A chef who his a self-confessed Luddite has taken the giant leap into the world of live video streaming to answer questions about cooking.
Lloyd Kenny is a chef at the Cluny Bank Hotel on St Leonard’s Road, which he owns and runs with his wife Julia. However, he doesn’t own a mobile phone, tablet, laptop or computer, and says the only gadget he needs is an egg timer.
However, under lockdown conditions, and without touching a button, he has allowed the general public an ‘unprecendented’ access into his world via Facebook Live.
With the hotel closed, Lloyd is producing cooked meals by mail order through ecommerce network of their meat supplier Macbeths butchers.
Dessert menu
Julia set up the live stream to give customers the in-house experience they missed from dining in. The restaurant with rooms is famed for its ‘dessert narration’ by Lloyd, who comes out of the kitchen to eloquently describe the last course for every table individually.
Julia said: “Lloyd really is a technophobe, but I’m the opposite, and I’ve been racking my brains to think about how I could get him to do something on video, partly to advertise our meals, but also to help Lloyd see something of the outside world.
“But stick a camera in his face and he won’t play ball, so I came up with the idea of sitting him down at my computer and using the webcam. With a bit of software, it also meant that he would be able to see people on the other end, and he would be able to treat it like a face-to-face conversation.”
Lloyd answered questions for about an hour from past customers, and people who wanted some of his expert cooking tips.
Egg timer
“I don’t know how it works, but it was nice to see my customers on the screen and interact with them. I hate technology. I think it’s a huge distraction. The closest thing I have to a computer is my egg timer. The people on the other end had some good questions and I love sharing my cooking tips so it was a really enjoyable.
“We ended up having a ‘debate’ about whether cream or jam should go on a scone first, and no-one could agree, so nothing new there!”
Lloyd revealed that his favourite chefs are Gordon Ramsay and Michel Roux, and that his favourite eating out experiences are always when he eats with friends regardless of where he is or what he eats.
Julia added: “I think I thought Lloyd would narrate a dessert just like he does in the restaurant, but it turned into a Q&A, and I’m quite please with how it went.”
“I think we’ll definitely do it again. I was nervous about running the live stream because Lloyd hates technology, but it went well and there was a constant stream of questions for about an hour before we wrapped it up.
“The pre-cooked meals have really taken off. We’re lucky to have the distribution network of Macbeths, but customers come here for the ambience, so it was just an idea to bring that to them in their own homes.
Keep an eye on the Facebook page for the next show!