“It’s been a wild 24 hours,” says Rodney Wages after receiving his MICHELIN Star for Avery. He’s not kidding; just the night before he was celebrating the birth of his son. Yet this extraordinary day has been just the latest chapter in a fascinating journey for Wages, his family and his restaurant.
Avery has held a MICHELIN Star before, you see, but back then it was in San Francisco. Deciding the time was right for a move, Wages eventually settled on the Scottish capital of Edinburgh as his new dream home. Fast forward a few months and he has a Star once again for Avery 2.0 in the foodie suburb of Stockbridge. You probably have a few questions: Why Edinburgh? How is he finding life in Scotland? And what’s it like at Avery? Thankfully, Wages has found time to answer them, in between celebrating his Star and caring for a newborn, we imagine.
How does it feel to have won a MICHELIN Star again?
It feels incredible! And it's been a wild 24 hours! From welcoming my first son on Sunday night at 10pm and then receiving another MICHELIN Star for Avery 20 hours later, it has been truly amazing. I feel like 2025 is already off to an extraordinary start.
I'm so grateful to my amazing wife, Olivia, for her unwavering strength and dedication to our family and our restaurant. I hope with our trajectory and dedication, we are on track for another Star, or TWO, next year!
Your restaurant has been on quite a journey from San Francisco all the way to Edinburgh. Can you tell us a bit about why you decided to make the move?
My wife and I started planning our next move as a family just after we got married – before baby Esmé came along. We couldn't decide on a city in America we enjoyed enough to leave San Francisco for, so I brought up an idea: what about the UK? That summer, we set out on a road trip that took us from London up to Scotland. Stopping at towns and villages along the way felt like Goldilocks trying to find the perfect porridge.
Edinburgh was just right. It has great schools, is closer to my wife Olivia's family, is a wonderful place to raise a family, has a booming food scene, amazing food products, is close to the sea and beaches, and has outstanding beauty and easy access to European and international travel. It's a remarkable gem of a city.
When we got to the Scotland border on our road trip, we could see a wall of rain as we drove closer; I remember saying, "Scotland, here we come!" We ended up spending the rest of our time in the UK in Edinburgh and fell in love with the city. The history, architecture, art, welcoming nature of the Scots and the food scene were exactly what we were looking for in our next home.
Once we got back to San Francisco, I made a joke during dinner about going back to Edinburgh for Christmas to see what it was like in the winter, and we had booked flights before we finished the meal. Fast forward two years and Edinburgh is our home.
Previously in my career, I have always known about the quality of Scottish products like langoustines and wild game, but as I was researching and working with other chefs in Scotland, I was astounded. Scotland has so much to offer the kitchen; I get the excitement of learning how to cook all over again.
What would you say is the biggest difference between running a restaurant in Edinburgh and in San Francisco?
My experience in Edinburgh has been punctuated by the support of other chefs in the community. I have learnt so much from other chefs in Edinburgh. Scottish chefs have been so helpful – from introducing me to their contacts for products, to letting me use their kitchens when Avery's wasn't quite ready, I've experienced amazing hospitality all around.
The team at Avery, too, have been an absolute delight. Cooking with the team, hospitality and designing the restaurant with the team (yes, the culinary team also lent a hand on the construction of the restaurant, too!) has been so much fun.
What's your favourite bit of Scottish produce you have cooked with here so far?
Scottish seafood is all-around amazing. The native oysters, red mullet, scallops and langoustines are incredible! Seafood is the heart of the menu and is in more than 60% of the dishes.
I have always loved langoustines and I have always loved scallops. And they are spectacular in Scotland. But great proteins are also an easy answer! The most intriguing ingredients I have tried so far are the wild herbs and vegetables from Scotland.
I've been fascinated by Scurvy grass [which] is fantastic (it's almost like wasabi), elf cup mushrooms (they remind me of raw beets and look absolutely wild) and coriander grass (needs no explanation)! This is just a hint of what is available at peak Scottish season that finds its way onto the plates at Avery.
For those who aren't familiar with your food, how would you describe it?
The menu philosophy will be similar to that from San Francisco. We take inspiration from the sea and the wild with a focus on Japanese and Asian techniques. We have found that the Scottish larder is filled with amazing products from the sea, land and air, and we've brought those ingredients into our menu to make Avery a truly local restaurant.
We believe living and eating is an art that we want our guests to feel with each plate and dish, hand-crafted with intention and integrity.
Our food is memorable, while also full of surprises. Our frequent guests often tell first-time guests that you simply need to try it to understand what I mean.
How have you evolved the restaurant since moving it to Edinburgh?
We have changed quite a bit since moving from San Francisco; I think we are even more thoughtful now with what ingredients we are using and from where we source them.
In San Francisco we worked very closely with two farmers, but here we are able to work with fishmongers, two foragers, a gamekeeper and a butcher. Each of them specialises in something unique that they bring to the restaurant.
The food philosophy is still the same: find amazing ingredients and make them beautiful. But with the absolute wealth of amazing ingredients at our doorstep, I feel like Scotland itself has evolved Avery.
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Hero Image: © Manon Métayer
