A head chef who lived through apartheid South Africa as a child and lost his father when he was just 10 years old is now taking Hoylake by storm thanks to his impressive culinary creations.
Darryn Jones, 36, is the head chef at 21st Amendment, where he serves up small plates and Sunday roasts that are proving popular with customers. The speakeasy style restaurant and bar has been popular since opening in The Quadrant in Hoylake, with the quality of food and drink being praised by diners.
The restaurant's kitchen team was selected by award-winning local chef, Sam Creedon. Having mentored Darryn at other restaurants, he immediately asked him to take on the role of head chef. Sam said: "When I was given the task of selecting the kitchen team at the new venue, Darryn was my first choice for head chef. He's worked for me for years and is an amazing chef - thoughtful, creative and highly skilled. The new menu has gone down a storm and we've been getting fantastic feedback and reviews."
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Darryn had a challenging upbringing in Durban, South Africa. He started his culinary career over 10 years ago as a dishwasher, before working his way up at Hoylake venues The Portrait House and The Quadrant then spending five years as the head chef at Monte Carlo.
He said: "I'm really proud of how far I've come - from dishwasher to head chef at a really high quality new eatery in Hoylake. I was born and raised in apartheid South Africa and that really shapes you as a person. It was horrible to grow up with and very traumatic as a young child watching the violence, but it's made me really strong and hard working.
"England has been really good to me and it's felt like coming home as my father, who passed away on Father's Day when I was 10, was originally from Liverpool. I've worked very hard since coming here, but I owe so much to Sam Creedon for sharing all his knowledge with me. I also owe a lot to my girlfriend, Emily, who's always believed in me. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be where I am today."
Darryn was given creative freedom when he was appointed head chef of 21st Amendment, which he has used to put together some imaginative dishes. Small plates on the menu include sticky chilli jam and honey pork belly, black tiger prawn tempura and Cheshire cheddar and leek croquettes. The Sunday roasts have become particularly popular, with many customers rating it as 'five star' on Facebook.
The roasts on offer include slow roasted Welsh lamb shoulder studded with garlic and rosemary, confit pork belly brushed with honey and Maldon sea salt with puffed crispy crackling, or Shropshire free range chicken roasted with Tarragon and lemon butter. There are also nut roasts available, along with a limited amount of beef tomahawks.
Darryn said: "I feel I'm now in a really good place. I've worked my way up from dishwasher and listened to everything Sam taught me - it feels great now to be reunited with him and be selected by him as head chef here. There's a saying I've come up with, 'reinventing the meal', and that's what I'm striving to do at 21st Amendment.
"It's a great honour to serve the people of Hoylake and get creative with my dishes. We're always rammed on Sundays as there's live football followed by live music in the evenings, but I like working under pressure. We've got a great kitchen team here and we all work well together. It feels amazing to get five star reviews from our customers."
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