Kitchen Table Talk: A conversation with Andrew Dargue of Vanilla Black

In today’s Kitchen Table Talk, the brilliant Andrew Dargue (founder of Vanilla Black) joins me for a Q&A. Over the past couple of weeks, I asked you for your questions for Andrew - and you sent in some excellent ones! Our chat ended up as a great mix of practical cooking tips, thoughtful career advice and a sort of behind-the-scenes look at restaurant life that was very interesting.If you don’t know Andrew’s story, he and his partner Donna founded Vanilla Black back in 2004 - first in York, before moving to London. Their approach was a simple concept, really… that vegetarian cooking should be every bit as exciting, confident and considered as any other serious kitchen.A few things we covered:* Shell Plant’s question about young people going into cheffing, and Andrew’s honest take on the realities of kitchen life, plus the importance of having a plan and learning somewhere you can really build skills.* Heat control, and the small habits that make a big difference, including being more active with the pan and the heat rather than letting it run away from you.* A really useful restaurant habit: par-cooking and why it helps, plus a surprisingly good tip on microwaving potatoes for mash.* Andrew’s pick for an underused ingredient: soy sauce, used as seasoning to add depth, not just as a dip.* Andy Lynes’ question about the unique challenges of vegetarian cooking, and Andrew’s take on why making veg feel truly exciting takes more thought, more technique and more imagination than people often realise.We also touched on whether Vanilla Black might return in some form - and Andrew’s answer is refreshingly realistic about the current restaurant climate.Thank you to everyone who joined us live and for your questions throughout the show.If you’re watching on the replay or listening on the podcast and you’ve still got questions for Andrew, pop them in the comments! I’ll pass them on.And finally, a HUGE thank you once again to Andrew for joining me at the table. I really appreciate the time, the honesty and for being brilliant company.If you’ve enjoyed today’s chat and would like to see more, subscribe! Get full access to The Cookbook Kitchen by Mark Thomas at thecookbookkitchen.substack.com/subscribe