International Chefs Day with Executive Chef Joseph Xuereb

On International Chefs Day, we celebrate our very own Chefs who work their culinary magic behind the scenes, turning everyday ingredients into remarkable dining experiences. Join us today as we delve into the inspiring journey of the talented Chef Joseph Xuereb.

I’ve always had strong cooking roots at home, passing down from by Great Grandmother, Grand mother and my mother.  I would often assist them in baking at home in making our famous apple pies, lemon meringues, ricotta pies and all the traditional food that is delivered by a Maltese traditional family.  The spark for culinary started to get stronger and I started to experiment dishes at home having my first dishes such as Zeppoli and Prinjolata.  I would then replicate the dishes I would have eaten at a restaurant.  All this at the age of 16 and I must say, I did do well for my age at the time.

I started to experiment with different flavours and started to look at food as an art not just as a daily need.  It was then when I decided to apply at ITS where I ranked very high I my class and was always recognised as best in class.  My ITS journey led me to do my internship abroad at the Jersey Channel Islands.  After completing my internship, I attended to several training stages in order to gain more experience.  During my free time, I would work for free with World renown chefs at the London Hotels and Restaurants.

On completing my training, I returned to Malta and joined one of the leading chain of hotels where my training continued for several years and also having the opportunity to once again go abroad.  After years of investing in myself I was eventually given the opportunity to occupy the position of Executive Chef at the same leading hotel.  Receiving high praise from Directors, Management and repeat clients surely gave me job satisfaction as ultimately that was my goal in my career.  To deliver at high standard.

My journey continued when joining AX The Palace in 2007.  A new 5 start hotel whereby everything had to start from scratch.  Taking on a new challenge with an Asian Restaurant under my cap.  A concept which fell close to my heart immediately.  16 years laters, I am heading both AX Sliema hotels  together with my dedicated team.  Needless to say we have won some prestigious awards in culinary competitions and also handled very important and memorable functions.

Apart from following very successful Chefs, the fact that I started to see food as an art and the possibility to experiment with different flavours gave me the drive to reach my goal to become a successful Chef.

My journey continued when joining AX The Palace in 2007.  A new 5 start hotel whereby everything had to start from scratch.  Taking on a new challenge with an Asian Restaurant under my cap.  A concept which fell close to my heart immediately.  16 years laters, I am heading both AX Sliema hotels  together with my dedicated team.  Needless to say we have won some prestigious awards in culinary competitions and also handled very important and memorable functions.

The most satisfying part of my job is seeing clients enjoy their experience.  Seeing repeat clients compliment the taste and style of our particular cuisine and also attending to multiple functions which result in smooth delivery and ultimately receiving exceptional feedback from our clients.

Keep it simple and let the natural flavours take its course. Ultimately cook with passion.

There are so many, it is very difficult to choose.  My signature dishes vary from Seafood, Game dishes and Asian.

My favourite ingredient is fish and shellfish.  Funnily enough at the beginning of my career I had to make huge efforts to eat seafood in general.  Being a Chef I could not have my taste buds experience tastes though by time, I managed and managed well.  Nowadays, I find fish and shellfish very clean in flavours and would not mind eating seafood multiple times a week.

When designing a menu, one needs to keep in mind the type of audience you are cooking for. The requirements, the culture, the trends, special requests, seasonality and last but not least the budget.

I believe every season has its special effect.  Being that fish is my favourite, I’d opt for summertime where the colours and artistic designs in plating may allow one to complement that time of year.  Needless to say, Winter also brings along its comfort food in richness such as cooking Game.

I like to be close to nature.  Fishing is one of my hobbies, foraging wild asparagus, snails, and occasionally hunting abroad for wild ducks, pheasants, and geese.  I enjoy picking mushrooms, apples and berries after which I definitely will cook at home giving me the pleasure of having hand-picked them myself.  If I am not doing any of the above, you’ll find me researching new techniques and recipes and studying food cultures.

My advice is to go for it.  Challenge yourself and chase your dream.  If you truly believe that you have a passion for the kitchen and enjoy the food and flavours, and ultimately enjoy seeing people eat from what you have delivered then don’t hold back.  It is fact that the Kitchen department brings along a lot of hours, and hard work, though ultimately it is very rewarding and job satisfaction is surely at a high level.