Chez Vous by Grady Atkins

Fresh from his various residencies in Cardiff, Grady Atkins is now offering Chez Vous by Grady Atkins, his dinner delivery service. It sounds very simple: a bespoke in-home multi-course course menu delivered within the Cardiff area, and with a wealth of experience and skill on show. It’s characteristic low-key but accomplished cooking from a well-travelled chef who cheerfully admits that his first experience of cooking was “burning a Kinder egg trying to melt it over the stove when I was 13”, and seems much more comfortable describing himself as a cook rather than a chef. Locally he is best known for his stint at Le Gallois, where he established his cooking as the most respected in the city, but his career has taken him from his native Sheffield to London, Paris, Sicily, Boston, Los Angeles and Hong Kong.

One thing has always remained a constant: a commitment to following the local seasons and the produce they offer.

In terms of style it’s the country cooking of France which is his current (and enduring) love so expect classic dishes which do one thing: to make the food taste of itself, to treat high-quality produce with the attention it deserves.

Once you have a reservation, and you have discussed your requirements, your menu will be delivered. All you need to do is some basic reheating, as your meal is pre-cooked for your convenience. Your menu will vary, depending on what you have agreed, but expect lavish puddings following hearty dishes which prize flavour and texture above all; food which demonstrates a masterful understanding of how to get the best out of carefully-selected ingredients from local butchers and growers.

Grady is certainly someone to follow on social media, especially as restrictions hopefully relax – and we very much look forward to his future plans.  In the meantime, this is a chance to eat meticulously sourced and prepared dishes in the comfort of your own home, and to enjoy the true skill of a vastly experienced chef. It’s not showy or flouncy cooking, but it is certainly memorable, and makes the best sort of impression.