What’s Your Pedigree?

Pedigree is another word to describe one’s heritage, bloodline or even the breed of an animal.

How does your pedigree stack up by those around you?

I think I have been blessed with some solid as fuck pedigree.

My old man arrived with my grandmother sometime in the 60’s from Aberdeen, Scotland. Im not sure how much cash he had on him, but I’m gonna go with a couple of hundred dollars.

Pedigree is definitely one of those things that no one can take away from you, and you can not escape it either.

Whether your ancestors were royalty, convicts or just average Joe blows.

I am pretty bloody happy with my pedigree.

We got nothing for nothing growing up and it’s set me up pretty well having witnessed my father set the standard.

I took the piss during my early youth, but a kid’s gonna kid hey.

My working pedigree is pretty sound. I have managed to get involved with some really good chefs over the years, as well as some pretty dodgy employers, but the pedigree from heritage and employment lines has always allowed me to bounce back from bad career and life choices, whenever I’ve been silly enough to make them.

My first son has just arrived so establishing and maintaining good pedigree will be vital for my namesake to inherit.

I have witnessed more often than not that those blessed with a pedigree of hand outs get lost in the world of hard work and endeavour. When you truly have to go out and earn something, there is a sense of clarity and pride inherited that makes you want to ensure no fleas get imbedded in your pedigree that can cause all kinds of infection.

The best friend I have ever had was a cross between a Maltese and Staffordshire terrier, so her pedigree was not pure, but she was raised by me, so I’ll let her have mine. Not the standard mutt status that comes with cross breed dogs.

Pedigree could be considered something like reputation, you could spend decades, generation after generation building what could be considered good pedigree, yet lose it all with repeated errors in judgement and poor decision-making.

My father built the foundation of a great pedigree, and I had threatened that when I was a teenager. Good thing he set a great standard, as I feel I have only enhanced our pedigree since maturing into adulthood.

We grew up being taught that as long as you’ve got food on the table and a roof over your head, then the majority of everything else is just material bullshit.

Coming home as a child and wanting something just because everyone else had it, or because it was trendy, was absolutely ludicrous to my father.

“We’re no sheep boy, and I ain’t raising one either.”

This kind of attitude probably got me into trouble more often than not growing up. I still live with that as my foundation in morals, but it’s not much good when youre trying to make friends growing up.

Having a fearless attitude coupled with being a chef works really well. You need to block out all the bullshit and back yourself in, take risks, back up and go again, day in and day out. There are way too many incompetent individuals around wanting you to do things their way. Backing myself in and blocking out the negativity has got me this far, I’m gonna keep it up!

I was speaking my mind well before most should. I have no doubt I would have been lynched by the time I was 12 if I had of grown up in the early 1900’s or earlier.

The best thing to arise from this is I can genuinely say if die tomorrow, I have had a crack at anything I felt the need to, and I have picked my own path that’s different from most people. My cooking as a head chef is a testament to that.

I have gotten involved with some dodgy work places as a head chef and even after being encouraged to replicate other peoples work to make my life easier, I have always stuck to my own guns, as I was raised to build my own legacy or my own pedigree, one that is distinctively my own.

One of my most proud dishes I have ever produced was a crispy skin pork belly with braised canneloni beans, parmesan and toasted sourdough.

I thought I had a picture of it up my sleeve, but unfortunately not, standard baked beans on toast will have to do.

The dish is what I can proudly say is distinctively representitive of my childhood.

It was baked beans on toast, twisted with skill and finesse in a way that can be presented and sold in a restaurant environment. It would’ve set you back $29.50 when it was on the menu.

A few years back when I had decided to tie the knot with my former partner, one of my oldest friend’s had gotten hold of my number from somewhere and had left a message on my message bank.

It was something like ‘Big Johnny Chigman the chef getting married, what’s on the menu? Baked beans on toast? Well done Son.”

I was near in tears. Ol mate Jamaz, after not speaking with him for what would’ve been something like 6 or 7 years, still associated my character with baked beans on toast.

Baked beans were and still are somewhat my favourite thing to eat. It took me nearly 6 years to get baked beans on toast onto a menu, but it was purely motivated by my old friend’s phone call that day.

That’s my pedigree, heritage or whatever the fuck you want to call it. It represents me, James Nicol, Pickles Nicol or Johnny Chigman, whatever name people came up with at whatever time in my life.

Nobody taught it to me, I didnt see it on Master Chef, never read it in a Marco Pierre White book.

It was just a quick and easy fix for an energetic whipper snapper cutting some sorta craft at 9 Guilford Road.

I’m a bit older now so the nutritious content doesn’t hold me up like it used to, but it’s still one of my favourite dishes.

It’s funny though being a chef and having to listen to the expectations that those above, below or even those not even on the scales tend to place on you.

If I go out for a meal, I’m looking for a good parmi or fish and chips. Something wholesome, tasty and no drama. Nothing like the grub I have spent the majority of my career brewing.

Anyone that wants to tell me that I need to eat hatted restaurant food to create great food can honestly lick my sack.

I have and still do create great food, and its been 3 years since I’ve stepped foot into an award winning restaurant.

I honestly find it laughable some of the dribble I have heard over the years about what it takes to be good chef.

“Work like hell and do your homework” has held me in great stead, all the rest is generally bullshit in my experience.

I suppose you can’t buy pedigree though, I’ve been pretty fortunate from that aspect.

Everyone has their own opinion about what a good chef should be, but only successful chefs really know the answer.

I’m yet to taste any real success as a head chef, and in all honesty, I still don’t give a fuck about accolades, their material and social propers. I’m not equipped with enough fucks to worry about that shit.

I was relentless in my pursuit to get qualified after fucking about for the first 2 years of my apprenticeship and most of my adolescence, then got apprentice of the year for the state of Tasmania when I turned up the volume in my chosen path.

I never cared about awards or competitions, I had a standard and nothing was going to get in my way. I obviosly had great chefs to teach me, but I did the work.

I am forever greatful to those that were paying attention, but it was not something I was focused on. Being good at my job was going to get me what I needed, which was qualified!

The fact that most places I leave go down hill once I’m gone tells me I’m on the right path.

Keeping food to a standard that others can replicate, that also doesn’t kill me in the process is and will continue to be the challenge at present.

Up and coming chefs don’t need to worry about what the general public says about what they should be as a chef.

I hear heaps from people with no cooking experience about how presentation needs to be one of your main priorities. My apprentice tried telling me about it a few weeks ago.

If people think that and want to do it, then by all means go for your life, but not in my kitchen.

My food is flavour first, being wholesome second and balanced third. Presentation is somewhere after that.

That’s probably a good reason why I’m head chef of a country pub, and I’m happy with that.

Einstein once said “It would be a sad situation if the wrapper were better than the meat wrapped inside it”. Society as a whole is still trying to change this racist and demeaning perception in many parts of society and as a whole. My pedigree won’t allow it. My potential loss of customers won’t either.

It’s an area of my trade that I will endeavour to improve on, but it wont put bums on seats, tasty food will first and foremost.

Work like hell, have some self respect and do your homework is the best advice I can give.

Getting inside the heads of chefs that have maintained it over long periods of time would be a good idea also. They should know, as they are the ones doing it!

You can’t teach pedigree, but who’s to say that one can’t build their own?

No matter what your previous misdemeanors, or your pedigree. The path is there for the taking. You and only you have choices to make in life. What you do with it is entirely up to you!