Adam Ball - Behind the Apron
- julia-brown7
- Apr 1, 2024
- 3 min read
You may remember Adam from 2023's Masterchef where he stepped out of his comfort zone and went on to impress the judges with his transition from bricklaying to layering and combining flavours which got him to the quarterfinals. When you have the likes of previous winners saying that they want to face plant your food, it's fair to say that you're doing something right. He wanted to showcase his personality through his cooking and he absolutely delivered that in spades. I had the pleasure of asking Adam to take part in my Behind the Apron series which he has kindly agreed to so enjoy hearing from Adam below!
My name is Adam Ball and I run a series of supper clubs in Bristol and Bath and absolutely love it. I run a different menu every time but the one consistent is that everything on the menu is completely gluten free. I have done Spanish menus, Italian menus and I now have a gluten free fried chicken and waffles pop up called Frankie's running for the next couple of months in different locations.
Q&A
What's your earliest cooking / food memory?
My earliest cooking memory is making cakes with my gran when I was about 6, I remember I used to eat a lot of the mix before getting it into the oven. I still enjoy making all sorts of desserts now, but I don't eat the mixture any more.
What is your go to comfort food & does it hold any significance?
My go to comfort food is fried chicken and waffles, me and my wife travelled to America a lot and I would always order it everywhere we went. I find not many places in England make good fried chicken and waffles. So I've stepped up and made them gluten free as well.
What's your favourite kitchen hack or cooking tip you think every cook should know?
My favourite kitchen tip is to learn how to make a really tasty purée, I use them in most dishes. It's a great way of tying dishes together and getting great flavours into the dish.
Have you had any kitchen fails and what was the worst one?
My kitchen fail, happened on my first supper club, I was making a zeppole, stuffed with butternut squash purée sat on a carrot sauce. I made the zeppole way too early and it dried out. The next supper club I made a variation of the dish and it was so good.
Is there a mentor or role model that has inspired you throughout your career?
I would say my role model is James Martin, such an all round chef and knows pretty much everything about everything in the kitchen. Just like James I strive to not just cook one style of food.
Where do you draw inspiration from for your dishes?
I draw inspiration from things I love to eat. If I can imagine how it should taste I can usually make it without any recipes.
If you could host a dinner party for any guest, who would they be and what would you cook for them?
I would love to cook for my dad, he passed away when I was in my early 20's and before I discovered how much I loved cooking. I think he would really love my cooking style.
What are your favourite ingredients to cook with?
My favourite ingredients change all the time and with the seasons, at the moment coming into spring I absolutely love making a broad bean and walnut pesto to accompany my zeppole that is sat on top of a whipped lemon, garlic ricotta and served with crispy prosciutto.
If you could give your younger self a piece of advice what would it be?
My advice for my younger self is to keep things exactly the same, as I am so happy with my life now, beautiful wife who supports me, two crazy children who keep me young and just starting off a career I absolutely love. Maybe I would tell my younger self to invest in apple products though.
What would be your death row meal and if you could choose which restaurant it would be at, where would it be?
My death row meal would 100% be the all you can eat Bacchanal buffet in Caesers Palace, Las Vegas. I love the combination of surf and turf and these guys serve king crab legs along side some of the best steaks in the world. Then the desserts of salted caramel goodness is always a winner. Plus I think I've just found a clause flaw in the last meal as it doesn't end.
留言