Experience
2019 - 2019
Winner
Beat Bobby Flay
2014 - 2018
Culinary Director
Comfort 3 LLC and Murphy'sAtlanta, GA
2011 - 2018
Chef, Chef Consultant
Murphy's AtlantaAtlanta, GA
1999 - 2005
Executive Chef
BluePointe RestaurantAtlanta, GA
1995 - 1999
Executive Chef
Tom TomAtlanta, GA
1992 - 1995
Executive Chef
OpusLos Angeles, CA
Education
1980 - 1993
Bachelor of Arts, Hospitality Administration/Management
Highbury CollegePortsmouth, Hampshire, ENGLAND
Advice from Ian Winslade
Quotes about career path, skills, and teamwork from an industry leader.
I was very reluctant when I first started, shy and withdrawn.
I grew up in the countryside of England, and I truthfully thought I would always stay there. But I kept getting pushed by other people to get me out of my comfort zone, and it seems that I am a good leader, as opposed to a good follower. I was an Executive chef when I was 27, not because I really wanted to be, but because my path steered me that way.
Be able to access both sides of your brain.
You have to be creative and driven, but you also need to be a good business person, it’s so important now.
I have a profound love of striving for excellence in what I do, and while I’m not there yet, but when I look back I can see how far I have come.
To avoid burnout:
I take vacations. Realize that when everything goes pear shaped, tomorrow is a new day. And I drink a lot of good quality water!
There have been a million lessons throughout my career.
The most valuable lesson I’ve learned is that people can promise you the world, but you need to know if that promise is truly genuine before you commit your heart and soul into something!
Currently I am trying to teach myself Italian, so I’m all about anything that can help me - including podcasts.
I learned after becoming very ill that I must take care of myself.
My wife is very fit, and she has helped me get myself into the best shape of my adult life. I go to bed as early as possible and I get up and exercise early in the morning. I cycle around 100 miles a week and do Pilates 4-5 times a week.
Covid was devastating for our industry.
But boy did we learn how to make fast and continual change because of it.
No idea is a bad idea, and everyone is free to express what they think and feel.
Chefs need to keep producing beautiful cookbooks.
We eat with our eyes, and even though books and magazines are disappearing, the visual impression of a beautiful plate can be breathtaking.
The one thing I can’t live without in order to do your job is my vacuum, such an incredible invention!
By supporting the local farmers here in Georgia, I continue to educate myself through their beautiful produce needed to make innovative food.
Traveling, reading, looking at Instagram – inspiration is everywhere!
My wife is my strongest source of inspiration, I always want her to be proud of what I do.
By giving my team a voice, creatively, business wise and accountability wise, I keep them motivated.
When hiring I look for the ability to work in a team-oriented environment.
We are all working together to achieve a common goal, and no one person is any more important than another.
A stage is such a powerful tool to use when assessing talk in people, the proof is in the pudding!
I believe that diversity has had a great effect on me!
When I started, it was dominated by men, mostly European, often pretentious, like being part of some old boy network. Now I am proud to say that I work with more women than men, and that we represent a multi-national, multicultural group of people that are all dynamic!
For better or worse, this is the only career I have ever had.
When I left school, I really wanted to get into automotive engineering, but I lacked the qualifications to get there, I was a poor student.
So I fell into cooking by chance, by working in a friend’s country inn in the summer.
Every job has impacted my career!
You never stop learning, and if you think you have, you need to take a good introspection of yourself.
A piece of advice that has stuck with me was from Gilbert Le Coze:
your palate can only recognize three distinct flavors, so use that to create great food.
Roles in Culinary
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