James Thomson

In kitchen leadership, the progression from Head Chef to Executive Chef usually means two things at once: tighter standards on the pass and wider responsibility off it. James Thomson’s work followed that line at Hamilton Street Grill in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (from 2010), then at Atlas Steak + Fish Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, and later at Delta Hotels by Marriott Burnaby Conference Centre in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, where catering and restaurant operations sat alongside the kitchen itself.

Ownership changes the scale of the craft. With The Witchery and Prestonfield in Edinburgh, Scotland, James Thomson now works in a form of hospitality where room, service, and setting carry as much weight as the plate. Today Local product and seasonal memory sit close together in James Thomson’s thinking. The work, as he describes it, is not only technical; it is shaped by early tastes, by scent, and by the way certain ingredients stay in a cook’s head long after childhood.

“I used to pick it, dip it in sugar and eat it raw as a child.” “I’m constantly inspired by the team I am surrounded with, it is their growth and development that I get the most satisfaction from in my role. The bounty of local product at our fingertips in this region also inspires me greatly.” The point here is clear enough for any working kitchen: standards are maintained by people, and local product gives those standards a live edge.

James Thomson frames both as part of the same discipline. “I loved the theatre of it all and all the amazing aroma of the coffee beans, cheese, smoked gammon, teas and dirty earthy vegetables.” What is notable in that line is the sensory inventory. Aroma, produce, and the movement of a busy food space are what register first, before technique is even named.