Having just returned from an inspirational trip to New York the head chef at Hilton Manchester Deansgate stepped out of the kitchen and chatted to MM about his trip, celebrity fans and plans for the future.
Award-winning chef David Gale has just returned from his first trip to The Big Apple in nine years brimming with ideas on how to improve the dining experience for Hilton customers.
This desire to improve as a chef started at the tender age of 16 when David, originally from Manchester, moved to London to pursue a career as a chef.
Despite working under legendary chef Nico Ladenis and for Roger Moore in London, as well as opening hotels across the United States and England, his latest trip left him describing New York as a city ‘obsessed with food’.
David said: “I had a fantastic trip, it was amazing to see how the city had changed since I was there last year.
“What I find incredible about New York and America is that out there food is very much part of the fashion industry – it is all about being fashionable.”
He describes a New York that is a far cry from the run-down streets with the odd hot dog vendor you might imagine; instead David speaks of a city where food lies around every corner.
Some streets have closed lanes off in order to create public eating spaces, and perhaps more remarkably banks are lending their lobby space to the same cause.
David continued: “There are all sorts of new trends since I was last there nine years ago.
“Indian food has taken off, as has wine, when I left people only drank beer and hard liquors.”
Speaking to the head chef, it soon became clear that this was a man who really loves what he does – food is a passion not just a job.
David has set up hotels across America and has also worked in Miami, San Francisco, Las Vegas and New York.
One place he treasured during his time in New York was Soho House, a private member’s club and hotel, which he opened in Manhattan’s meatpacking district.
David said: “When we first opened Soho House the meatpacking district was rundown, there wasn’t much there and we were advised not to go out in the area at night.
“Nowadays thousands of people are out at night, it’s great to think that Soho House played a part in lifting the area from where it was to the vibrant district it is today.
“To have left a legacy in a city as big as New York is incredible.”
The private member’s club is hugely popular in New York having hosted one of Beyoncé’s legendary birthday parties and an episode of Sex and the City.
But being a celebrity doesn’t guarantee you automatic entry, as pop sensation and business mogul Jennifer Lopez found out when she was once refused entry to the club.
The trip was aimed at finding inspiration from a city obsessed with food, and the dedicated-diner left no stone unturned as he ate at 22 restaurants in just one week.
David explained: “I ate at some fantastic restaurants and had some incredible food.
“Some of the stand outs were the Old Homestead, which is 130 years old and Danielle’s, which has three Michelin stars and was probably the best dining experience of my life.”
The chef listed the food market in Union Square on Wednesdays and Fridays as ‘unbelievable’, and revealed that you can now get almost anything, from cheesecake to pulled pork, from street-side vendors.
For a man who loves New York so much the decision to return to Manchester nine years ago may seem an odd one.
He said: “It was a joy cooking in America – I wouldn’t swap my experiences there for anything.
“However I had my thirtieth birthday out there and knew it was time to come home, I wanted to buy a house and settle down.”
David has now been at the Hilton for five years and is a part of the framework there, however life could have panned out differently on his return from the states.
He added: “When I came back to Manchester nine years ago the Hilton was just about to open.
“I had opened up many successful hotels and figured that it was a great opportunity to get straight to work but they turned me down saying I didn’t have the right experience.
“I set up the City Inn, now called the Doubletree, in Piccadilly instead and it was a great success.”
Three years after the Hilton turned David down, and following the success of the City Inn, Gale was approached by the Hilton Hotel and asked to take the role as head chef.
David added “It was funny really, a few years earlier they hadn’t wanted me.
“Having said that I’m glad I took this job, I love the hotel and am really proud of the iconic building which, love it or hate it, is an asset to the city.”
The head chef is clearly more than content with life at the Hilton and also looks back fondly on his time in the States, so when we asked him who is it easier to cook for. Brits or Americans, his answer was unsurprisingly coy.
David said: “The British are more traditional with the food they choose so I would have to say Americans as they are more willing to try new foods.
“On the other hand Americans can be very awkward, they know what they want and they aren’t afraid to ask!”
Looking to the future David, now 39, revealed his plans for the Hilton.
He said: “We are pushing ahead with designs for food to be introduced at Cloud23.
“Though it won’t be a restaurant, more like high end bar food, it will be great to be able to come down on a Sunday afternoon to chill out with a spectacular view over the city.”
“To have food served on the 23rd floor of a hotel would be a great achievement.”
The ground floor Podium restaurant is also due to be revamped.
He revealed: “It hasn’t been decorated in seven years, so we are looking at getting that done soon.
“The trip to New York introduced me to many new trends and you can be sure that some of these will come to the surface in Podium’s revamp.”
For more information about The Hilton and the menus on offer click here.
Picture courtesy of The Hilton, with thanks
For more on this story and many others, follow Mancunian Matters on Twitter and Facebook.
