MasterChef winner hopes Eastgate venture keeps Scottish food traditions alive
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Star chef Gary Maclean has shown his confidence in the revamped Eastgate Shopping Centre food zone by pinning his name to it.
New-look £2 million Inverness venture Loch & Larder's anchor offering will be Scottish Kitchen by Gary Maclean when it opens tomorrow.
Born in Glasgow, Mr Maclean is a multi-award-winning chef hailed as a major talent. Following a variety of head chef positions, he went on to be crowned MasterChef: The Professionals Champion in 2016.
In 2017, the Scottish Government announced that he was to become Scotland’s first national chef – a role he still holds today in promoting Scottish produce on the world stage and encouraging the domestic consumption of healthy, locally produced food.
His work in education has been widely recognised: he is a Fellow of the Master Chefs of Great Britain and the International Institute of Hospitality Management, and in 2019, he was inducted into the Scotland Colleges Hall of Fame. In 2021, he was also awarded the Mark Twain award by the St Andrew's Society of New York for his work on Scottish-American relations.
Recently, Gary launched his own seafood restaurant within Bonnie & Wild Food Hall, inside the newly opened St James Quarter shopping centre in Edinburgh.
Scottish Kitchen by Gary Maclean will be his second opening in Scotland, and is described as a casual dining experience that will celebrate the incredible produce our country has to offer.
“Scotland’s larder has some of the world’s most sought-after food," he said. "Its phenomenal beef, fish and shellfish are unrivalled – from langoustine to black puddings, from hot smoked salmon to Shetland mussels. With to-die-for flavour combinations, Scottish cooks have long known the pleasures of creating dishes that use superbly fresh, seasonal, and locally sourced produce. Scotland has been forged by centuries of influence from foreign lands, a changing landscape and weather, and this is reflected in the food we eat today.
“As a chef, educator, and food ambassador, I have been promoting Scottish food at home and abroad for over 30 years, serving the great and the good in the most wonderful locations all over the world and showcasing our produce and food traditions from Singapore to Los Angeles and everywhere in between. The more I travel, the prouder I become of my homeland.
“It is with this passion for celebrating Scotland’s larder that I am absolutely honoured to partner with Aramark in delivering something truly exceptional at Eastgate Shopping Centre.
“We’ll be championing Scottish produce and creating dishes that celebrate small and independent suppliers. I have always been a huge advocate of Scottish produce across the seasons, from shellfish to fresh berries, and I believe Scotland is the envy of Europe in terms of the quality of produce we have on our doorstep.
“My whole career I have been fascinated by the story of Scotland’s traditional foods, and I hope my partnership at Eastgate opens a small window into that world so that we can keep those traditions alive for generations to come.”
