#14 Douglas McMaster: ‘Bullying, Violence, Food waste – I saw it all in Michelin Star kitchens’

​Douglas McMaster is a pioneering British chef renowned for championing sustainable dining. His culinary journey includes tenures at esteemed establishments such as St. John, The Fat Duck, and Noma. In 2014 he opened the world's first zero-waste restaurant, Silo, initially established in Brighton and later relocated to London's Hackney Wick. Silo operates on a pre-industrial food system, utilizing techniques like fermentation, pickling, and preserving to ensure every ingredient is fully utilized. Beyond the kitchen, he shares his philosophy through public speaking engagements, including a TED Talk titled 'Waste Is a Failure of the Imagination,' and contributes as a faculty member at the MAD Academy, inspiring future culinary leaders to rethink food systems and sustainability.

In this episode we cover: 

A digression on our TEDx talks 

Being raised in a house without electricity 

What it means to feel psychologically ‘full’

How not feeling good enough can fuel you 

From pot-washer to chef at St John, The Fat Duck and Noma 

Why neurodivergence is so common in kitchens 

The risks that come with diverging from the norm 

World tour of restaurants that think differently 

What happens when someone sees potential in you and stokes it 

Why does waste exist and how to get rid of it? 

The best shortbread of his life 

What Douglas has been building with Silo 

Leading with creativity and innovation 

 Why there is no such thing as cheap food 

The power of storytelling for business 

Building a new system within a broken system 

Mentions:

Restaurants: St John’s, The Fat Duck, Noma

Joost Bakker - Australian zero-waste activist, artist and designer 

The One Straw Revolution - Masanobu Fukuoka

Links: 

https://www.instagram.com/mcmasterchef/
https://www.silolondon.com/