Poaching halibut in mineral water for pooches and trimming vegetables to precisely 13cm: there’s no food request too extravagant for private chef Mark Heirs.
From the suave superyachts of Monaco to the skyscrapers of New York, the 37-year-old personal chef has spent the past eight years cooking for A-listers around the world.
But his decadent culinary food trail has led him to Candacraig, Billy Connolly’s former luxury estate in Strathdon where Hollywood stars such as Robin Williams, Steve Martin and Ewan McGregor have all dined.
Ahead of a lavish three-day Burns event – where guests can book individual rooms without taking over the entire mansion – Mark gives Society an exclusive insight into life as a private chef and what it’s like to cook for the rich and famous.
“Walking through the halls knowing that Robin Williams and Sean Connery have dined here in the past is pretty special,” says Mark.
“It’s a very special and unique house.”
Carving out success
Growing up grafting in the kitchens of the pubs and restaurants his family owned in Glasgow, a career in hospitality was always on the menu for Mark.
Proving he had the recipe for success, Mark excelled at the former Glasgow College of Food Technology where he honed his culinary craft before taking up work at the luxury One Devonshire Gardens in Glasgow.
“I’m not going to name drop now because discretion is key but One Devonshire Gardens was when I started cooking for celebrities and that has snowballed in the last eight years of my career as a personal chef,” says Mark.
From there Mark went on to work at The Fat Duck, a three-Michelin-star restaurant owned by the renowned chef Heston Blumenthal.
Making a name for himself in the cutthroat industry, Mark went on to appear in the very first series of BBC’s Masterchef The Professionals.
But it was while working alongside renowned chef John Webber at Nick Nairn’s cookery school when Mark established his own flavour and flair for cooking incredible dishes.
“John Webber was the best chef that I’ve ever worked with and a man whose recipes I still use today,” says Mark.
“John was phenomenal and had a big impact on what I still do now.”
Becoming a personal chef
After a brief stint back working for his family’s business, Mark decided to go it alone as a personal chef.
“In 2013 we sold the family business,” says Mark.
“Hotels and restaurants were all I’d ever known but I didn’t want to go back to do that full-time.
“A friend of mine used to be the personal chef for the Gucci and Armani families and had always talked about the world of personal chefs and how incredible it was.
You get all sorts of unusual requests but I’m not there to judge or comment, I’m just there to cook.”
“So when the opportunity arose to find something new to do in 2013, I thought I’m going to give this a go.”
Discretion key when cooking for the rich and famous
It was a decision that changed Mark’s life forever as he has since spent the past eight years travelling the globe cooking for some of the richest people in the world.
“I get to travel all over the world, cooking for the rich and famous and cooking in some wonderful locations, on yachts, villas and castles, all sorts of places,” says Mark.
“It sounds very glamorous but it’s a lot of planes, trains and suitcases but I love it.
“I really couldn’t see myself doing anything different.”
Lips firmly sealed when it comes to name-dropping some of his famous clients, Mark gives a little taster of his star-studded chef experience.
“It’s actors, film stars, singers, it’s people that own the biggest businesses like the products that we all use day in and day out, it’s their owners and CEOs,” says Mark.
“My clients are really wealthy but really private people.”
And while the majority of clients are lovely, there are some who come with a few rather unusual demands.
The life of a private chef: Poaching fish in mineral water… for a dog
“I’ve poached halibut in mineral water for dogs before because tap water isn’t good enough,” says Mark.
“And I had one client who used to have their vegetables cut to a certain length so they could only eat their carrots and celery if it was cut to 13cms.
“You get all sorts of unusual requests but I’m not there to judge or comment, I’m just there to cook.”
Before lockdown, Mark’s diary saw him working everywhere from America to the Middle East and everywhere in between.
“When lockdown kicked in, I was on one of the last flights back to Scotland and it was empty,” says Mark.
“My diary emptied for what I thought then would be six months but it turned out to be 14 months.”
Love for adventure didn’t stop Scotland return
As fate would have it, returning home to Scotland was a blessing in disguise for Mark who was offered the chance to be a personal chef at the opulent Candacraig luxury estate in Strathdon.
“I love working abroad but I equally love working in a Scottish Castle like Candacraig,” says Mark.
“My favourite thing in Candacraig is the dining room.
“It was done up for Billy Connolly’s birthday and it’s phenomenal with green tartan on the walls, floor and ceiling and there’s a massive antique table.
“Another one of my favourite features is the door surround in the whisky library as there’s markings around the door frame of all the people who have lived there across the various generations.
“There’s one that I think is Billy Connolly’s initials.”
Candacraig mansion available for Burns celebration
Owned by Lynne Lino, who is originally from Aberdeenshire, and her husband Marc who is from America, the historic home, designed by the same architect that designed the neighbouring Balmoral Castle, is usually only available as an exclusive-use mansion.
But for the first time, guests can book individual rooms as part of the estate’s three-day Burns celebrations.
“This is a pretty unique event for Candacraig as you don’t have to hire the whole house, you can book a room,” says Mark.
“Guests will be treated to our special Candacraig signature afternoon tea before doing a cocktail masterclass in the whisky library followed by a simple supper in the dining room.
“The next day they’ll have a full Scottish breakfast followed by a hike or a Landrover safari before enjoying lunch at The Steading Bar.
“Later that night there will be a full Burns supper with full Highland dress, pipers, an address to the haggis using Tomintoul whisky as well as four courses and canopies, all making use of the wonderful larder we have in Scotland.
“Then our local famous musicians will come along and do a ceilidh and music before breakfast the next morning.”
Utilising local produce – but only for guests
Getting to use fresh local produce in his dishes is something that Mark savours at Candacraig.
“Beef, game, seafood: we are spoiled in Scotland,” says Mark.
“We have a lot of shellfish from the West Coast and all my pelagic like haddock and cod are coming from Peterhead.
“There’s also amazing beef, great dairies and fruit farms – there’s really not much that we don’t do amazingly in Scotland.”
And although Mark cooks exquisite dishes day in and day out it means he doesn’t often have the time nor the inclination to cook for himself.
“When you’ve been working 14/15 hour days and you’ve been cooking all day, the last thing you want to do is come home and cook,” says Mark.
“My staples at home are things like cheese on toast and cornflakes.”
Candacraig maintains old world charm
Excited to see what the future brings, Mark says he feels lucky to work in such a prestigious estate, especially one that is leading the way on sustainability.
“Mark and Lynne, who are the custodians of Candacraig, are really into sustainability so they’ve put in state-of-the-art biomass boilers and new bathrooms,” says Mark.
“So although it still has its old world Scottish Highland charm, it’s a practical modern house behind the scenes.”
Double rooms for the Candacraig Burns event start from £2,750 for two nights, inclusive of meals and activities for two people.
To book email federica@candacraig.com and for more information about Candacraig check out their website, Instagram or Facebook.
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