Out and About
5th November 2025
There is often a shared history going back to the very beginning of CIS, when we meet up for a few pints, and a blether to put the world to right.
As we did last night up the top of Union Street at The Archibald Simpson, a former bank, by The Castlegate in Aberdeen, although the Castlehill Barracks were knocked down in 1965, the year of my birth and replaced with two blocks of high-rise flats with stunning views over to the harbour and beyond.
Robert and I reminisced about “Big Paul” or “Number one” as we affectionately knew him when he completed placements on relief for perhaps 15 years in total including the first ever relief job that I knocked out to Tongue Hotel, which was part of the group with Bridge of Orchy (BOO) and the Inverbeg Hotel, and as seems like it has for perpetuity, they were missing a Sous Chef and Paul headed up for a few weeks, before his second stint at Lochmaddy Hotel.
CIS didn’t charge for that first ever relief job, in fact we were called Skye Recruitment in that first year when the business took off in 2000, before changing to Chefs In Scotland in 2001 when I was still doing a couple of nights a week in the Isles in Portree on Skye.
Other chefs we chatted about were Sebastien Schoeder who worked with Robert at Onich Hotel (01855 815214) just to the south of Fort William, when Robert would call up the office on Skye to request Big Paul on relief for a few weeks.
Robert took on the Head Chef position at Thainstone House some time back, perhaps in the late 2000’s and moved over to Aberdeenshire where he has remained working since.
Adam has met up the last two times I have been up including yesterday and although, we have only met twice now in person, with the shared history of hotels and people, there is a strong connection.
We talked and drank a couple of pints, and a couple more for the road, all four of us chatting and listening and being part of a strong bond, created and forged in the sometimes wonderful and sometimes not world of Scottish Hospitality.
Ideas, like recipes, are bandied about, such as the “Monday Club” where like-minded hospitality people, or relations, or friends or associates can meet or be connected in someway to provide and mental support that this community of shared experiences can create.
Waking up just off the Lang Stracht this morning, a little later than usual, but not in the gutter, I got thinking about Phil Smith’s email address which contained the words “wide awake”.
There will be other thoughts and ideas and maybe nothing will come of it, bit I quite like the idea and the sound and ring of the words:
“The Wide- Awake Club”
Not a business and not my initial idea and be interesting to see what anyone else thinks.
No need to repost the photo of the slightly tipsy friends last night again, so will try and find another of Aberdeen, the city of my birth.
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