James Sommerin (born c. 1978
in
Caerleon
Caerleon (; cy, Caerllion) is a town and community in Newport, Wales. Situated on the River Usk, it lies northeast of Newport city centre, and southeast of Cwmbran. Caerleon is of archaeological importance, being the site of a notable Roman ...
) is a former
Michelin-starred
The Michelin Guides ( ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The Guide awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few establishments. The acquisition or loss of a ...
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
chef.
Born in
Caerleon
Caerleon (; cy, Caerllion) is a town and community in Newport, Wales. Situated on the River Usk, it lies northeast of Newport city centre, and southeast of Cwmbran. Caerleon is of archaeological importance, being the site of a notable Roman ...
,
Sommerin
baked
Baking is a method of preparing food that uses dry heat, typically in an oven, but can also be done in hot ashes, or on hot stones. The most common baked item is bread but many other types of foods can be baked. Heat is gradually transferre ...
with his grandmother on Saturdays as a child. Determined to become a chef, his father secured the 12-year-old Sommerin's first Saturday job in an Italian restaurant in the hope of dissuading his son from getting into the industry, but the job only served to convince Sommerin of his vocation.
After school he undertook formal cookery training. Sommerin's first full-time job cooking was as a commis chef at the Cwrt Bleddyn Hotel,
Llangybi.
Then, aged 16, he headed to the Farleyer House Hotel in
Aberfeldy, Scotland
Aberfeldy ( gd, Obar Pheallaidh) is a burgh in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, on the River Tay. A small market town, Aberfeldy is located in Highland Perthshire. It was mentioned by Robert Burns in the poem ''The Birks Of Aberfeldy''.
Etymolog ...
, where he trained further under Richard Lyth, who gave him his under-stated French style.
Returning to Wales to be closer to his family, Sommerin joined
The Crown at Whitebrook,
Monmouthshire in 2000 as Sous Chef. In December 2003 he became Executive Chef.
Under his control, The Crown at Whitebrook gained a
Michelin star in 2007,
which it retained for seven years until, due to financial difficulties, The Crown at Whitebrook ceased trading in March 2013.
Having been selected as one of the Chefs to Watch in 2008 by ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'',
Sommerin represented Wales in the 2009 final of the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
.
Married to Louise, the couple live in Penarth and have three daughters.