Head Chef Gareth Billington _460
“It’s quite an intense training we give them. In a structured training course, we do everything from menu planning to ordering, storage, to preparation and service.”
All, of course, against a background that is uniformly Blue. But one thing that will not be found in the Goodison kitchens is the air turning blue. Gareth will simply not allow it. Certain television chefs may curse and swear as the heat goes on in the kitchen, but the message at Everton is that big egos are out and that a little politeness works wonders – and is, indeed, expected.
It’s an area in which Gareth is happy to lead from the front. On match days, he wears a name badge proclaiming him to be the head chef, but in the run-up he is one of the team, showing the way and running the operation by respect, rather than with a big stick.
The kitchens even manage to run smoothly with football banter thrown in. Believe it or not, there are loyal Reds beavering away quite happily to keep Everton and its guests fed and watered on match days, and, as for Gareth himself, well, he looks just a little hesitant over his football loyalties.
Eventually, he admits to his secret support.
A bit obvious, when you think that he’s a lad from mid-Cheshire: Manchester United. But that’s football only – when it comes to cooking, he’s a Blue through and through.
