Chef Jago Randles’ Innovative Hotel Room Cooking

British chef Jago Randles had just moved to Canada to work for the busy ski season. However, there was just one problem; due to government guidelines aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19, Jago was required to self-isolate in his hotel room for 14 days upon arrival.

During this time, he quickly missed cooking and decided to get creative with the limited tools at his disposal. The two weeks saw the chef grilling chicken on an iron, poaching eggs in a coffee maker, and creating a variety of dishes that he happily shared on social media. This compelling journey blew up on TikTok and YouTube, gaining significant attention, including a compliment from celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay.

“I chose a hotel room with a microwave and a fridge, but after the first day, I realized I didn’t want to eat ready meals and takeaway all the time. So I made a bacon sandwich on the iron, which went pretty well, and it got me thinking about how else I could cook in the room,” Jago explained. As a professional chef, Jago had an extensive collection of knives and kitchen utensils with him, aiding in the creation of a range of inventive dishes. After cooking simple meals with the iron, he advanced to using a coffee machine for eggs and vegetables.

The creative dishes he crafted included bacon double cheeseburgers, grilled salmon with pak choi, French toast with caramelized bananas, eggs Benedict, tacos, grilled kebabs with hummus, crème brûlée, and blueberry pancakes. Jago began posting videos and photos on his Instagram story, which his friends encouraged him to share on TikTok. Within 24 hours of posting his first video, he had 100,000 views, leading to a rapid increase in his follower count. The responses to his culinary experiments were mixed; while many were amazed by his ability to create such impressive dishes with limited tools, others raised concerns regarding the sanitary conditions.

“It’s a pretty controversial way of cooking. Nevertheless, there will always be people with negative opinions about what you do, but the positive feedback I’ve received greatly outweighs the negative. Many criticized the cleanliness, but as a chef, I wouldn’t proceed if it wasn’t clean. I wrap the ironing board in cling film to maintain hygiene, and all preparation surfaces are cleaned just like in a professional kitchen. I also use greaseproof paper or foil to prevent food contact with the appliances,” Jago explained.

Among his supporters was celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, who shared a critique video on his social media, stating, “To be honest, that looks like some decent food, certainly some of the best food I’ve seen in any hotel.”

“I would say it was a huge success, and I cooked some really delicious meals during my isolation. I encourage anyone thinking about trying similar cooking experiments to give it a shot, but just try not to mess up any hotel rooms or start any fires! Ultimately, my hotel room cooking kept me entertained through quarantine, and it seems to have brought joy to others, which makes me very happy. So, I’ll continue making videos in Whistler and see how creative I can get. Who knows, I might even do some cooking on the slopes!”

The videos showcasing Jago’s culinary creativity are available on his TikTok.