SLICE OF THE ACTION

CHEF Errin Stone aka ‘Mr Slice’, the man behind the scrumptious innovations at the Al Riwaq Art Space café in Adliya, is helping ordinary folk cut a niche for themselves in the kitchen.

His series of workshops have helped wanna-be chefs to gain confidence cooking for family and friends and he is constantly on call should they suffer a crisis in confidence over a soggy soufflé or a sunken sponge.

Canadian Chef Errin, 45 from Ras Ruman said: “I ask people to talk to me about their food issues and hopefully I can find a quick way to resolve the problems. You don’t have to be a Michelin star chef to learn your way around a kitchen.

“I can open minds to explore the world of food.  In the workshops I try to explain that learning to cook is a creative exercise and an opportunity to feel the hunger of the people around you.”

When not in the kitchen, or simply grabbing a juicy shawarma for himself, Chef Errin is constantly bombarded by texted questions from students and fans.

He boasts more than 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry, which he entered to supplement his income while he was a student at a performing arts school. “I fell in love with it and as I moved from restaurant to restaurant I realised this is what I wanted to do forever.”

After running a restaurant in Jamaica In 1996 to 2005 called Mr Slice – an Italian pizzeria and restaurant on a seven-mile beach, he moved back to Canada until an opportunity came up in the Middle East.

The management of Al Riwaq invited him for an interview for the position of chef at the gallery’s new café. He was chosen from a shortlist of 15 candidates and started work at the venue last October.

Since then, there has been no looking back. He said: “With a couple of hitches along the way I found my way back into the kitchen.

“The company that owned the gallery approached me as they knew me from the Dolce Café where I had introduced a Mediterranean menu.

“I thought that since it was an art gallery featuring culinary arts, and I had a background with the school of arts, I could understand the concept and feel a part of the vision. Everything was in place for me here, and all I had to do was pick up the pieces and execute the plan.”

The gallery soon picked up a glowing reputation for the freshness of its salads, sandwiches and homemade-style desserts.

Chef Errin said his new post was helping him to develop and widen his culinary skills and knowledge, particularly in pastries. He said: “It is a different side of cooking – it has sensitivity, timing, finesse and the final wow-effect.”
 
Chef Errin is now looking forward to learning more about Middle Eastern cuisine. He said: “I have been doing my own research as well as working with other chefs who know the region better. I plan to help develop recipes to suit local tastes.

“We will be introducing Arabic sweets for the Holy Month of Ramadan. I am learning a lot and hopefully, one day, I will be able to make a nice biryani!”

Chef Errin shares one of his latest innovations with GulfWeekly readers.