Jamie Scott & Tasso Neofitos - From masterchef to guilty pleasures

The chefs from The Newport Restaurant, Jamie Scott and Tasso Neofitos, join me this week to talk about their Masterchef experiences, getting inspired for new menus and their guilty pleasure. Jamie and Tasso came in for a chat about how they got into cooking and when their passion really began. They met at Dundee’s Byzantium restaurant and then went on to work at Rocco in St Andrews together. From there Jamie tells the story of the atmosphere and dynamic of a busy kitchen and how his Masterchef journey began. He also unveils a few behind the scenes mishaps and editing decisions that weren’t exactly ideal on his journey to winning the competition. It’s clear from our chat that the guys had the desire to shape something of their own from pretty early on and that idea was what became the Newport. Before that they created a series of pop ups using the exposure of Jamie’s Masterchef success as a springboard. They were able to test the appetite (sorry, unintentional pun) of people in Dundee and Angus for their cooking and approach. Now the Newport is growing and becoming much more than just a restaurant. A food hub where they put on festivals and events that celebrate local and offer brilliant food experiences. In their future plans I’m excited to see their new bakery come to life and get that smell of freshly baked bread wafting around. We also go on to talk about the guys’ thoughts on the local food scene and a few of their favourite food experiences before I finish by asking them about their guilty please. It’s probably not one you’d expect. The Newport Restaurant - http://thenewportrestaurant.co.uk/ The Newport Twitter - https://twitter.com/The_Newport The Newport Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheNewportRestaurant/?fref=ts Jamie’s twitter - https://twitter.com/MrJayger Rocca Restaurant - http://www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk/our-hotels/macdonald-rusacks-hotel/eat-drink/rocca-restaurant/ Smithies, Arbroath - https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g186492-d6672173-Reviews-Smithies_Delicatessan-Arbroath_Angus_Scotland.html The Pavillion, Montrose - https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g186496-d8530888-Reviews-Pavilion_Cafe-Montrose_Angus_Scotland.html Pacamara, Dundee - https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g186518-d9462516-Reviews-Pacamara_Food_Drink-Dundee_Scotland.html KitschnBake, Newport - https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g1582956-d5954013-Reviews-KitschnBake-Newport_on_Tay_Fife_Scotland.html Tayberry - http://tayberryrestaurant.co.uk/ Collinsons - http://www.collinsonsrestaurant.com/ The Tapas Bar, Broughty Ferry- http://solysombra.co/ Castle Hill, Dundee - http://www.castlehillrestaurant.co.uk/ Avery & Co, Dundee - https://www.averyandco.co.uk/ Mas, Dundee - https://www.masmexican.co.uk/ Street XO, London - http://www.streetxo.com/