Private Dining in Port Isaac with Kate Michaels
Based between Cornwall and Somerset, Kate Michaels is a private chef with an extensive background in Michelin star kitchens and professional catering. She grew up in the West Country, baking bread and cakes with her dad, with cooking always coming naturally to her. At the age of 16 Kate competed in Young Chef of the Year, making it through to the national finals and discovering a love of cooking under pressure. Kate went on to train at Tante Marie Culinary Academy where she gained her Cordon Bleu diploma in Professional Culinary Arts with distinction, before working in Michelin star kitchens around the country, including Artichoke, Amersham and Nathan Outlaw’s.
Providing Michelin-star quality meals in the comfort of her client’s homes and private venues, Kate now offers private dining with a focus on seasonal, local and fresh ingredients. After a career at Nathan Outlaw’s restaurants in Port Isaac, New Road and Fish Kitchen, Kate is now working for herself, providing private dining for guests at Port Isaac Bay Holidays. We work with Kate to offer carefully honed menus in a variety of bespoke menus, all of which pay homage to our position on the wild Cornish coast. Whilst the menus can be adjusted to suit all dietary requirements, our Bronze, Silver and Gold packages all feature seasonal canapés, vegetarian, meat and fish (Silver and Gold only) options, dessert and Petit Fours. Choose between five, seven and nine courses to suit your occasion and budget. View the tailor made packages and find out more here.
Professional chef Kate creating private dining experiences
We chatted with Kate to find out more about private dining at Port Isaac Bay Holidays, Cornish seasonal produce and her local recommendations. Read the interview below…
Hi Kate! Please can you introduce yourself.
I’m Kate, a 25 year old chef. Originally from Somerset, I am now based in North Cornwall. I’ve been working in Michelin starred restaurants for over 5 years and have now decided to start my own private catering business.
How does a private dining experience with you work, from first enquiry to plates on the table?
I intend a private dining experience with me to be a complete joy and luxury. I begin by having an initial telephone conversation with all my clients to get to know them, get a gage of what the event is, as well as the obvious discussion of menus, allergies and budgets. Once that’s been discussed I go away and create a customer sheet that details everything we talked about over the phone, as well as menu options and a rough costing. Once this has been finalised, I’ll invoice the client and prepare for the event.
On the day, I’ll aim to arrive at the house a couple of hours early to finish off last minute preparations and begin cooking the food. Throughout the evening I’ll take care of all serving and clearing of the food, be on hand to answer any questions and finally leave the kitchen looking spotless. The aim being that you can finish your drinks, go straight to bed and have zero cleaning up to do the next morning!
Bespoke menus created by Kate for Port Isaac Bay Holidays
Tell us about your love of the Cornish food scene.
The Cornish food scene is so vibrant and exciting, you can never get bored down here! There is always something new yet all the classics are still dishing out fantastic, quality food. The groups of Rick Stein, Paul Ainsworth and Nathan Outlaw are all amazing and well worth the visit if you have the time. But a couple of other lesser known places that definitely deserve a mention are Rocket Store in Boscastle, St Kew Inn and Four Boys, Rock.
Can you tell us about your background working in Port Isaac and the local producers there?
I worked for Nathan Outlaw here in Port Isaac for a little over two years. It was a truly fantastic time in my life. Moving from Buckinghamshire, where my last job was, all the way down at 21 was really exciting as Cornwall has always felt like a home away from home. Working with the teams at New Road and Fish Kitchen really emphasised this feeling even more. The guys are all a fab bunch of people to work with and that is a true testament to Nathan and the energy he brings out of every member of staff.
Not only were the staff members a delight to work with, but also the suppliers. Each one of them provides an exceptionally high quality product that I felt lucky to work with. Whether that was line caught fish, locally grown vegetables or even fresh herbs from the kitchen garden, it made me realise how important it is to use high quality ingredients if you want to produce flavoursome and beautiful food.
Michelin star meals cooked in the comfort of your home
With your focus on fresh, local produce, which is your favourite season for creating menus?
My favourite season to create menus has to be spring. When we’re just coming out of the depths of a dark and cold winter, and suddenly the smell of wild garlic fills the countryside air, greenery starts to appear in the shape of asparagus, and the bright colours of rhubarb and radish pop up too, it’s the best!
What is your must-do recommendation for visitors to Port Isaac and the surrounding area?
I would highly recommend a walk along the coast path - it’s so rugged and wild, you’d be silly to miss it. My personal favourite is from Polzeath to Port Isaac. It’s long and tough but very rewarding and totally beautiful. I would personally finish off with a pint from The Mote and a pasty from Nicky B’s, sat on the platt, enjoying the sea view. Whilst dodging the sea gulls of course!
Kate, your private chef at Port Isaac Bay Holidays
It’s your last meal on earth. What is your starter, main and dessert?
This is a tough question, one that I think about often and change my answer to a lot! But I think firstly I’ll have to have an ice cold margarita. Then for starters I’d like a watermelon and grilled halloumi salad with loads of fresh mint and lime juice. The main course has to be my all time favourite food, straight from my Cypriot heritage, souvlaki. Pork souvlaki, in a fluffy pitta bread with diced white onion, fresh parsley and finished with a squeeze of lemon juice; specifically cooked by one of my many cousins, Michael, in his Kebab shop in Cyprus! A side of tahini dip, Greek salad and chips would be great too. Finally, I’d like to finish off this mammoth feast with a triple layered chocolate cake with chocolate icing!
Whether it’s for a birthday, anniversary or special occasion, add a touch of luxury to your stay in Port Isaac with a private chef. Click here to enquire.
Seasonal ingredients play an important role in Kate’s cooking