As part of our Meet the Chef series, we're talking to some of Cumbria's finest about their lives in and out of the kitchen. This week, it's the turn of David Bewick of Windermere Jetty Museum’s Lakeshore Café

What is your current role and what does it involve?
I’m head chef at the Lakeshore Café at Windermere Jetty Museum. Our café and outdoor terrace is the perfect place to eat, drink and relax, with superb panoramic views across Windermere towards the Coniston fells.
We serve delicious seasonal dishes using the best local ingredients. Brunch, lunch, cakes and tempting treats are all on the menu.
My role mainly involves menu creation and implementation, overseeing all aspects of the day to day functioning of the kitchen, encouraging and providing training for kitchen staff.

How long have you been a chef?
Twenty-five years.

How did you first get into cooking?
I’ve always had a love of food and travel, trying new things and experimenting in the kitchen.

Where did you learn your craft?
My craft has been learned over the years in various places and levels of establishment, each operation having a required skill to learn. And I am still learning.
My biggest influence was Nigel Howarth, who was chef/patron at Northcote Manor championing local produce before it ever became fashionable and a man with a dry wit and never ending quest for perfection on a plate.

What was your first job in hospitality?
I was a waiter in a small bistro when I was 16 years old.

Shellfish stew, saffron aioli, Jetty breadShellfish stew, saffron aioli, Jetty bread (Image: Windermere Jetty Museum)

What is your signature dish?
Honestly, I don’t have one because I really prefer changing things up and trying new dishes. That said, we have some firm favourites at the Lakeshore Café. Our cullen skink and damson Bakewell tart are always well received and popular with our members and visitors.

What’s been your worst cooking disaster?
It was 10 minutes to service, I pulled soufflés out of the oven, slipped on the floor... no more soufflés.

What are your culinary ambitions?
I would love to one day run my own eatery. The menu would change frequently and focus on spontaneity, creation and utilisation of fresh produce.

What do you like to eat?
Almost everything! It depends on the time of year and where I am in the world. Tomatoes in England don’t taste like tomatoes in Italy for instance, and there’s a reason for that. I do love a Sunday roast with a pint of Guinness in a pub with a log fire on a cold winter’s day - it has a certain charm.

How do you achieve a work/life balance?
It mostly comes down to time management. Cooking, for me and a lot of chefs I know at least, is a passion and not something you switch off from completely. But I have learned to compartmentalise my time so I can be present during other aspects of my life.