CHEF INTERVIEW: Johanna Tremblay, Chef De Partie, 64 Degrees

Meet Johanna Tremblay, Chef De Partie, 64 Degrees

23 year-old Jo has been at 64 Degrees since September 2014 after coming over from her home in Quebec, Canada. Last year she was awarded Young Chef of the Year at the Brighton and Hove Food and Drink Awards 2015.

Did You Cook Growing Up? Who Inspired You?

I have been cooking for as long as I can remember; I grew up on a farm so always had lots of fresh ingredients available. In my family I think my main source of inspiration were my mum and Grandma Luce, who would both cook with me from an early age.

Both sides of my family come from farming backgrounds so it was always important to me eat well, using fresh produce, living off the land.

We grew a lot of vegetables; in the spring we’d have things like Kohlrabi, peas and cucumber, and in the summer lots of tomatoes, cabbage and corn. Not much grows in Quebec during the winter so we would preserve, pickle and juice lots of the ingredients from the farm.

It was mainly vegetables that we grew, although we did have rabbits and chickens to cook with too. I started to work on the farm from a very early age, people used to say that I had the best job ever, as I was even allowed to drive the tractor at the age of six!

What Was It That Got You Into Cooking?

Like I say, in the early days it was my parents who had a massive influence on me. When I was really little I used to bake a lot – pastries, cookies, all of that. They told me I had a gift so I just carried on – looking back on it they probably just wanted someone to bake for them! I was 16 when I first started working in a restaurant – it was a stage at an Italian restaurant called Il Pizzico in Quebec. It was here that I learnt the basics and developed my love for cooking. After learning how to cook Italian food it made me want to study an Italian cooking and culture course.

It was perfect, as at the end of each year we were able to go to Europe to work in a restaurant over the summer. In my first summer I went to France to a place called Théoule-Sur-Mer, 20 minutes from Cannes in a restaurant at the 5* Hotel Tiara Yaktsa called L’or Bleu.

I was 18 at the time and had one of the best summers of my life, it was where I met my now fiancée.

For the second summer of the course I travelled to Italy to work in a Michelin Starred restaurant called Guido in Rimini. It was amazing, a restaurant on the beach where I learnt so much. There was so much fresh fish available all the time and it was great to be able to constantly use such good produce. I loved it! Learning in different environments and cultures, with lots of different people really helped me develop and inspire me to carry on cooking.

What Is Your Favourite Kitchen Gadget?

Well the knife is obviously a chef’s best friend…

At 64 Degrees though, we are lucky to work with some really cool, high-tech equipment. I’d have to say that I have two favourites if that’s ok? For savoury things it’s got to be the Thermomix – it can do everything really, cook, blend, reduce – basically it’s a cooker and a really good blender in one; great for makings soups, sauces, purees, foams, it’s just great.

For desserts the best gadget is definitely the Pacojet, because it makes amazing ice creams, granitas and sorbets. It works by blitzing frozen mixtures, and basically means you don’t need an ice cream maker – you can just freeze the mix solid and put it in the Pacojet. It only takes about one minute and then it’s ready to serve.