Jordon Powell is the Head Chef at Chalk, the restaurant at the award-winning Wiston Estate winery in West Sussex where the focus in on delicious dishes created using sustainably-sourced Sussex produce
How did you get started as a chef?
I competed in a cookery competition between local schools when I was around 13 and I met Lewis Hamblet, the executive chef at South Lodge Hotel who let me cook in a professional kitchen, and went on to give me my first job.
What is your signature dish?
I love to work with seafood. I haven’t yet discovered a signature dish as I’m still developing my own style.
If there is anyone in the world you could cook for, who would it be?
Marco Pierre White just to see what he thought of my food.
Who is your culinary hero?
I don’t think I have a culinary hero. There are so many great chefs that I draw inspiration from but none that I could call my hero.
What do you eat at home?
Mostly pasta dishes as they are simple and comforting. I do a lot of the cooking but my girlfriend is pretty good in the kitchen as well!
What is the kitchen ingredient no one should be without?
Salt… I’d like to think most chefs would give the same answer, every section in every kitchen will have a salt pot. But salt isn’t just one ingredient there are many different types of salt that all have different uses in the kitchen.
What dish would you eat for your very last meal?
We discuss this in the kitchen at Chalk a lot and it’s forever changing - at the moment it would probably be a classic Neapolitan pizza!
If you could dine at any restaurant in the world, where would it be?
As a chef I have an endless list of restaurants to eat at. I would be really keen to eat at Restaurant Frantzen in Stockholm. I have also eaten at IKOYI in London and would definitely be looking to go back!
Favourite music to cook by?
I enjoy cooking to hip-hop and rap music like a lot of young chefs, but my girlfriend insists on Magic Radio.
What do you do to relax outside of the kitchen?
I enjoy gardening and relaxing with my girlfriend and two kittens.
