EXCLUSIVE
Some 2000 North Americans are set to learn how to cook with some of Scotland’s finest produce today (Saturday September 5, 2020) in what’s believed to be the world’s largest Zoom cookery masterclass to date.
Gary Maclean, Scotland’s National Chef and a MasterChef: The Professionals former winner, will host the free interactive online tutorial from his home in Glasgow in collaboration with Central Market, the upscale US food retailer with ten stores and ten cook schools across Texas - including Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Austin and Fort Worth. The four-course Scottish seafood menu, launching Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight 2020, features fillet of native Hebridean salmon from the Scottish Salmon Company, smoked salmon from Loch Fyne Oysters in Argyll, langoustines from DR Collin in Eyemouth, Tain Cheddar from Highland Fine Cheeses, and a Cranachan dessert using oats by Stoats of Edinburgh, ice cream by Equi’s in Hamilton, honey by Heather Hills in Blairgowrie, and chocolate by Mackie’s of Aberdeenshire.
It's the first time Central Market has organised such an event - and it’s the first of its type on this scale to take place in the US, if not the world.
Participants can buy all of the menu ingredients in-store, pre-order online for home delivery or to pick up in store, before and after the 90-minute event (which starts in the US at 11am, and in the UK at 5pm). UK residents can also follow online (see menus & link below).
Juan-Carlos Jeffrey, Vice-President Food & Drink at Scottish Development International, which helps Scottish producers access new markets, described the unprecedented number of sign-ups for the inaugural class as “a very pleasant surprise”.
SDI has been working with Central Market – which describes itself as a “gourmet marketplace” roughly equivalent to Whole Foods Market in the UK - since 2016. It is the launch partner for CM’s digital Cooking School.
“We are absolutely delighted at the level of interest so far, which goes above and beyond expectations,” he told me. “We thought we might get up to a thousand participants but we’re now at double that.”
A sign, then, that North American consumers are keen on Scottish produce? “Central Market prides itself on sourcing high quality produce of great provenance and on offering a very curated selection of on-trend products their customers can buy,” said Mr Jeffrey. “Scotland has a broad basket of products to offer that meet those criteria.
“And chef Gary Maclean ticks all the right boxes as the host. He is a great educator and communicator and is certain to give participants a memorable cooking experience while telling the stories behind the ingredients.”
With Coronavirus still spreading in Texas and across the US, he sees this as an opportunity to test the model and do more in the future. “The pandemic means the ability to go into food stores, discover and engage with new products is diminished. People can’t go to cooking classes physically. Equally, producers can’t come to market any more. So this virtual programme is a very tangible way of bringing Scotland to buyers and end users, and of giving customers a unique Scottish cooking experience.
“We’re going to see more of it as we get used to using our devices to access high-calibre ingredients and ways of using them.”
Chef Gary, who is a passionate food educator and a long-time lecturer in professional cookery at City of Glasgow College (where he is currently Executive Chef), is thrilled at the prospect.
“I think this must be a world record cookery class and shows incredible interest in our food and culture during these difficult times,” he told me. “I’m really excited at the numbers after the effort it’s taken to pull this together over several months.
“I’m certain this will tap the hearts and minds of many people in an area where these Scottish ingredients are available, and where many towns, rivers and hills have Scottish names. North Americans are very patriotic and if they have even a hint of Scottish blood in their DNA they really go for it. Central Market supermarkets are very popular in Texas and they are selling all this Scottish produce. It’s great for our suppliers and producers and this is an opportunity to tell the story of Scotland through its food. It’s sure to make a difference to Scottish exports to the US.
“I mean, who’d have thought you could source ice-cream from Equi’s in Hamilton in the middle of Texas?”
I ask Mr Jeffrey about the significance ahead of the resumption of UK-US Brexit trade talks next spring. He replied: “While it’s not of direct significance, we welcome the news of the removal of shortbread and other biscuits from the 25% tariff applied last October and would welcome any trade deal that removed barriers to trade and allowed Scotland’s produce to be compete more equitably.”
Central Market’s Explore Scottish Seafood with Gary Maclean
Cookalong dish
· Fillet of Native Hebridean Salmon with a Warm Potato Salad, Capers, Poached Egg and Asparagus
Demonstrated dishes
· Smoked Salmon Salad with French Beans, Snap Peas, Pea Puree and Almonds
· Grilled Langoustine with Tain Cheddar, Fennel, Pea and Herb Salad and Aioli
· Cranachan with Seasonal Fruit, Stoats Oats, Equi’s Ice Cream and Heather Hills Honey
Visit www.eventbrite.com/e/explore-scottish-seafood-with-chef-gary-maclean-tickets-116791306943