Chef Gary Maclean

Chef Gary Maclean

National Chef of Scotland

Gary Maclean, National Chef of Scotland, will be presenting three live, complimentary, cooking demonstrations in the Culinary & Whisky Demo building at the 2024 Scottish Festival & Highland Games.

11:00am – Scottish Party Food

King Scallop, brown crab with barley and spinach

Haggis and sweet potato Sausage rolls

Haggis Pithivier

1:00pm – Quick & Easy Scottish Classics

Shortbread

Ginger snaps cookies

Pan seared salmon Potato green onion salad with Capers and brown butter

4:00pm – East Coast Delights

Forfar Bridie

Whisky Chocolate fondant pudding, red berry compote

Book Signing

Gary’s new cook book, The Scottish Kitchen, debuts in the US later this year. Pre-order your copy of the Scottish Kitchen at the Chicago Scots tent – 100% of proceeds of the sale will help support Chicago Scots. Pre-signed books will be available Friday and Gary will be in the Chicago Scots area Saturday at 2:00 pm to sign books.

Chicago Scots appreciates its partnership with Gary Maclean, who choose the menu for the 2022 St. Andrew’s Day Gala – Feast of the Haggis. In addition, Gary is overseeing training for the culinary staff at Caledonia Senior Living & Memory Care.

Biography

Born in Glasgow, award-winning chef Gary Maclean has spent 35 years at the forefront of Scotland’s hospitality industry, overseeing the opening and development of over 80 venues throughout the country. In recognition of his achievements, the Scottish Government appointed Gary as Scotland’s National Chef, a role in which he volunteers to assist with food health, education, and the promotion of Scottish produce across the globe. A passionate advocate for food education, particularly for children, Gary has served as Executive Chef at City of Glasgow College for over 25 years, earning widespread recognition for his work in this field.

Gary’s contributions to education and the culinary world have been celebrated through numerous accolades, including induction into the Scotland Colleges Hall of Fame, fellowships with the Master Chefs of Great Britain and the International Institute of Hospitality Management India, and winning Educator of the Year in 2016 and Chef Lecturer of the Year in 2017. Also in 2017 Gary was awarded the Peter Jukes Fellows award for Education. In 2021, he received the Mark Twain Award from the St. Andrews Society of New York State, while the Professional Association for Catering Education (PACE) recognized him with the Best Industry Ambassador Award in 2023.

In 2016, Gary became BBC’s MasterChef: The Professionals champion, beating out 47 other professional chefs. Since his victory, he has travelled extensively to promote Scottish food and culture worldwide, visiting countries such as the USA, Singapore, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Colombia, Barbados, Cuba, and Canada. Gary is also a published author, with books including Kitchen Essentials: The Joy of Home Cooking, Gary Maclean’s Scottish Kitchen, and Great FE Teaching. His latest book, Scottish Kitchen Celebrations, will be released in October 2023, and The Scottish Kitchen will be published in August 2023 in North America by Penguin Random House. Additionally, Gary owns two Edinburgh-based businesses—a sustainable seafood restaurant, Creel Caught, and a Scottish deli, Soup & Caboodle.

Keep up with Gary Maclean’s latest news and culinary adventures on his website www.garymacchef.com, Twitter, and Instagram—@Gmacchef.