Phil Howard: Don't Forget The Pursuit of Pleasure

Phil Howard is a chef who likes to get down to business and a chef who isn’t apologetic about the pursuit of pleasure.

In fact, he spent most of his time presenting at this year’s Food on The Edge symposium on that very matter.

In an honest speech, Howard admits that as a chef and a person he’s not philosophical, he’s not inquisitive, analytical, or very strategic. The chef then goes on to speak about the huge changes that have happened in cooking in the past 10 years and ponders the questions of how his ‘old school’ style fits in with all of this.

It’s a wonderfully honest talk and one that’s refreshing to hear. In a world of cooking that can easily be overrun by stories, philosophies and concepts - Howard anchors everything in a pursuit of pleasure, flavour, richness and simplicity of wonderful classical cooking techniques.

He says he’s never been cool, cheap or cutting edge and then goes on to explain his philosophy of food - one that’s probably something every young chef should consider. 

See More Great Speeches from Food on The Edge.