With twenty-one new one-star restaurants gaining an entry into the Michelin Guide UK & Ireland 2019, along with three new two-star restaurants, #TeamCoco thought this was the ideal opportunity to look at the amazing 30 under 30 chefs that are producing some of the best food in the UK and Ireland right now.

From sensational sauces to perfect pastry, #TeamCoco rounds up the best 30 chefs under the age of 30 who need to be on your radar.

Tommy Banks, 29, Chef Patron – Black Swan/Roots

Tommy Banks’ talent is truly remarkable, not only was he awarded the title of Britain’s youngest Michelin-starred chef in 2013. He won his regional heat and subsequently got his dishes to the banquet in TV’s Great British Menu in 2016 and 2017. His debut solo restaurant the Michelin-starred Black Swan in Oldstead, Yorkshire was awarded The Best Restaurant in the UK 2018 by Food and Travel Magazine and the ‘Best Fine Dining Restaurant in the World’ by TripAdvisor in 2017.

Sam Ashton Booth, 29, Head Chef, Stem

30 under 30 Chefs

Sam is head chef at Stem – a Mayfair-based restaurant under the tutelage of Mark Jarvis. He has previously worked at Anglo, Restaurant Story and Gidleigh Park but has also completed stages at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, Marcus Wareing at The Ledbury and Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester.

Josh Overington, 30, Chef Patron, Le Cochon Aveugle

Josh Overington trained in Paris working in several prestigious restaurants across Europe, before returning home to Yorkshire, aged 26 years old, to open his restaurant and bistro/wine bar, Le Cochon Aveugle and Cave du Cochon. Le Cochon Aveugle is a small stripped-back restaurant in the heart of York, serving a frequently changing tasting menu.

The contemporary European menu is rooted in classical French techniques and showcases the very best produce available to the kitchen on each day. Josh and his team prepare, cook and serve the blind-tasting menu from his open-plan kitchen, to offer casual fine dining with an emphasis on using high-quality ingredients from his carefully selected farmers and producers.

Louisa Ellis, 23, Private Chef

Despite her young age, Louisa Ellis is a force to be reckoned with. She has worked at the likes of Adam’s Restaurant and The Wilderness in Birmingham where worked her way up to become junior sous chef there before her appearance on MasterChef: The Professionals where she reached the final three. After working at the acclaimed two Michelin-starred Restaurant Sat Bains, she decided to go her own way and work as a private chef. Louisa is known for her skilful technique and her strong command of intense and creative flavours.

Damien Wager, 28, Edible Art Patisserie Ltd & Executive Pastry Chef of the Sleeping Bear Hotels Limited

Self-taught pastry chef, Damien Wager is the Executive Pastry Chef of the Sleeping Bear Hotels Limited and is also the owner of the Edible Art Patisserie. He was previously Head of Pastry at the Beechfield House near Bath which has 2 Rosettes in the AA Restaurant Guide.

Asimakis Chaniotis, 28, Head Chef, Pied a Terre

Asimakis Chaniotis is Head Chef at one of London’s longest-standing Michelin-starred restaurants Pied a Terre. After completing culinary school he spent three and a half years at one of the best restaurants in Athens and moved to London. Asimakis is also very passionate about sustainability and has made sure the kitchen operates a no-waste policy, even recycling food scraps to grow vegetables which are then used at the restaurant.

Ellis Barrie, 28, Co-Founder and Executive Chef, of The Marram Grass

Ellis runs The Marram Grass in Anglesey alongside his brother Liam and the brothers are taking the culinary world by storm. They were awarded the title of ‘Best Bistro/Brasserie of the Year’ at the Anglesey Tourism Awards and have since been included in the Waitrose Good Food Guide and have been awarded 2 AA Rosettes. Ellis took part in the Great British Menu again this year (representing the North West) and managed to take his dish to the banquet!

Fred Clapperton, 30, Head Chef, The Clock House

After joining Drakes as a demi chef de partie in 2012, Fred Clapperton quickly rose through the brigade to become the restaurant’s Head Chef after the departure of chef and mentor Steve Drake (who has just been awarded a Michelin Star for his Surrey-based restaurant Sorrel) Fred and his team at The Clock House currently hold both a Michelin Star and three AA rosettes. His culinary style is centered around great produce which is both seasonal and has a local provenance.

Luke Selby, 30, Head Chef, Hide Above

Luke has previously worked at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons and at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay before working with Ollie Dabbous at his eponymous restaurant before joining Ollie with his latest project – Hide at 85 Piccadilly which has recently been included in the latest Michelin Guide. Intriguingly, Hide has three separate levels – Hide Below, Hide Ground and Hide Above, so guests are going to be spoilt for choice.

Oliver Brearly, 29, Senior Sous Chef, The Ivy (Leeds)

Oliver has more than 10 years’ experience working in a host of restaurants across Yorkshire including Malmaison in Leeds, Hotel Chocolat’s Roast and Conch and has also worked as the Head Chef at Leeds’ Radisson Blu Hotel. He has recently joined The Ivy Victoria Quarter as Senior Sous Chef.

Dan Whittaker, 24, Executive Chef De Partie, Matt Healy x The Foundry

Dan is the Executive Chef De Partie for Leeds-based Matt Healy x The Foundry. He has been working in professional kitchens for eight years. One of his favourite things about working as a chef is the camaraderie of the kitchen and being able to develop new dishes. He particularly enjoys developing desserts and would love to own his patisserie one day!

Kelvin Tan, 30, Chef De Partie, Restaurant Sat Bains

With a degree from the University of Ireland, Kelvin Tan, 30, graduated from Shannon College of Hotel Management in 2012 before going on to spend his formative years at London’s Savoy and Gleneagles in Auchterarder, Perthshire. After periods at the Ritz in London and The Dysart in Petersham, he joined two-Michelin-starred Restaurant Sat Bains a year ago as a chef de partie. He made it to the regional finals of the 2018 Roux Scholarship earlier this year.

Ryan Darley, 25, Chef-Owner, Over There

Ryan was formerly the senior sous chef at Tommy Banks’s Black Swan at Oldstead but has recently opened ‘Over There’ which is his first solo restaurant. The eatery was a realisation of a childhood dream and is quite a family affair with many members of his family getting involved.

Jack Coghill, 18, Pastry Chef, The Black Pig and Oyster

Jack is a pastry chef from Scotland and is the youngest chef in our round-up. He works in The Black Pig and Oyster in Edinburgh. The restaurant is owned by Jack’s parents and serves classic Spanish food with one speciality being Iberian Black Pig and Oysters. Jack’s family lived in Madeira for some time which influenced the restaurants culinary style.

Jordon Bailey, 29, Head Chef, Aimsir at Cliff at Lyons

Cornwall-born chef Jordan Bailey is the Head Chef at Aimsir at Cliff at Lyons in Ireland. He was previously a key member of the team in Restaurant Sat Bains as well as working at renowned restaurants like Rosewarne Manor in Hayle and The Elephant in Torquay. He has also worked at the renowned Norwegian restaurant of chef Esben Holmboe Bang in Oslo.

Daniela Tucci, 21, Pastry Chef, The Art School Restaurant

Daniela was the first female winner of The North West Young Chef of the Year competition and is a talented pastry chef. She is also a two-time finalist in the National Young Chef of the Year.

Michael Carr, 26, Chef Patron, Restaurant 92

Michael is Chef Patron of his eatery – Restaurant 92 in Harrogate. He’s 26 years old and set it up three years ago having trained with the likes of Gordon Ramsay and Alyn Williams.

Ruth Hansom, 22, Head Chef, Luton Hoo Hotel & Spa

Ruth completed her Royal Academy of Culinary Arts apprenticeship whilst working at The Ritz and subsequently was awarded a series of fantastic accolades; including winning gold at the World Skills UK in 2012, reaching second place in Craft Guild of Chefs’ National Chef of the Year 2013 and winning the Master Chefs of Great Britain’s Young Chef of the Year in 2013 and 2014 and received a Graduate Award from Craft Guild. Ruth’s career reached new heights and national acclaim in 2018, when she received a £1million investment in BBC 2’s Million Pound Menu TV show.

Adam Handling, 30, Chef / Owner of Adam Handling Restaurant Group

Named as Chef of the Year in 2014, Adam Handling’s star continues on a meteoric rise. At just turned 30, he has been awarded a myriad of awards including Scottish Chef of the Year 2015, Newcomer Restaurant of the Year in the Food and Travel Reader Awards 2015, as well as the British Culinary Federation’s Chef of the Year 2014. His restaurants include The Frog Hoxton and The Frog by Adam Handling Covent Garden.

Adam’s culinary style showcases his love of Asian flavours and techniques – particularly Japanese – in his kitchen. His beautifully presented dishes start with careful sourcing of top quality, seasonal ingredients, prepared in several different, creative ways to enhance their inherent properties and deliver real depth of flavour and harmony.

Danny Young, 23, Sous Chef, Northcote

Danny Young was awarded the prestigious title of Young National Chef of the Year award last October and works as a Sous Chef at Northcote in Lancashire. It was Danny’s third attempt at the title and he worked hard to further develop his skills to clinch the title.

Sam Leatherby, 26, Junior Sous Chef, London Hilton on Park Lane

Junior Sous Chef at London Hilton on Park Lane, Sam Michael Leatherby realised his passion for cooking at an early age, joining the Hilton group straight out of school. Having demonstrated a high level of success, Leatherby was offered an opportunity to apply to join the team at the London Hilton on Park Lane. Having completed a series of tests, he successfully secured the placement and was promoted from apprentice to Junior Sous Chef.

Aidan Mannion, 22, Head Chef, Mill & Brew

Aidan graduated from the Jamie Oliver School of Cookery in 2015 after completing Jamie’s ‘Fifteen’ programme. Despite the intensity of the course, it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience for Aidan who cites the weekly sourcing trips as an unforgettable and inspiring moment in his culinary career. During his apprenticeship scheme, Aidan spent time at Claude Bossi’s Hibiscus and at the Grove Hotel in Watford, where he worked under the tutelage of Russell Bateman.

Aidan came to Mill & Brew in October 2017 and now at the age of just 22, he has progressed to the role of Head Chef.

Natasha Cooke, 28, Chef/Co-Owner, Lupins

Natasha (pictured right) is hugely inspirational, and talented and co-owns the highly acclaimed Lupins at London Bridge with another brilliant chef Lucy Pedder. Rated by Giles Coren the restaurant has been open just over a year and is a celebration of modern and seasonal British cooking at its best.

Niall Keating, 27, Executive Chef, Whatley Manor

Niall has worked across the world, from three Michelin-starred Benu in America to Restaurant Kong Hans Kaelder in Denmark, before joining Whatley Manor in November 2016 to offer a new style of cuisine. Niall has since been awarded a Michelin star and Michelin Young European Chef of the Year 2018.

Isaac Bartlett-Copeland, 25, Head Chef/Owner, Isaac At

Isaac originally set up his restaurant as a weekend pop-up three years ago, expanding to a full-time permanent restaurant a couple of years ago. The concept of the restaurant is simple, to source the best quality ingredients and produce as close to the restaurant as they can so that their weekly changing tasting menu reflects Sussex at any one time.

Toby Burrowes, 28, Head Chef, Elystan Street

Toby moved to London from Australia in 2013 and joined Phil Howard in the kitchen at Michelin two-starred, The Square, where he worked through the ranks to Sous Chef. In March 2016, when Phil Howard and Rebecca Mascarenhas sold The Square to open their new venture, Elystan Street in Chelsea, London, Toby was appointed Head Chef. Elystan Street has achieved numerous top accolades since its launch, including a Michelin ¬star in the Michelin UK & Ireland Guide 2018, The AA “Restaurant of the Year in London 2018”, and Square Meal’s Award for “Best New Restaurant 2016”. Toby’s was also featured in CODE’s ‘30 Under 30 2017’.

Henry Wadsworth, 23, Junior Sous Chef, Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons

Starting as a kitchen porter in local pubs, Henry spent years pushing himself to take part in cookery competitions to expand his knowledge and skills. Now in his 4th year at Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons and an integral part of the team, he has won the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts Young Chef of the Year in 2017 under mentor, Gary Jones, Executive Chef at Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons and has twice made it through to the final of the Craft Guild of Chefs Young National Chef of the Year.

Tucked away in the picturesque Oxfordshire countryside, Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons is a culinary institution in the UK under the leadership of Raymond Blanc Chef Patron OBE, setting the standard for haute cuisine and developing young chefs to reach their full potential.

Mark Winter, 23, Sous Chef, Lough Erne Resort

Mark has recently been awarded the title of Northern Ireland Young Chef of the Year and works as a Sous Chef at the luxurious Lough Erne Resort. He also won the title of Best Young Chef in Britain at a star-studded awards night in London back in May.

Martin Carabott, 29, Senior Sous Chef, Hide Above

Martin is a Senior Sous Chef at the Michelin-starred Hide restaurant in London for Chef Ollie Dabbous. He has previously worked at the now closed Michelin starred Apsley’s restaurant and subsequently worked at the Royal Automobile Club which led to him winning titles such as British Culinary Federation Chef of the Year which he went on to win in 2016 and completing a stage at 2 Michelin starred Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saison in Oxfordshire.

He now works at ‘Ground’ restaurant within Hide where he assists with the day-to-day running of the kitchen.

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