A chef who was employed to cook for billionaires on their super-yachts around the world has returned to Wales to open up a restaurant. For the last nine years Jamie Tully has cooked for various clients in holiday destinations such as Dubai, the Bahamas, and Florida.
But after quitting his job and returning to Wales for a short break a holiday in his hometown unexpectedly resulted in him taking the reins as head chef in the restaurant where he worked as a pot washer at the age of 14. The restaurant, which is called Teulu, meaning 'family' in Welsh, is located on the Caer Beris Manor site in the market town and will open its doors on Friday, July 1.
According to Jamie the vision behind the restaurant was inspired by his travels for the last nine years and more specifically a menu influenced by Middle Eastern flavours. Jamie moved away in 2014 and started his culinary career in the sky chalets of Austria and France before moving on to working in summer villas in Malta.
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Soon after the young chef decided to undertake yacht training and was eventually hired to work on chartered yachts where he would cater for billionaires and visit the world's most beautiful places. "When you cooked for billionaires there was an expectation and it was high," Jamie said.
"There was an absurd amount of money being spent on ingredients and to dine in the best places in the world. Money was never an object. Clients expected the best and the pressure was there.
"I remember my first boss was a multi-millionaire and he just asked for a carbonara one day, which was nothing special and probably cost around 50p, and then we went and grated a thousand pounds' worth of truffle on top.
"You'd also see the absolute obscene side to wealth. I remember my boss had a brand new Rolls-Royce dropped off just outside and he was like: 'Yes, that’s nice' and walked away. It was definitely a humbling experience for me.
"I’ve done most of Europe, the Middle East – Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Oman – then most recently Florida, Bahamas, and then the Maldives. At one point I had been on yachts for quite some time and then decided I wanted to be back to land base.
"And that's when I worked for the Sheikh Mohammed and I was his personal chef for two years. It was very difficult and very hard. The hours were long and the expectations were high. They give you a great package and salary but you do really work for it.
"On my travels a lot of people were unaware that Wales even had a cuisine. But that's kind of cool in hindsight because that's what I'm trying to influence with my menu now – Middle Eastern influence with Welsh produce."
Although Jamie admits that living and working on yachts was exciting he saidhis focus is now primarily on the Teulu restaurant and everything his beloved hometown has to offer in the culinary scene. He said: "I was never sure I was going to return home but fate played its cards in terms of me quitting my job and coming back home for a break. I have a coffee business on the side and came over to Caer Beris Manor to try and sell coffee. The owners told me they knew who I was and what I did and offered me the position.
"I thought about it for a while and then told them my vision for the restaurant. I hope to achieve everything with this restaurant – we are hoping to achieve a Michelin star, all the awards, and with those accolades sort of put my hometown on the map and promote everything that I’ve grown up learning. It’s crazy how much I took for granted growing up here. And when I came home I realised how good it was."
The Powys chef hopes that the restaurant will make diners "feel at home" but also aims to offer an experience like no other. He added: "The menus inspired by my travels created by Welsh produce is so important to me. The restaurant and the food are basically an extension of me.
"I don’t want to do whatever anyone else is doing, I want to stand out and I want people to come here and be like: 'Okay if I want that food, I have to come here'. We want to offer an experience you can’t get anywhere else. For example because this is a Grade II-listed building we were unable to knock any walls down. But I wanted to create a chef's table experience for our diners. As a result we decided to have cameras in the kitchen so that our diners can see what's going on and everything is open.
"And we also have edible menus that can be eaten at the end of their dining. It’s all about creating an experience for diners and we wanted to offer something completely different.
"I have experienced so many different flavours and cuisines in some of the best restaurants in the world and I have brought that all back home with me. It’s important to stand out, especially with everything going on in the world and prices going up. If you are just average I think it is very difficult to maintain a business.
"I feel quite privileged opening this restaurant in my hometown. Everyone has been following my journey on social media for such a long time – they’ve seen all the yachts and the destinations but no-one has tried my food.
"Once I announced the news about the restaurant on social media I had such an amazing response from all my friends and family. It’s a lot of pressure because I’ve set the standard quite high for what we are going to do but I’m very excited."
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