Douglas McMaster is a pioneering British chef renowned for championing sustainable dining. His culinary journey includes tenures at esteemed establishments such as St. John, The Fat Duck, and Noma. In 2014 he opened the world's first zero-waste restaurant, Silo, initially established in Brighton and later relocated to London's Hackney Wick. Silo operates on a pre-industrial food system, utilizing techniques like fermentation, pickling, and preserving to ensure every ingredient is fully utilized. Beyond the kitchen, he shares his philosophy through public speaking engagements, including a TED Talk titled 'Waste Is a Failure of the Imagination,' and contributes as a faculty member at the MAD Academy, inspiring future culinary leaders to rethink food systems and sustainability.
In this episode we cover:
A digression on our TEDx talks
Being raised in a house without electricity
What it means to feel psychologically ‘full’
How not feeling good enough can fuel you
From pot-washer to chef at St John, The Fat Duck and Noma
Why neurodivergence is so common in kitchens
The risks that come with diverging from the norm
World tour of restaurants that think differently
What happens when someone sees potential in you and stokes it
Why does waste exist and how to get rid of it?
The best shortbread of his life
What Douglas has been building with Silo
Leading with creativity and innovation
Why there is no such thing as cheap food
The power of storytelling for business
Building a new system within a broken system
Mentions:
Restaurants: St John’s, The Fat Duck, Noma
Joost Bakker - Australian zero-waste activist, artist and designer
The One Straw Revolution - Masanobu Fukuoka
Links:
https://www.instagram.com/mcmasterchef/
https://www.silolondon.com/