Profile on Toby Geneen – Pure Taste’s talented Sous Chef
As part of the familiarisation process with Pure Taste, and really embodying our community spirit, we will be profiling our superstar staff. For our first profile, we are talking with Toby Geneen, Sous Chef at Pure Taste. Whenever the kitchen is warm, Toby is in it. For the kitchen dwellers amongst you, that’s almost always.
Toby is one of the key players in our kitchen and is the chef’s chef. His most recent experience was as senior Chef de Partie at Casa Brindisa Sth. Kensington. Prior to that he was Sous chef at a gastro pub in Clerkenwell.
Like most young ambitious souls, Toby spent time in Australia. For six solid months of hard graft, he was Sous chef working with Rob Kabboord at Melbourne’s Merricote restaurant. For those in the know, that’s serious food. We asked Toby some pointy questions:
What appeals to you about Pure Taste?
I met and got on really well with Adib (Bamieh restaurateur and Director of Pure Taste), and I liked the idea of working with Holly Redman. Because let’s face it, Holly is the Heston of nutrition. That’s badass. – I want to be involved in badass cooking and food.
What do you do in your spare time? (laughs along)
Well of course I am going to say that I read cookbooks, and I do! I also want to buy a spherification kit – which makes things like spheres of jelly caviar and fruit juices. So I am doing research for that at the moment.
What are you passionate about?
I am a big believer in new techniques but grounded in traditional French cooking. My Dad taught me how to cook. He was actually an Antiques dealer, but a real foodie and an excellent amateur cook. That passion has been passed on.
As a result, I grew up regularly cooking for my parents and my first real experience cooking Christmas dinner was for about 25 people at Goldsmiths whilst I was studying design. Being a chef is designing. It’s actually about designing food – on a plate. Adding creative flavour into something I care about is part of the big challenge.
Tell us something interesting about your background.
I was arrested in New York for spraying graffiti.
I was nicknamed bubbles by my first head chef, because I used to go into the kitchen with Sharpie marker all up my arm from being on the lash the night before. Of course, those days are long gone….
I’ve always drawn or spray painted bubbles everywhere I have been all over the world. It’s no surprise then that I have over 30 bubbles inked on myself that represent the 30 most influential people in his life. Needless to say, at 27, this is still a work in progress.
Every chef has to be asked….what would your last supper be?
Bone marrow on toast; parsley and shallot salad, Dads roast beef and all the trimmings and a wicked crème brulee for dessert.
It may well go without saying that as a Sous Chef for one of London’s newest concept restaurants, Toby is single. Married to the kitchen. Especially in this start up phase, but only in the short term of course.