National Chef appointed

A National Chef has been appointed to help take forward plans to make Scotland a Good Food Nation, not only in terms of produce but also what people buy, serve and eat.

Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy Fergus Ewing has announced that the winner of BBC Masterchef: The Professionals 2016, Gary Maclean has been appointed as Scotland’s first National Chef.

The appointment of Mr Maclean, a Senior Chef Lecturer at the City of Glasgow College, will deliver a key Programme for Government commitment to promote locally sourced, locally produced food and drink.

National Chef Gary Maclean said:

"As a passionate advocate for cooking fresh, nutritious and locally sourced food, I am absolutely delighted to be appointed Scotland’s first National Chef. I'm sure my passion for education will also help to promote the benefits that Scottish produce can have on a healthy diet and will help to change our relationship with locally sourced and produced food.”

During a visit to Grassmarket Community Café with Minister for Public Health, Aileen Campbell, Mr Ewing said:

“The appointment of Gary Maclean as our National Chef will play a central role in celebrating the rich larder of produce that we have available and advocate the use of locally sourced, healthy, sustainable and affordable food.

“Scotland’s food and drink sector is a global success story and one of the main contributors to our economy. We want to build upon this success by becoming a world leading Good Food Nation where nutritious, fresh and environmentally sustainable food is a key part of what makes people proud of their country and Gary will play a leading role in delivering this ambition.”

Minister for Public Health Aileen Campbell said:

“The National Chef will play an important role in delivering our healthy nation ambitions. As well as demonstrating how the selection, cooking and enjoyment of nutritious food contributes to a balanced and sustainable diet, Gary will also promote the benefits of healthy food for our physical, mental and social wellbeing.

Background

The 2017-18 Programme for Government (PfG) included a commitment to "appoint a National Chef to promote Scotland's produce and the associated health benefits".

The National Chef will increase awareness of the objectives of the Good Food Nation Policy – healthy, environmentally sustainable and affordable food for all with positive messages about the importance of cooking using locally sourced, Scottish, products.

Ministers invited Gary Maclean, currently a Senior Chef Lecturer at City of Glasgow College and the winner of BBC MasterChef: The Professionals 2016, to take on the role of the National Chef. The National Chef’s role will be to:

• Celebrate the rich larder of produce that Scotland has available;
• Advocate the use of locally sourced, healthy, sustainable and affordable food – and cooking meals raw from these ingredients - to the food and drink industry (including hospitality), general public, young people and communities through their practices, social media, and events;
• Demonstrate the preparation of locally produced healthy, sustainable, affordable cooking to the food and drink industry (including hospitality), general public, young people and communities through their practices, social media, and events e.g. cooking for Ministers, Royal Highland Show, Tourism Week;
• Demonstrate how the selection of nutritious food, how it is cooked and enjoyed contributes to a balanced diet and physical, mental and social wellbeing;
• Celebrate the great work being carried out in communities to encourage healthy, sustainable diets and the use of locally sourced produce, with potential to develop further the community chef movement to help address food insecurity;
• Celebrate the increasingly high standards of school meals and the work of school catering staff who continue to provide healthy, environmentally sustainable and affordable options.