Osborn Voaden
Osborn Voaden is a chef de partie who is located in Bristol. He specialises in Italian food and has worked for restaurants including Zerodegrees and other high end independent restaurants in Bristol as well as Birmingham. Voaden began cooking in 2018 when he got a job as a pot wash in a local café however quickly progressed to being a line cook in multiple restaurants around his hometown, Birmingham.
What inspired you to get into cooking? I did not like the food I was given growing up so I decided to learn how to cook myself. Once I found out I enjoyed cooking I began watching YouTube videos and this is where I learnt a lot of my skills.
What is your favourite dish too cook? Slow cooked Harissa Lamb, because it tastes the nicest and is surprisingly simple considering how long it takes.
Do you think you would be able to make this dish outside? Yes if you were able to keep a fire going long enough, as it takes 5 hours, possibly using a Dutch oven. However, the lamb would probably come out more braised.
How would you describe how cooking makes you feel? When I cook at home for friends and family, I find it calming and a good way to connect with people. However, cooking at work can be quite stressful.
Could you say that cooking has relaxing and therapeutic qualities? Yes, sometimes. Cooking is only stressful when things go wrong. Cooking a nice meal for someone is very therapeutic and brings me a lot of joy, if nothing goes wrong!
Do you think anyone can be good at cooking? Or do you think you require a specific skill for it? Yes cooking is easy. People that don’t know how to cook just haven’t learnt.
What sort of dish do you suggest people should learn when they begin cooking? Pasta and salmon dishes, because they taste nice and they’re easy. A lot of people think salmon Is a difficult fish to cook when in actual fact it’s easy as no matter how you cook it, if its overcooked or undercooked it is still nice. These dishes also exercise cooking techniques that are useful throughout the skill as a whole.
What is one piece of cooking equipment you could not live without? A good knife. As a knife is what you use mainly when you’re cooking and having a good knife can make the prep for a meal a lot easier and faster. Most people would presume that when cooking with a sharp knife you would be more prone to accidents. However, it is actually less dangerous as with a blunt knife you need to apply more pressure meaning there is a higher chance of you hurting yourself.
How long do you plan on being a chef for? I haven’t really thought about it if I’m honest. I’m genuinely not sure. I am really not one to think about the future but I enjoy cooking and I enjoy my job at zerodegrees so I plan on staying there for the foreseeable future. 10.
What is your opinion on cooking outside? I love cooking outside; I think it’s great fun. The perfect way to connect with nature. Throughout the summertime I am constantly having BBQs it is so fun to bring my friends and family together so we can bond over food and have a few beers and have a bit of a party!