In just five years, 24-year-old Charlie James has gone from rumbling chips at Pier Point in Torquay, Devon, to becoming its head frier
I started at Pier Point five years ago, rumbling 25kg bags of potatoes, taking all the eyes out and then chipping them. When I took the chip tubs up, I would see the kitchen and the range, and say to myself, ‘I want to give that a go. It looks fun’. I would also hear compliments from customers about the food and that too made me want to get behind the range and fry.
It’s been a fantastic journey, learning to fry. I’ve got such a passion for it. I think it’s mainly the satisfaction of ensuring everything I fry is to perfection. As a result of my progression, I made the top six in this year’s Drywite Young Fish Frier of the Year and I won Rising Star at the Torbay Business Awards, local awards which celebrate inspiring local businesses and individuals.
Both events have been good for me because people say frying can get repetitive, which it can, but putting myself forward, striving to do more and setting goals has really boosted me and motivated me to do more. I’ve already set myself my next goal: to win Drywite Young Fish Frier next year. It will be my last year of entering because of the age cap, and then after that, I would love to have my own shop someday. I was fortunate enough to meet Ryan Hughes of Ship Deck recently as well as Jamie Russo of Redcloak Fish Bar, both Drywite Young Fish Frier winners who both have their own shops, so I know it can be done.
Another fantastic achievement for our team was making the Fry Awards this year. We got in the Top 50 Takeaways as well as the Top 10 Restaurants, which we were so pleased about. It has helped advertise the business and get our name out there. Where we are in a tourist hotspot, people come to us from all over the country and so many tell us they have heard about our win online and looked us up.
In October, Pier Point will feature in Seafood Fest, a local food festival showcasing selected eateries across Brixham, Paignton and Torquay that offer locally landed and caught fish and seafood. We’ve invited Knights Fish & Chips, winners of Restaurant of the Year, to come and work with us, which I’m quite excited about because I haven’t done any events with other friers before. We are hoping, if the weather is good, to have a barbecue and do some seafood skewers to showcase what we can do with fish.
This year has been brilliant so far for me and I have certainly learnt that you have to put yourself out there if you are to go further in this industry. There are so many opportunities to learn from, experiences to be had and people to gain knowledge from.
