After years of travelling the world on a culinary journey, Chef Ross Hutchison unpacked his bags in Mallorca and has cooked up a unique and diverse way to share and showcase his skills.
They say you eat with your eyes and the visual feast begins before you even set foot inside The Kitchen Space, located in the heart of Palma. The exterior is a riot of colour with abstract culinary artwork by graffiti artists Adrian Gander and Rayo Fernandez. The man found inside these walls and founder of The Kitchen Space is Chef Ross Hutchison. His aim when setting up this venture in 2019 was to provide a collaborative space for chefs to explore and excel in an environment where ideas are exchanged and innovation is encouraged.
Upon crossing the threshold of The Kitchen Space to chat with the man himself, my senses were alive once again with the unmistakable aroma of freshly baked bread – but not just any old bread. Laid out on the table in front of me were eight perfect loaves of mouth watering jalapeño and white Cheddar sourdough, a recipe that Ross has been perfecting over many years using a starter that he has carried around the globe with him for over a decade. When Ross announced that one of these precious few loaves was for me, he might as well have given me a bar of solid gold. Like a ravenous child, I tore off the end and devoured it as soon as I left the building.
Much like the recipes created here, the Kitchen Space has evolved since its inception and is now a multi purpose venue comprising a Chef’s Table entertaining space with seating for ten, ‘Chefcademy’ cookery school and a base for Ross to run his other business, Private Chef Mallorca, now in its 11th year. Testament to his talents, Ross now has many customers who request his food year after year and often book him out for weeks at a time. As well as cooking in some of Mallorca’s most beautiful villas, more recently he was asked to provide a large number of fresh pasta dishes for a highly discerning and weary group of party goers who were on their way back from Ibiza in their private jet via Palma. The pilot announced it was the best ‘plane food’ he had ever tasted.
Texan born Ross developed a love of cooking in his teenage years, avidly reading recipe books and devouring cookery shows on television. Whilst studying Chemical Engineering at University, Ross came to realise his real passion lay in cooking for his fellow students and so, much to the initial concern of his parents, took the decision to follow his dreams and pursue a career in the kitchen. Rather than embark on a traditional culinary course, thanks to a chance meeting, Ross took up an apprenticeship at a fine dining restaurant in Texas and absorbed every morsel of knowledge he could from his mentors.
Yearning to further expand his culinary footprint, Ross went on to work in Seattle, L.A, and New York cooking for celebrities such as Martha Stewart, Michael Douglas and even produced a celebratory feast for the 89th birthday of Nelson Mandela. He then secured a position as head chef on 99m Feadship, Madame Gu, cruising the Mediterranean. This eventually led him to settle in Mallorca in 2012, where, in pursuit of a more land based lifestyle, Ross set himself up as Private Chef Mallorca.
He prides himself on working with local producers, making full use of the variety of ingredients available from the elevations of land to the depths of the sea. One such producer is Solu Farm, located just outside the village of Alaró in the foot of the Tramuntana mountains. Husband and wife team, Giuliano and Larissa, left their hometown of Munich and travelled through Europe before buying a finca in Mallorca with just over three hectares of land. Their focus is on biodiversity and creating healthy soil which results in the tastiest produce. They grow local fruit and vegetables as well as forgotten heirloom and unusual varieties from all over the globe which they provide to restaurants and chefs such as Ross.
After seeing a post on social media from a yacht chef wanting to learn fish filleting skills, Ross realised he now had the ingredients to share his skills and set up ‘Chefcademy’. Chefs of all levels now come to The Kitchen Space to learn new skills or improve existing ones. Whether perfecting sauces, demystifying sourdough or mastering sushi, Ross offers courses for everyone. At this year’s Palma International Boat Show, Ross was one of eleven highly regarded chefs who hosted a ‘Taste and Create’ food lab using unusual produce provided by local provisioners to showcase skills and create an array of diverse and inspiring dishes to the delight of all who attended.
With its clean lines, open plan kitchen and clever galley-like configuration, The Kitchen Space reflects the same sense of balance and beauty that Ross strives to achieve in his food.
His philosophy is simple – “Great food is made from the heart and every meal should have a taste of the passion of its creator. My passion is adventure and discovery”. Long may the adventure of The Kitchen Space continue.
