Stella’s Scoop

Hey folks, welcome back to the Scoop podcast.

January is a funny time. We all make resolutions - quiet promises to ourselves to do things differently. Sometimes we don’t tell anyone. Maybe we’re scared we’ll fail, or worried about sticking our heads above the parapet. We wonder if anyone will want to come along with our slightly mad ideas.

There’s something powerful in trusting your instincts - taking everything you’ve learned, maintaining those skills, and adapting them in pursuit of something that feels entirely your own.

Today’s guest is a prime example of that kind of radical thinking in fine-dining hospitality. Someone who has reimagined what a tasting menu can be - an experience that ends in pyjamas, dancing in the kitchen, and a final drink in hand.

After breakfast, I sat down with Gareth Ward, co-owner and head chef of Ynyshir - a two-Michelin-starred restaurant redefining what a restaurant can be.

This is a conversation about risk and obsession, family tradition and resilience - about craftsmanship, restraint, and time.

I’m Stella, and I’m gonna take you out for dinner.

Mentions:

- Gareth Ward, Ynyshir

- Ynyshir, Wales

- Hambleton Hall, Rutland

- Jordnær, Denmark

- Restaurant Sat Bains, Nottingham

- Sat Bains

- Roux Scholarship

- Will Holland

Hey folks, welcome back to the Scoop podcast. 

This conversation was an absolute joy; I love talking to passionate front of house - maybe selfishly because that is what I do too. Ashley Best is the General Manager of 64 Goodge Street in Fitzrovia. Before this role, Ashley worked at Quality Chop House in Farringdon, Trinity in Clapham, and spent almost 10 years at The Ritz in Mayfair; he began his career as a chef before realising his strengths leaned towards guest-facing roles. 

There was something about this conversation which reignited my love of the industry. I think we all need it now and again, a spark or a comment which brings us back to the reasons why we do what we do. There were a few things I learnt about Ashley’s leadership style: the recognition of value and forward-thinking, a desire to teach your team confidence in themselves and their abilities, and the importance of mentorship and real teaching. Ashley’s eloquent vernacular about the sector made it crystal clear that he has spent so much time becoming a master of his craft, relishing those repetitive tasks, focusing his efforts on guest experience and operational consistency, and gaining a seriously impressive knowledge bank. 

A personal thank you to Ashley for really brightening my day, making me feel proud of what I do, and advocating for front-of-house recognition. If you are in a guest-facing role, I recommend giving this a listen. 

I am Stella, and I’m gonna take you out for dinner. 

Mentions:

⁠64 Goodge Street, Fitzrovia⁠

⁠Woodhead Restaurant Group⁠

⁠Quality Chop House, Farringdon⁠

⁠Portland, Fitzrovia⁠

⁠Clipstone, Fitzrovia⁠

The Ritz, Mayfair 

Ynyshir, Machynlleth

Epicure, Paris

L' Ambroisie, Paris

Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, Chelsea

Trinity, Clapham

Kyle Adams, 64 Goodge Street

Alex Dalby, previously 64 Goodge Street

David Boland, Royal Academy of Culinary Arts

Tom Phillips, Restaurant Story

Lucy Wilson, head pastry chef at Buckingham Palace

Lewis Wilson, head pastry chef at The Ritz

Dr Hilary Cooke, Merlin Consultancy and Master Innholders Aspiring Leaders Diploma

Daniel Crump, Greyhound 

John Williams, The Ritz

Laura Raeside, Lost Village and Events Operations Consultancy

Will Davis, previously 64 Goodge Street

Laura Treharne, JKS Restaurants

Specialised Chef Scholarship, Royal Academy of Culinary Arts

Hey folks, welcome back to the Scoop x Rogues podcast. 

Sometimes, my favourite podcast moments happen before I’ve hit record. It was a scorcher that day; I had cycled all the way to Spitalfields and arrived on the doorstep of The Golden Heart pub. Fumbling in my rucksack to check I had packed extra batteries, I awaited the arrival of the hospitality legend, and landlady of this iconic establishment - Sandra Esquilant. Once my co-host, Zac, and our guest, Gary Foulkes, had arrived, Sandra welcomed us with a beaming smile and open arms. She herded us into the left-hand side of the pub like cattle, whilst she sang Gary’s praises - informing me that not only was Gary one of the best chefs in London, but also a fabulous man all-round. As she handed out the pints and gave us all a cheers, I couldn’t quite believe this was how I was spending my day off. 

Zac and I have talked about interviewing Gary since we first began recording our podcasts together. However, over the past year, he’s been busy opening a new restaurant - and earning a Michelin star quickly. We will forgive him for the wait! Gary Foulkes is the executive head chef at Cornus in Belgravia. Gary started in kitchens up in Chester, moving to Manchester a few years later to work with Gary Rhodes, and then to London. Throughout his culinary career, he has been an avid traveller; these adventures have truly shaped his own food identity and the belief that seasonality and taste take precedence over ostentation.

Thank you so much to Gary for meeting me and Zac at The Golden Heart pub, and to Sandra for closing off the area for us to record. If you’d like to hear regular updates of the Scoop podcast, follow me on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠@stellagent⁠⁠⁠, and follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. 

Mentions: 

⁠⁠⁠Gary Foulkes, Executive Chef at Cornus⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Cornus, Belgravia⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠Rogues, Hackney⁠⁠

⁠⁠Rogue Sarnies, Hackney⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Angler, Moorgate⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠The Grosvenor, Chester⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Brat, Shoreditch⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠The Square, St James’ (permanently closed)⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Phil Howard⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Gary Rhodes⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Kelly Cullen⁠⁠⁠

***⁠⁠⁠Link to our Scoop podcast with Kelly Cullen! ⁠⁠⁠***

⁠⁠⁠The Golden Heart, Spitalfields⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Sandra Esquilant ⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Dim Sum Duck, King’s Cross⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Farang, Highbury⁠⁠⁠

Rebekah Bruce, Angler

*Now in Toronto, opening⁠⁠⁠ Bar Eugenie⁠⁠⁠ this month!

What do I use to make this podcast?

Recording Equipment:

⁠Zoom H5⁠

⁠ZDM-1 Podcast Mic Pack⁠ (x2)

⁠Reaper Audio Editing Software⁠

Matt Mawtus, Director of Food & Beverage at Hide

“I took the one less travelled by,

And that has made all the difference.”

• Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken

Have I chosen the wrong path? I often deal with this internal battle myself; great angst and anguish regarding the reaching of some ‘unmeasurable potential’. Leaving my highly academic university with a 1st Class Honours degree, no one expected me to fall in love with restaurants. Aha, no! Not the culinary side, but the customer-facing side. Service became my thing, not chef whites and soignée cuisson. My friends were shocked, and my parents were cautiously intrigued. Sometimes, certain people remind me of that glimmering delight, that wholehearted desire to make guests feel completely astonished by the little details, the forward-thinking, and the knowledge. 

Today I talked with Matt Mawtus, the Director of Food and Beverage of The Hedonism Group. This symbiotic group has a few members: Hide (a 1 Michelin-starred restaurant), Hideaway (a boutique cafe), Hedonism Wines, and The White Horse (a pub with a great focus on wine). Matt currently directs at Hide, Hideaway and The White Horse. Previously, he ran the opening team of Berners Tavern, and was also General Manager of Pollen Street Social. Before that, he worked at Hilton Hotels and Gordon Ramsay Restaurants. 

Tremendously passionate and utterly professional, the beginnings of his career path eerily echo mine (hotelier school aside), as he went against the grain too. Dedicating his life to hospitality, he left school to pursue vocational education at the Scottish Hotel School and the University of Strathclyde. Matt has now won awards such as Winner of UK Young Waiter of the Year 2007 and GQ Front of House Personality of the Year 2017 - what a mentor! 

“Service is what you do for somebody; hospitality is how you make them feel”

• Matt Mawtus

As a chef, your main role is to create delicious food. You prep all day to provide your guests with the concrete and real objective of your hard work. However, as a waiter, your roles and responsibilities are relatively intangible. Yes, you must ensure your guest is happy, note allergies, and turn your tables on time. Yet, in your subtly lies great skill, and this cannot be quantified. Your ability to read body language, to secretly eavesdrop on conversation at the correct moment, to overhear a celebration, to book a taxi so that they don’t need to wait outside and potentially miss the start of their West End show, to provide a handwritten list of all your recommendations for their next trip abroad, to rejoice at someone moving to London alone for their job promotion, to make people feel less lonely. To fall asleep at 2 am and start service 10 hours later, greet and connect with hundreds of guests all over again. 

As our world becomes driven by AI and computer technology, people will yearn and crave connection more. We are a species that thrives from socialising. 

I’m Stella, and I’m gonna take you out for dinner.

Find me!

Follow the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and me on Instagram ⁠@stellagent⁠ for the latest updates. 

Mentions:

Matt Mawtus, Director of Food and Beverage at Hide

Hide, Green Park

Hideaway, Mayfair

Hedonism Wines, Mayfair

The White Horse, Mayfair

Tori Slater, The Herd Collective

Brat, Shoreditch

Mountain, Soho

Super 8 Restaurant Group

The Quality Chop House, Farringdon

Claridge’s, Mayfair

Gordon Ramsay RestaurantsGabor Papp - Front of House Director at Woodhead Restaurant

64 Goodge Street, Fitzrovia

ROVI, Fitzrovia

Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Mayfair

Jason Atherton Restaurants

Berners Tavern, Fitzrovia

Pollen Street Social, Mayfair (permanently closed)

1 Lombard Street, City of London

Orrery, Marylebone

Charlotte Holdings, Fitzrovia

Louis Roederer, Reims, France

Marriott Bonvoy Hotel Group

What do I use to make this podcast?

Recording Equipment:

⁠Zoom H5⁠

⁠ZDM-1 Podcast Mic Pack⁠ (x2)

⁠Reaper Audio Editing Software⁠

So you’ve finished service on a busy Thursday night: it’s 2 am, you’re off tomorrow, and dying for a nightcap. You’ve been steadily drinking filter coffee up until around 9 pm, when your section got so busy that you then didn’t drink water until midnight. It’s safe to say you’re not ready for bed just yet. There’s this place down the road, and it’s open till 4 am. The bartenders wear painters’ overalls and mix cocktails like they are potions in a laboratory. Situated on Kingsland Road in Dalston, you’ll find the rather inconspicuous Bar with Shapes for a Name. Although its exterior may appear quiet and unsuspecting, everybody knows about this bar - it is infamous, a regular hospitality haunt, almost a rite of passage, some may say?

At the Bar with Shapes of a Name, Maria Kontorravdis is the red square. The other two shapes represent the cofounders, Remy Savage and Paul Lougrat. As an integral part of this operation, Maria tells me the founding ideas of this Bauhaus-inspired project. The Bauhaus movement teaches principles such as ‘form follows function’; behind the harsh industrial metal shutters hides the most beautiful, Bauhaus-style bar. You’re greeted by a cacophony of artistic mediums - mahogany-coloured wood shrouds the bar area, whilst some seats are rattan, others feature long, communal, primary-coloured cushions upheld by twists of burnished steel. 

As Maria speaks, she explodes with knowledge and excitement; you can see how she captures the attention not only of guests, but also at the numerous events she gives presentations at. As our conversation comes to a close, I ask her how her next couple of months look. She pauses before relaying the multitude of events she is going to like the Bartenders’ Weekender in Brisbane, another in New York and one more in Mexico. This woman is on fire. She’s designed trainers for the St Germain liqueur company in her own time… her creativity, passion and unwavering desire to explore are extremely impressive. 

I’m Stella, and I’m gonna take you out for a drink. 

Today, I’m taking a step out of the kitchen and usual restaurant service to chat with Imme Ermgassen, one of the co-founders of Botivo.

Imme invited me into her home for the interview - her dining room table is beautifully busy with children’s toys, high chairs, and now my recording equipment. She begins to tell me about her career trajectory, including a casual mention that her twins are around the same age as her company. I lounge back with some coffee. She was hired by her co-founder after directly emailing him a PowerPoint presentation informing him exactly how she’d make his product even better - this woman is pretty damn impressive.

Botivo, the non-alcoholic, botanical aperitif was created by Sam Paget Steavenson (the founder of Rumrunner) when crafting cocktail menus for parties of the rich and famous like Ellie Goulding and the royal family. Together, Sam and Imme have created a product which features on menus all around the London restaurant scene: from Brat (where I work), Padella and Maison Francois. Imme is the brains behind the “big brand energy” shift which Botivo has adopted aiming to become a global brand; she is in charge of investment, strategy, brand, marketing and sales.

How all-encompassing do you imagine it can be being a founder? Disclaimer: you must give yourself over to an external dream. The ultimate challenge is how to crack a new market; Botivo does not advertise itself as a sober, non-alcoholic product. The company doesn’t push out dry January marketing campaigns, they even suggest that Botivo pairs well with booze like tequila. It is simply a delicious product and that’s that - used with or without booze. You can’t say “it’s a non-alcoholic version of gin/vokda” because it doesn’t exist to replicate something else.

Join me for a discussion with Imme, one of Hospitality’s Women of the Year 2025 (CODE Awards).

I’m Stella and I’m gonna take you out for a drink.

Mentions:

- Imme Ermgassen, co-founder of Botivo

- Sam Paget Steavenson, co-founder of Botivo and Rumrunner

- Botivo

- Rumrunner

- The River Cafe

- Maison Francois

- Alice Lascelles

- Grace Dent

- Seedlip

- Berry Brothers and Rudd

- Martha Jenson, Bold Beans Company

Hey folks, welcome to Scoop. For far too long chefs have been at the forefront of hospitality’s social media stardom. Don’t get me wrong, I get it - chefs are often hidden, their work is presented and enjoyed by guests with relatively little interaction with those who created it. Yet, service is all out in the open, actually quite a vulnerable position to be in. We are constantly on show and consistently having our knowledge and social malleability tested. 

About a month ago, coincidentally just before I completed my WSET Level 3 wine course, I sat down with Alex Price. Alex is the Head of Wine for Plates, the first vegan Michelin-starred restaurant in the UK. Beginning her wine career at Annabel’s and she has now worked at Beaverbrook, Bar Crispin and Plates. Alex has received many accolades and awards such as appearing on the Code 100 Most Influential Women in 2022 and being selected as one of Harpers’ top sommeliers in the UK in 2023.

Now having gained a more than worthy seat at the wine industry table, Alex encourages those to be empowered by their knowledge - wine is a constantly evolving landscape - the more you learn, the wider you realise your breadth of knowledge can become. I could really tell that Alex’s confidence and commitment to wine has been shaped by the women who helped her at the beginning of her career. 

Scoop is broadening its horizons to front of house and our experiences in London. 

Right then, 

I’m Stella and Alex is taking me out for a drink

Mentions:

• ​Alex Price
• ​Plates, Shoreditch
• ​Plates Retreat, France
• ​Annabel’s, Mayfair
• ​Bar Crispin, Soho
• ​Richard Rotti, wine consultant
• ​Clark Foyster
• ​Ruth Spivey
• ​Emily Harman
• ​Emily Harman's 'Just Another Wine Podcast'
• ​WSET Qualification
• ​Beaverbrook, Surrey
• ​Domaine Achillée, Alsace
• ​Queena Wong
• ​Real Tea, non-alcoholic
• ​Ellen Norvang, trainee sommelier at Plates

Find me!

Follow the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and me on Instagram @stellagent for the latest updates. 

What do I use to make this podcast?

Recording Equipment:

⁠Zoom H5⁠

⁠ZDM-1 Podcast Mic Pack⁠ (x2)

⁠Reaper Audio Editing Software⁠

Good morning, and welcome back to the Scoop podcast. Working in hotels and restaurants over the past few years, I’ve had the chance to serve and meet many incredible people in the industry. While helping open the Mandarin Oriental Mayfair, I crossed paths with Kyle Lynch, the head chef of Ormer. In this episode, Kyle shares how studying away from home and working in the United States shaped his independence and confidence as a young chef. We dive into the dedication it takes to rise to the top in the kitchen, the intense physical and mental demands of hospitality, and how his culinary journey has led him back to a menu deeply connected to his Irish roots.

I’m Stella, and I’m going to take you out for dinner. 

Mentions:

- Kyle Lynch, head chef of Ormer (Mayfair)

- Ormer, Mayfair

- Sofian Msetfi, executive head chef of Ormer

- Hayfield Manor, Cork

- The Oak Room, Adare Manor, County Limerick

- Michael Tweedie, executive head chef at Adare Manor

- Takashi Miyazaki, Cork

Find Me!

Follow the podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and me on Instagram ⁠⁠@stellagent⁠⁠ for the latest updates. 

What do I use to make this podcast?

Recording Equipment

⁠Zoom H5⁠

⁠ZDM-1 Podcast Mic Pack⁠

⁠Reaper Audio Editing Software⁠

Hey folks, welcome back to the Scoop podcast.

Before Christmas, my mum and I binge-watched the Great British Bake Off. I am used to watching lovely home bakers from around the country on this show but similar to many other watchers, Dylan Bachelet caught our eye. A rambunctious, sharp-witted and creative 19-year-old positively bursting to tell us of his dream to become a chef.

Now actively pursuing this dream at The Five Fields in Chelsea, and juggling his new-found fame, I managed to sit down with him to discuss choosing the path "less-trodden" let’s say by our peers, and rebelling against our shared norm. 

Meeting Dylan reaffirmed to me how much I love this industry and the exciting, revolutionary people who enter it. This year’s Great British Bake Off audience got an insight into a young industry innovator, I look forward to seeing what he does next. 

I’m Stella, and I’m going to take you out for dinner. 

Mentions:

Dylan Bachelet

The Five Fields, Chelsea

The Great British Bake Off

Akoko, Fitzrovia

Jeremy Chan, Ikoyi

Ikoyi, Strand

Soho Farmhouse Food Festival, Oxfordshire

Woongchul Park, Sollip

Sollip, London Bridge

Kol, Marlyebone

Core by Clare Smyth, Notting Hill

Opheem, Birmingham

Veeraswamy, Regent Street

Find Me!

Follow the podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and me on Instagram ⁠⁠@stellagent⁠⁠ for the latest updates. 

What do I use to make this podcast?

• Recording Equipment
• ⁠Zoom H5⁠
• ⁠ZDM-1 Podcast Mic Pack⁠
• ⁠Reaper Audio Editing Software⁠

ROGUES X SCOOP - Adam Wood, Noble Rot Mayfair

Hey folks, Happy New Year. I hope everyone in the industry is getting a well-deserved rest this January and recuperating after a crazy busy Christmas period! To start off our 2025 Rogues x Scoop collaborations, Zac Whittle and I interviewed the man with the most shining mentions on the podcast to date - Adam Wood, head chef at Noble Rot in Mayfair.

Thrown in at the deep end, Adam has his fair share of crazy kitchen stories from The Square and Marcus Wareing’s The Gilbert Scott. Yet somehow the 17-hour work days weren't enough to put him off, he persisted.

Afterwards, Adam kept searching for more challenges and joined as part of the award-winning Perilla’s opening team. With stages at places like The Ledbury, Adam is now able to show off his own culinary creativity as head chef at Noble Rot Mayfair.

A big thank you to Adam for inviting us to Noble Rot, and I hope everyone enjoyed the latest episode. P.s I had a fantastic set lunch afterwards with my mum, thank you.

I’m Stella with my co-host Zac, and we’re gonna take you out for dinner.

Mentions:

Find Me!

Follow the podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and me on Instagram ⁠@stellagent⁠ for the latest updates. Find Rogues restaurant in Cambridge Heath and on Instagram at ⁠@rogues_ldn⁠

What do I use to make this podcast?