As a talented young chef, Michael Caines trained in Exeter, England, before moving to France to learn from the wisdom of culinary greats including Raymond Blanc, Bernard Loiseau and Joël Robuchon. Returning to England, at age 25 he took up the role of head chef of Gidleigh Park in Devon. But just two weeks after he began, his life was turned upside down by a horrific car accident that resulted in the loss of his right arm. Many chefs would have found it virtually impossible to rise from such a challenge but, for Michael, it merely put his life in perspective. Two weeks later he was back in the kitchen. Five years later he had earned Gidleigh Park a second Michelin star. Seven years later he was named Chef of the Year at the Catey Awards. And 12 years later he was awarded an MBE for services to the hospitality industry. Now 41, and still head chef at Gidleigh Park as well as the Royal Clarence in Exeter, Michaelcontinues to chase his dreams with as much passion as ever.
It wasn’t really anything to do with cooking. I always grew up wanting to be in the military, which was probably due to my love of the outdoors.
You were adopted into a very big family – were they an influence on your career?
I was the youngest of six children and my family life was a huge influence. Being such a large family, we had big gatherings around the table at meal times. The table really became a focal point. I used to love sitting around the table listening to stories being told. My parents were both teachers and, while we didn’t want
for anything, to make ends meet we used to grow a big garden and cultivate our own vegetables. We all had our pocket-money errands to do and I really enjoyed cooking and helping my mother in the kitchen. Eventually I was allowed to cook for the family on my own.
You’re a great advocate for educating a child’s palette at a young age – were you introduced to interesting tastes as a child?
Definitely. My parents grew up at the end of World War II in a culture where food was a precious commodity that you wouldn’t waste. So in our family, we had that culture of ‘you eat what you are given’. I remember trying things like offal and liver and brains and being forced to eat my vegetables. As young children we were very much encouraged to try new things and it was a good discipline. It’s important for children to see food as a luxury rather than a disposable commodity and to know where it’s come from.
What has been your greatest challenge?
Well, the most obvious challenge to point to would be the loss of my limb in a car crash but, when I look back, it’s easy to overlook the overall challenges in my life. The loss of my arm was a great challenge, without a doubt, but then the whole pursuit to be the best has in itself been an extremely difficult challenge. It’s really about perseverance and your strength of character to continue working and to follow your dreams. You work incredibly hard in the cheffing industry and I’d worked really hard up until a certain point in my career and then, at 25, I had a horrific accident that resulted in the loss of my limb. After that, everything to that point and all the challenges I had paled in significance. What made you not give up? Since that day of the accident, my life was put in perspective. It gave me the spirit to keep going, to try, and to overcome adversity. I benchmark everything back to that now and think, well, if I can overcome that, I can overcome anything. Most of the challenges I meet now I know that if I’ve got the right mindset and the right determination, I can do anything.
What has been your greatest achievement?
One of the things about triumphing over adversity is that you end up breaking your life down into small steps. There have been so many little steps of achievement along the way that even small things become big achievements. Obviously, the measurable ones that are easy to highlight would be achieving a second Michelin star and achieving Chef of the Year at the Cateys, and recently achieving an MBE. But also becoming a father is a huge achievement as well and it puts life into perspective. I’ve been very privileged to live the life I’ve lived so far and I think it’s important to celebrate your achievements, no matter how small or big they are. Things like learning how to fillet fish again or getting back into the kitchen and overcoming the physical barriers were such important steps for me. My biggest fear when I had the accident was that I would somehow lose the opportunity to follow my dreams. But having worked so hard to get to where I was, I wasn’t about to give up!
What is success to you?
I think a lot of people see other people’s successes as things that are more incredible than their own achievements. But there’s a wonderful poem that says that success is like tending to a garden, or growing a plant, or creating a lovely family. Success for me is anything you do well. People are so obsessed with measuring success based on money, but there’s also the success of doing things well, even if it’s by caring for others or by creating opportunities for others. Giving back is equally as successful as taking things for yourself. I could have lost my life at 25 and I didn’t, so I think every day that I live now is given as an extra and I should try to fulfil it as best I can and be positive all the time.
What do you think the impact of Climate Change will have on your industry over the next decade?
It will have a massive effect. I think the second-biggest challenge for the UK, aside from not becoming fuel-dependent on other countries, is not becoming food dependent. We need to rely less on imports and more on sustainable food sources. We’re realising that overproduction is bad and that we need to get the balance right in what we produce and what we’re eating. We need to eat more with the seasons and return to a more sustainable approach where we value what we are eating and where it’s come from. Climate Change will dramatically affect our ability to extract food from the land. We’ve taken food for granted for so long and we waste around 30% of all of the food that we buy.
How has food become such a worthless commodity when 50 years ago people were queuing for it?
As a leading member of my industry I think I have a responsibility to inspire and ensure that the next generation takes up these issues. After receiving two Michelin stars, how do you deal with the pressure to maintain them and to constantly innovate? I think the maintaining is about the striving, ambition and vision to achieve more. I think perfection is something that you strive for rather than achieve – to have two stars is great, but we want to achieve a third. If you stand still, before you know it people have caught up to you. In any walk of life you need to push yourself to be better and to push the boundaries and be innovative.
Who inspires you?
All of the chefs I’ve worked for have inspired me in different ways, but I guess my mentor chef, who has become an inspiration and a personal friend, is Raymond Blanc. He’s helped me tremendously through the challenges of my career and his passion for food, now as it was then, is just as strong. I’m so fond of him and so respectful of his achievements.
What inspires you?
Where do I start – everything inspires me! Life around me, the fact that I can walk outside and enjoy the countryside, culture and the culture of people, food, wine and everything that celebrates life. I think every day is a celebration of how wonderful the world is. I also love eating out in other people’s restaurants and enjoying their talents.
What is your dream now?
Professionally, it’s to get a third Michelin star. Personally, it’s to get a better work-life balance and to take the time to enjoy life and the love around me. What are your words of wisdom? Live life to the full, take the opportunities that come along and make the most of them. Be as successful as you can in your own wellbeing rather than measuring yourself against others.