Usually for our Movers & Shakers section, we cast our net outside of Penta and interview someone who has caught our attention and is doing great things in their field. This month we made a bit of an exception and had a chat to someone from within Penta who is doing GREAT things and definitely deserves a shout out. As our executive head chef of over 12 years, John King has been a key player in our #PENTAGIVES initiative and is the brains behind the menu in each of our hotels. Read on to learn a bit more about John and to get an expert opinion on the ongoing pizza vs. burgers debate.
Penta: What do you think of garden gnomes?
John: Love the scary little things.
P: Where do you feel most at home? Where is your ‘hood’?
J: The place that I feel most at home is, of course, in the kitchen!
P: Tell us about a project that is keeping you busy in this period.
J: I always have a lot of projects to keep me busy. Over the last few months I have been working on the new soup recipes for this year’s #PENTAGIVES initiative. And for the next few months I’ll be focusing on our new, companywide sustainable breakfasts as well as keeping our à la carte menu up to date.
P: Who are your role models?
J: Anton Edelman, Marco Pierre White, Jean Christoph Novelle and of course my boss Andrew Munt :)
P: You have ten seconds to tell our readers why they should check you out.
J: Don’t check out me – check out my food! You can explore the menu for every Penta location on the Eat & Drink page and we’ve even included the recipes for a few favourites for you to try at home. Or better yet, head into your local Pentalounge (if you can of course) and try one of the soups that are being served for #PENTAGIVES. I created three different soup recipes for the campaign that will be available this winter and when you order one, a bowl of soup will be donated to someone in the local community. Although I cook high standard cuisine, I also love to cook comfort food that people really enjoy, and in my opinion, nothing beats a good bowl of soup.
P: Who is the last person you called?
J: My mother.
P: Pizza or burgers?
J: Definitely burgers! You can’t beat our Penta burger.
