Douglas McMaster, an award-winning chef and founder of the UK’s first zero-waste restaurant SILO, has joined forces with Champagne Charles Heidsieck as part of a unique event series. Maverick Encounters will be a celebration of pioneering innovators who share the ethos of its legendary founder, ‘Champagne Charlie’.
McMaster’s ground-breaking initiative to launch a commercially viable, completely waste-free restaurant using sustainable ingredients and production processes has led to him being chosen as a Maverick by Charles Heidsieck and launch the first of the new season of ‘Maverick Encounters’ events, taking place at SILO in Brighton on Weds 16 May.
Douglas will be joined at the event by Charles Heidsieck’s Executive Director Stephen Leroux, and together they will explore a well-kept gastronomic secret: unexpected yet excellent pairing of champagne, bread and butter! As part of a masterclass they will offer guests the chance to taste SILO’s famous sustainable sourdough alongside seasoned butters with an assortment of exquisite and carefully paired Charles Heidsieck cuvées. The immersive evening will culminate in a bespoke, entirely waste-free, four-course tasting menu prepared by McMaster and paired with a selection of Charles Heidsieck champagnes.
The evening will offer the opportunity to enjoy Charles Heidsieck’s most celebrated and awarded cuvees in the company of gastronomic experts and innovators.
Following the workshop and dinner, guests will be able to take home their bespoke, hand-blended and seasoned butters and a loaf of SILO’s famous sustainable sourdough. Proceeds from ticket sales will be donated by Charles Heidsieck to Douglas’ latest crowdfunding project – a new process to reduce waste by turning glass back into sand.
The Maverick Encounters event series is a celebration of those who push boundaries, buck traditional trends and thrive in the face of adversity – embodying all the characteristics that reflect the House’s innovative founder, Charles-Camille Heidsieck.
Each intimate workshop offers an exclusive opportunity to meet some of the UK’s most innovative and game-changing entrepreneurs, artisans and craftspeople, while experiencing a hands-on masterclass and champagne tasting from one of the world’s most respected champagne houses.
Previous participating Mavericks have included: expert tailor Joshua Kane, cutting edge premium knife-makers Blenheim Forge, papercut artist and illustrator Poppy Chancellor, fine dining extraordinaire Paul Askew and mould-breaking custom jewellers The Workbench.
Doug McMaster is a chef and founder of Silo, the UK’s first zero-waste restaurant in Brighton, as well as Executive Chef of the recently opened CUB in Hoxton, London.
Doug began his career at a restaurant called Winteringham Fields, then a 2 Michelin star restaurant in the north of England. From there, he moved to London to work at St. John, which became the true foundation of his career. This was followed by a food pilgrimage, doing work experience in the world’s best restaurants, such as the Fat Duck and Noma. After working his way through Australia’s best restaurants, he founded a pop-up restaurant concept called ‘Wasted’ in both Melbourne and Sydney.
In 2009, Douglas won the ‘BBC Young Chef of the Year Award’ before opening the doors of Silo in 2014, the UK’s first zero-waste restaurant, lovingly designed from back to front, always with the bin in mind. Doug and his team successfully eliminate the production of waste by choosing to trade directly with farmers, using reusable crates and other delivery vessels, as well as local ingredients that themselves generate no waste. Any scraps and trimmings from the cooking or leftover food go straight into the restaurant’s on-site compost machine, generating up to 60kg of compost in just 24 hours, in-turn going back to the farmers, helping to produce more food, successfully closing the loop. Two years after opening, Silo won the prestigious Observer Food Monthly award for ‘Most Ethical Restaurant’.
Charles Heidsieck was founded in 1851 by the legendary Champagne Charlie himself. He was a dashing figure in Champagne, known as a stylish gentleman and dandy who travelled extensively selling his champagnes to the royal courts of Europe and American high society.
He famously invested in the underground Cathedral-like chalk cellars under Reims, originally dug out by the Romans 2000 years ago. These are still used today to house all the Charles Heidsieck champagnes as they age. These are recognised by industry experts as top of their class and have won many accolades, including the award of Sparkling Winemaker of the Year fifteen times at the International Wine Challenge (IWC).
Brighton’s first Maverick Encounters comes to SILO, 39 9 Upper Gardner Street BN1 4AN, on Weds 16 May 2016 (6pm – 10pm)
