toxicity of the restaurant scene. He's in an environment now where more "flow" is possible which makes for a healthier and more sustainable career.
I'm a fan of interviews and good food etc and will subscribe to your Substack which looks very inviting. Well done Brianna! 👏
What a wonderful read and interview. It must be a joy to live on a large property that allows you to grow fresh produce, have bees and be creative with food.
How fascinating - the approach to learning new things and challenging oneself not to repeat dishes is inspiring. Will clearly doesn’t take the ingredients to hand for granted.
Whilst the family are evidently very lucky to have him, I would have been very interested to know how much of Will’s enthusiasm and love for cooking there is assisted by having employers who appear of the same mind, and appreciative of his efforts. I can understand why he has been there for so long!
There will always be a certain element of repetition I suppose, though I try to keep it to a minimum, except for classics that it would be silly to mess around with. I’m aware that you don’t want the same things week on week so must challenge myself to keep ahead of my thought process. It certainly helps when you are working for someone who respects what you do. In the past I have often spent time working for others who just used my skills to make themselves money whilst not caring at all about who or how we were treated as people. There must be some awful private jobs, though if you’re in the position to employ someone as a chef for your family, then it does seem that you’re interested in what we do as a job. I was once part of a forum that I was recommended to join to promote my work on Reddit. It was based in the US and was focused on Hamptons. It was a nasty place. I was told to know my place etc. But then if you treat people like that then you’ll never have anyone who will want to stay with you for any length of time.
Thanks, Will. Yes after I left the comment I thought that actually it must be quite self-policing as chefs (and people generally) of that mindset wouldn’t choose to stay somewhere where their work wasn’t respected / appreciated.
Delighted to hear you have so much freedom to create there, and doubly delighted that you’ve chosen to share some of that in writing. Thanks for replying.
Most enjoyable. I love the philosophy of trying to get the best of a very few ingredients that are the best you can find. That's where I am with my own cooking these days.
I love reading Will Coooper's @aprivatechef, they are like delicious philosophical post cards from rural England. So it doesn't surprise me to read he has a history and philosophy degree. His wit and gentle observations, and wry humour are delightful. Thanks for this deeper peek behind the hedge of Will's life.
Love will, loved hearing more of his story. "I like to be the best version of myself rather than pushing myself through the mill for no reason" WORD x
Glad you enjoyed. I’m not very good at talking about myself, so thank you.
Yes, we got to know you on a different level through that interview indeed. Bravo 👏
What a great interview! Love Will’s perspective and work.
Thank you! And yea it’s cool to learn how he thinks about cooking when there aren’t a ton of guardrails.
Thank you Kara.
A fun read, Brianna! I am beyond envious of Will’s charmed life of country living. 🌿
I loved this look into a world I guess I never thought about. Kind od like having a mother or father in the family who is a wonderful chef, gardener, and entertainer. Oh wait, that might be your parents. I really liked his view of making a dish for someone else. There was lots of care showing!
my parents are great cooks and accomplished gardeners, but we're missing the large property in the english countryside!
I’m glad you enjoyed reading about my work. Thanks for the kind words.
A great interview Brianana! I've been enjoying Will's Substack for a while. He's a lively and engaging person and writer.
I've done a lot of consulting and writing about burnout, so I'm impressed with Will's wisdom in stepping away from the toxicity of the restaurant scene. He's in an environment now where more "flow" is possible which makes for a healthier and more sustainable career.
I'm a fan of interviews and good food etc and will subscribe to your Substack which looks very inviting. Well done Brianna! 👏
Thanks for reading Baird. I made a wise decision those years back.
Wise indeed Will! 🌱
What a wonderful read and interview. It must be a joy to live on a large property that allows you to grow fresh produce, have bees and be creative with food.
How fascinating - the approach to learning new things and challenging oneself not to repeat dishes is inspiring. Will clearly doesn’t take the ingredients to hand for granted.
Whilst the family are evidently very lucky to have him, I would have been very interested to know how much of Will’s enthusiasm and love for cooking there is assisted by having employers who appear of the same mind, and appreciative of his efforts. I can understand why he has been there for so long!
There will always be a certain element of repetition I suppose, though I try to keep it to a minimum, except for classics that it would be silly to mess around with. I’m aware that you don’t want the same things week on week so must challenge myself to keep ahead of my thought process. It certainly helps when you are working for someone who respects what you do. In the past I have often spent time working for others who just used my skills to make themselves money whilst not caring at all about who or how we were treated as people. There must be some awful private jobs, though if you’re in the position to employ someone as a chef for your family, then it does seem that you’re interested in what we do as a job. I was once part of a forum that I was recommended to join to promote my work on Reddit. It was based in the US and was focused on Hamptons. It was a nasty place. I was told to know my place etc. But then if you treat people like that then you’ll never have anyone who will want to stay with you for any length of time.
Thanks, Will. Yes after I left the comment I thought that actually it must be quite self-policing as chefs (and people generally) of that mindset wouldn’t choose to stay somewhere where their work wasn’t respected / appreciated.
Delighted to hear you have so much freedom to create there, and doubly delighted that you’ve chosen to share some of that in writing. Thanks for replying.
Most enjoyable. I love the philosophy of trying to get the best of a very few ingredients that are the best you can find. That's where I am with my own cooking these days.
Love that!
I absolutely love the sound of your life on that farm Will. Would be my dream world. ☺️
Very ideal
I love reading Will Coooper's @aprivatechef, they are like delicious philosophical post cards from rural England. So it doesn't surprise me to read he has a history and philosophy degree. His wit and gentle observations, and wry humour are delightful. Thanks for this deeper peek behind the hedge of Will's life.