Graeme Pallister

Graeme Pallister is a Scottish chef and restaurateur from Blairgowrie, Perth and Kinross. He is currently owner and chef patron at 63 Tay Street and chef patron at No.1 The Bank, both in Perth. His cooking career began in 1994 at Kinloch House Hotel. From there, he went on to work at Angel, in Sussex; Longueville Manor, in Jersey; Let's Eat, in Perth; and Restaurant Andrew Fairlie, near Auchterarder. He began at No.1 The Bank in June 2005, and opened 63 Tay Street (now with two AA Rosettes) in January 2007. Ten years later, 63 Tay Street was named "Scottish Restaurant of the Year" at the Scottish Food Awards. On a personal level, he has won Scottish Hotel Awards' "Executive Chef of the Year" and Catering in Scotland's "Chef of the Year" (2013).

Early life Pallister grew up in Coupar Angus, Perth and Kinross, one of two sons of a father who was a local policeman and a mother who worked as a secretary at Blairgowrie Golf Club. His maternal grandparents ran the Red House Pub in the town, prior to its conversion into a hotel. He recalls helping out in its kitchen, during a celebration to mark his grandparents' anniversary, and "experiencing a strong feeling of belonging". Pallister's time on Jersey was short-lived, and he returned to Scotland. — were opening a restaurant at the Parklands Hotel. Pallister was successful again in his application, and he walked to his new role through the South Inch every day from their home in the Craigie area of Perth.

From 2010, over the course of four years, he helped the local Moncreiffe Primary School raise funds for a new kitchen and a garden, working with and informing the teachers, who would then pass on their learning to the school's children. It was called the "MasterChef to Maestros" programme. It was one of the influences for the government's Chefs at School programme.

Pallister is a member of Slow Food UK's Chef Alliance.

Personal life Pallister is married to Fiona, whom he first met at high school and, as fate would have it, started as a receptionist at Kinloch while Pallister was working there. He proposed in the car park of the Red Lion pub in Chichester, having purchased the engagement ring from Argos. Four years after the proposal, and a year after moving into their first house, in Perth, the couple married. They had two children between 2003 and 2006.