Bringing her internal “library of Indian flavours” to one of Wales’ most revered seats of traditional French-style cooking, Simmie Vedi has revamped the menu at Bully’s in Cardiff while aiming to swerve the more toxic elements of kitchen culture, she tells Jonathan Swain.
Where does this come from, your love of food?
My dad was always cooking – and so well! The one thing I remember really distinctly from my childhood is that we never had bad-tasting food. Both my grandmothers could cook, so can mum… it was everywhere. Dad would do things my grandmother taught him from Punjab – lots of sour flavours, not a lot of sweet. I have this library of Indian flavours in my head that I can call on, but I don’t rely on that. It teaches you good techniques – all cuisines do – but I try to apply them to other things, and vice versa.
I have a law degree but no formal chef training. Law wasn’t for me – I can’t be sedentary! But I’m passionate and have worked hard to get where I am, though I’m sure I could learn a lot about being a better leader and how to run a kitchen more smoothly.
How did you end up as head chef at Bully’s, one of Cardiff’s most notable restaurants with its two AA rosettes?
It comes from lockdown cooking and dishes I’d put on Instagram. We were all looking for little comforts, weren’t we? Former head chef Chris had been at Bully’s for 10 years, building an amazing reputation, but he wanted to move on. Russell [Bullimore, restaurant owner] trusted me and that means a lot.
I’ve had to adapt my food and my style, which tends to be small plates – I like a dish to have five ingredients only. Russell has always had a clear idea of what Bully’s is: big, hearty, French-inspired food. But working within what I like, and what loyal customers like, is the learning curve. That’s the beauty of it – new challenges, new perspectives and starting to lean away from that classical French style.
Besides, produce is getting more and more expensive. That isn’t sustainable. We need to look at alternatives: putting more work into less obvious cuts, to get people interested. I’ll focus more on fish, too.
You see ox cheek on a menu, you know there’s time and care involved.
Absolutely! Always! And onglet before fillet!
Let’s talk about leading a kitchen in a male-dominated industry. Are you conscious of being a rarity?
Sometimes I see it, sometimes I don’t. There are some really good female head chefs around – maybe not many locally, but I’m surrounded by strong women, from my owner to my kitchen porter. I don’t think the way I run my kitchen is the norm, either. I push my team to rest as much as I push them to work. I don’t want you in the kitchen if you’re not 100% – if you’re sick, you need to rest.
That’s not a common mentality.
I try to give any chefs I hire the equivalent of a four-day week, and late starts: no-one else usually needs to be here with me before midday. There’s no point in exhausting people: if you work smarter, you work effectively.
The flexibility I get from Bully’s is second to none. You don’t get that anywhere else. The owners are very supportive, but they’ll tell me if they don’t like something. It’s all about communication. It’s been a long time since I’ve had that; it’s very healthy.
Would you encourage other women to come into the industry, and what advice would you give them?
I would – but I’d say, don’t take the first job someone gives you. Don’t get involved with kitchen politics. And if you think someone’s being sexist – if you think they’re treating you that way because you’re a woman, don’t be quiet about it. Tell people!
Info: Bully’s website / Simmie on Instagram
words JONATHAN SWAIN
