Skipton chef is to cook at Olympics (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Skipton chef is to cook at Olympics

10:00am Tuesday 24th July 2012 in Skipton & The Dales

A Skipton chef is heading to the Olympics to cook meals for visitors from all over the world.

James Stewart, 50, of Ramshaw Drive, is working for catering company Sodexo Prestige, which is due to cook 13 million plates of food at the Olympics and another eight million at the Paralympics.

Ayrshire-born Mr Stewart, who moved to Skipton 14 years ago, will be cooking Caribbean food for the Olympic guests.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” he said. “I’ve done a lot of big events, but this will be the biggest one I do in my life.”

Mr Stewart, who was head chef at Hanover International Hotel before it became the Rendezvous, is now a freelance chef and has built up quite a reputation over the years after training at the Mayfair Hotel in London.

He has prepared meals for the Royal family and a Saudi Arabian prince and has been a chef at prestigious events such as the Open Championship, Grand National, Royal Ascot and Chelsea Flower Show.

However, Mr Stewart does all he can to remain grounded, saying: “I’m still one of the boys, no matter if I’m head chef.”

He also gives a lot of credit to his wife of 14 years Pauline, who, he said, had been his “rock and the best person in his life”.