He was one of four chefs chosen by Sodexo’s food and innovation director, David Mulcahy, to work alongside Aussignac at this annual event in London’s Regents Park, which ran from June 14-18, and the chefs spent a day before the event at Aussignac’s kitchen at Club Gascon learning about the insect-inspired dishes he had created specifically for the event.
These were crunchy grapes: fresh seedless grapes coated with some multi seeds and locust; crispy risotto: silky black classic risotto coveted with some pop wild rice and tenebrio; crackling lemon posset: lemon custard served with a transparent tuile of wood ants; and crusty corn: a fried lamb sweetbread in a batter of popcorn and chapuline.
Hussey said: “Cooking alongside Pascal was one of the highlights of my career. I found the experience thoroughly enjoyable. Insects are a food of the future and a sustainable protein source too. It was interesting to see how he was using the insects in a modern British, French-style of cooking and by doing so he is helping to legitimise their use in modern cookery.
“Taste of London offered the opportunity to showcase insects to the wider public and hopefully convince them that insects are acceptable and a tasty addition to their meals. The benefits they offer make them something to consider as they are high in protein but also low in calories and on top of that they are sustainable. I will be sharing my experience with my fellow chefs at Sodexo and maybe in the not so distant future we will look to incorporate insects into some of our menus.”
Hussey, who has worked for Sodexo for four years, was previously Sodexo’s executive head chef at Eton College, and joined Sodexo’s corporate services team as executive development chef in May 2017. Over the last year he has won the Unit Chef of the Year award at Sodexo’s annual Star Awards and the coveted title of Sodexo Chef of the Year 2017.