Growing up in a small Welsh town called Port Talbot, life was more about steelworks rather than cooking. For Paul Howells, he described this as being pretty industrial and grim, and thanks his family for introducing him to the culinary world.
“My mother was and still is a brilliant cook, amazing bread, pies, braises and desserts. The kitchen was the epicentre of the house, and you could smell what she was making as soon as I got off the school bus.”
Howells said that it was unsurprising that his elder brother, Michael, became a chef, and would become head chef at a yacht club in the south of England at the age of 19. Paul was given summer work there, hulling strawberries, and top and tailing green beans for hours on end. It was work he loved, and as he said, was far better than the paper rounds his friends were doing.
“By the time I was 16, I was running larder. It came fairly naturally to me. Obviously, my brother was a big mentor. There was no nepotism, however, and I was shouted at just like any other chef. This was 1987, kitchens were tough and highly volatile,” added Howell.
Howell is now the head chef at Twenty Seven Steps in Christchurch, where he said the food is inspired by a rustic European flavour.
“I was heavily influenced by a restaurant I worked in in Galway, west Ireland. Simple tasty food with a lack of pretence. Everything on the plate, complete dishes, without paying for extras. We’ve stuck to that principle since we began. Our consistency sets us apart to a certain extent, always the same but always different if that makes sense.”
Howell also said that he gets inspiration from his colleagues in the kitchen, especially when they come up with a new dish.
He also noted that massive price increases in food, lack of adequately trained staff, and the number of diners are all facing a steady decline.
“The lack of specialist chefs is my biggest concern at present, no bakers no decent dessert chefs. The lack of decent personnel is also driving up wages as people are asking for a lot more than their experience justifies. It’s been a constant battle since the pandemic.”
A sister bar to Twenty Seven Steps has been opened by Howell, called “Downstairs,” and he has been busy designing a new menu for that. Howell considered this to be one of his career highlights. He said that Downstairs has been gaging a lot of his interest of recent, but one goal of his for the future would be to reach the cuisine's top ten, which is certainly a focus for him.
Howell said that anyone wanting to start in the industry will need to be prepared for long hours, weekend work, and working on public holidays as well. However, he noted that it is a fun industry too, and that collecting as much industry knowledge as possible is a great start.
Imagery by Kate Claridge.
