On this episode of A Table in the Corner, Russel sits down with Giles Edwards, a chef returning to the pass after time away, now working in collaboration with Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen at Le Bistrot de JAN. It’s a conversation about coming back to the kitchen on different terms, with more clarity about what matters and what doesn’t. 

Giles first came onto the city’s radar with La Tête, a restaurant that built a loyal following through a deeply considered approach to sourcing, sustainability and unfussy, exacting cooking. Before that came a formative decade in London, including time at St. John under Fergus Henderson, where ideas around whole-animal cooking and restraint took root.

The conversation traces that arc. The early pull of St. John, the grind and discipline of London, the creation and eventual closure of La Tête, and the decision to step away from kitchens altogether. It also explores what it means to return, this time with boundaries, working within someone else’s space while holding onto a clear sense of self.

This is a conversation about simplicity, sustainability and the long view. About learning, stepping back, and choosing how to come back.

• www.rwm2012.com
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• Cover image sketched by Courtney Cara Lawson
• All profile portraits by Russel Wasserfall unless otherwise credited
• Title music: 'In Time' by Olexy via Pixabay