As St John celebrates its 30th anniversary, a mix of alumni and industry figures reflect on the outsize legacy of the infamous restaurant, and how it’s changed the way we view British food forever
Rose Gabbertas, pastry chef at Lyles, former head of pastry at St John “I started St John as a stage at age 21. I had no professional kitchen experience but I was a keen cook. I worked under then-head of pastry, Alex Szrok. He was a kind, patient teacher. Coming into a professional kitchen as a young woman, there are a lot of stereotypes, and he expelled all of them. I got to work with the amazing Elliot Hashtroudi, who’s now head chef at Camille. It’s a place that gives you mentors.
There’s an integrity to the process and an austere way of working that makes you push your creativity and editing. “St John is truly the best place to be a pastry chef. The dessert menu is often longer than the main menu. It’s printed on the same paper, so dessert is never an afterthought. In the past, there was chocolate and blood pudding. I got to put things on the menu that you wouldn’t be able to anywhere else – wacky, suet-filled, heavy, strange, old-fashioned.
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