Tom Aikens
Tom Aikens | |
---|---|
Born | 1970 (age 50–51) Norwich, England |
Education | Hotel School at City College Norwich |
Culinary career | |
Cooking style | British cuisine |
show
Current restaurant(s) | |
show
Previous restaurant(s) | |
Website | www |
Tom Aikens (born 1970), also named Tom Aitkens,[1] is an English Michelin-starred chef.
Early life and education[]
Tom Aikens was born in Norwich in 1970 to his family who have been wine merchants.[2][3] His twin brother Robert was born earlier. Tom weighed over three pounds at birth and was treated in an incubator for two months.[4]
Tom and Robert started attending Hotel School at City College Norwich at age 16.[3] Tom earned a two-year Advanced Catering Diploma in 1989.[5] Robert eventually became a chef also.[2]
Early cooking career and Pied à Terre[]
Aikens started working at three-Michelin-starred La Tante Claire under Pierre Koffman.[3] Then he worked at Pied à Terre, a London restaurant located at Charlotte Street, as a sous-chef in 1993.[2][6] Some time later, he worked for Joël Robuchon in Paris.[7]
Aikens returned to Pied à Terre in 1996 and was appointed head chef in May of the same year.[2][6][8] Then, under him as its chef patron and co-owner, Pied à Terre earned two Michelin stars in January 1997, branding Aikens the youngest to earn them since Harveys under Marco Pierre White (age 27) in 1990.[2][7]
On 10 December 1999, a 19-year-old chef Marcus Donaldson was burned with a hot knife, and Aikens was accused of causing the incident. Within one week since, Pied à Terre's board of directors advised Aikens to take a break from work during Christmas period. However, Aikens rather decided to leave Pied a Terre and then establish his own restaurant, which per statement was decided some time prior and unrelated to the incident. Its sous-chef Shane Osborne replaced Aikens.[9][10] Aikens's then-wife Laura Vanninen[3] resigned as its assistant manager.[10]
Since his departure from Pied à Terre, Aikens worked for Pierre Koffman again at La Tante Claire of The Berkeley hotel for nine months and then as a private chef for rich clients like Anthony Bamford in Gloucestershire and Andrew Lloyd Webber.[5][11]
First eponymous restaurant[]
In April 2003, Aikens opened his eponymous restaurant Tom Aikens (also called Tom Aikens Restaurant and Restaurant Tom Aikens) at 43 Elystan Street, Chelsea, a former site of a pub, the Marlborough Arms, with his then-wife and co-owner Laura Vanninen.[3][5][11] In January 2004, Aikens's eponymous restaurant received four rosettes from AA plc and then its first Michelin star.[12][13]
The restaurant earned its second Michelin star in January 2008.[14] Then it was closed from July 2011 to 11 January 2012 for refurbishment, causing it to lose its Michelin stars. It was reopened the following day.[15] In late 2012, the restaurant regained its first Michelin star.[16] It permanently closed in late January 2014.[17] Due to closure, it lost its Michelin star in September 2014.[18]
Tom's Kitchen[]
On 2 November 2006, Aikens opened a newer restaurant Tom's Kitchen, which occupied a former site of a defunct pub The Blenheim, located at Cale Street near Aikens's other eponymous restaurant.[19][20][21][22] In contrast to Aikens's first eponymous restaurant, Tom's Kitchen was not a fine dining restaurant but rather a gastropub.[23] Ollie Couillaud, the previous head chef of a Chiswick restaurant La Trompette, co-owned by Nigel Platts-Martin and Bruce Poole, held the role of head chef from the opening to May 2007.[22][24]
Aikens and his eponymous restaurant group, Tom Aikens Group, opened another iteration at Westferry Circus of Canary Wharf on 29 June 2013[25] and then the Mailbox Birmingham iteration in December 2016.[26]
Aikens closed the Birmingham and Canary Wharf iterations on 30 May 2019.[27] He closed the Chelsea location on 2 January 2020, citing "extremely challenging market conditions [and] staff and skills shortages".[28] To this date, there have been no iterations remaining.
More about eponymous restaurant groups[]
In October 2008, Aikens's companies T&L Ltd and Tom Aikens Ltd, both of which suffered from £3 million debt, fell into property administration.[29][30] He sold his two remaining eponymous restaurants to TA Holdco Ltd, owned by Peter Dubens and David Till, leaving his suppliers (many of them small businesses) with unpaid bills.[30]
In March 2011, the Istanbul Doors Restaurant Group bought out Peter Dubens and acquired 80-percent shares of Aikens's restaurants, leaving Aikens with the remaining 20 percent.[29]
Other eateries[]
Aikens operated a fish-and-chip restaurant Tom's Place, which lasted from 6 February to August 2008 due to financial issues, like debt, and negative feedback primarily toward high price.[30][31] Its head chef was Yves Girard.[31]
Aikens opened a 25-seater fine dining restaurant Muse, located at Belgravia, on 11 January 2020,[32] six years after backing away from the fine dining scene. One year later, in January 2021, Muse earned its first Michelin star.[33]
As of January 2020, Aikens runs three eateries at The Abu Dhabi Edition hotel.[28]
Television[]
Aikens and his first eponymous restaurant appeared in the 25 March 2004 episode of a BBC series Trouble at the Top.[34] He also appeared in Saturday Kitchen (first on 18 November 2006)[35] and then Iron Chef UK in late April 2010, competing again Judy Joo, Sanjay Dwivedi, and Martin Blunos.[36][37]
In the sixth series (2011) of Great British Menu, Aikens lost to Tom Kerridge in the judging round of the London and South East heat.[38][39] In its eighth series (2013), alongside four other winning chefs (Aiden Byrne, , Daniel Clifford, and Richard Davies), Aikens served his winning dish (Chicken egg, egg chicken) as the starter course of the 2013 Comic Relief banquet at the Royal Albert Hall.[40] He later has reappeared in the series as a veteran chef judge for regional heats. He also competed in the seven-episode 2020 Christmas special of the series.[41]
Accolades[]
Aikens won the Newcomer of the Year at the 2004 Catey Awards for his newly established eponymous restaurant.[42][43] He also won the New 5 Rosette Award at the 2007–2008 AA Hospitality Awards in September 2007.[44]
Among top 100 most influential figures of the UK hospitality industry, The Caterer ranked Aikens 71st in 2005,[45] 97th in 2006,[46] 94th in 2010, and 89th in 2011.[47]
Personal life[]
Aikens's marriage to his then-business partner Laura Vanninen lasted from 1997 to 2004, one year after they established his first eponymous restaurant.[3] His second marriage to Amber Nuttall, daughter of the late engineer Nicholas Nuttall, lasted from June 2007 to November 2010.[3][48]
Aikens married his partner of nine years Justine Dobbs-Higginson, a former Goldman Sachs banker, in Corsica in summer 2018. They have two daughters.[49]
Bibliography[]
- Cooking, 2006 (eBook: ISBN 9781448177196)
- Fish, 2008 (ISBN 9780091924928; eBook: ISBN 9781448146925)
- Easy, 2011 (ISBN 978-0091924935)
- 5 Minute Feast, an Only a Pavement Away charity cookbook, 28 July 2021[50]
References[]
- ^ "A brief history of... haute cuisine". The Observer (The Guardian). 9 March 2003. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Boseley, Sarah (23 January 1997). "Young chef's labour of love breaks British two-star record Michelin man's taste of success". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. ProQuest 245086606. Accession no. 04424186.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Conti, Samantha (1 October 2007). "Cooking with Gas". W. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
- ^ Devine, Cate (11 November 2006). "Who the Hell Is Gordon Ramsay?". The Herald. Glasgow. ProQuest 332997747.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Aikens, Tom (2006). "Introduction". Cooking. London: Ebury Publishing. ISBN 9781448177196.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Tom Aikens". BBC. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Chef's Walkout, with Staff, Sets London Abroil". The New York Times. 30 July 1998.
- ^ Finn, Gary (16 December 1999). "'Branding' of a junior lands chef in the soup". The Independent. ISSN 0951-9467. ProQuest 311629847. Republished online on 23 October 2011.
- ^ Gillan, Audrey (15 December 1999). "Branding row chef quits top restaurant". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Lee, Adrian; Wilkinson, Paul (16 December 1999). "Top chef quits after 'branding' kitchen worker". The Times (5L ed.). ISSN 0140-0460. ProQuest 318207883.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Moir, Jan (3 May 2003). "This week: Tom Aikens". The Daily Telegraph. p. 18. ISSN 0307-1235. ProQuest 316851328.
- ^ Wood, Joanna (9 January 2004). "AA awards rosettes ahead of next guide". The Caterer. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
- ^ Afiya, Amanda (22–28 January 2004). "Blumenthal's Fat Duck awarded its third star". Caterer & Hotelkeeper. Vol. 193 no. 4307. p. 10. ISSN 0008-7777. ProQuest 222830731.
- ^ Kühn, Kerstin (31 January 2008). "2008 – the year the Michelin stars stood still". The Caterer. ProQuest 222766921. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
- ^ Kühn, Kerstin (12 January 2012). "Tom Aikens reopens flagship restaurant today". The Caterer. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
- ^ Kühn, Kerstin (3 October 2012). "Leaked results reveal record number of Michelin stars". The Caterer. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
- ^ Gerrard, Neil (2 January 2014). "Tom Aikens Restaurant to close". The Caterer. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- ^ Manzoori-Stamford, Janie (25 September 2014). "Nobu and Nobu Berkeley Street both lose long-held Michelin stars". The Caterer. Retrieved 15 March 2021. Print edition: ProQuest 1616165634, ISSN 2055-7817, 2055-7825
- ^ Gunn, Jessica (10 February 2006). "Tom Aikens diversifies with new opening". The Caterer. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
- ^ Russell, Jacob Hale (2 September 2006). "PURSUITS: Fall Restaurant Preview: Chefs Check In". The Wall Street Journal (Eastern ed.). p. 1. ISSN 0099-9660. ProQuest 398992449.
- ^ "Just Opened". Caterer & Hotelkeeper. 196 (4451). 16–22 November 2006. p. 16. ISSN 0008-7777. ProQuest 222772553.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Wood, Joanna (1–7 February 2007). "Menuwatch: Tom's Kitchen". Caterer & Hotelkeeper. Vol. 197 no. 4461. p. 32. ISSN 0008-7777. ProQuest 222772553.
- ^ Manson, Emily (10 August 2006). "Aiden Byrne to head the Grill at the Dorchester". The Caterer. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
- ^ "Ollie Couillard set to open own restaurant". The Caterer. 16 May 2007. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
- ^ "New London restaurant and bar openings, June 2013". Telegraph.co.uk. 11 June 2013. ProQuest 1366434779.
- ^ Pathiaki, Katie (14 July 2016). "Tom Aikens announces two new restaurants". The Caterer. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
- ^ Wood, Vincent (3 June 2019). "Tom Aikens closes kitchen offshoots in Birmingham and Canary Wharf". The Caterer. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Price, Katherine (22 January 2020). "Tom Aikens closes Tom's Kitchen". The Caterer. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Walsh, Dominic (25 March 2011). "Turks open door for chef's expansion: Tom Aikens gets new backer for his brasseries". The Times. p. 50. ISSN 0140-0460. ProQuest 858426052.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Tweedie, Neil (25 October 2008). "Tom Aikens leaves a sour taste in the mouth". The Daily Telegraph. p. 31. ISSN 0307-1235. ProQuest 321677260. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Kühn, Kerstin (5 February 2008). "New Tom Aikens restaurant opens on Wednesday". The Caterer. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
- ^ Armstrong, Hilary (29 December 2019). "Where to eat in 2020: the new openings and old revivals not to miss". The Daily Telegraph. ProQuest 2331173327. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
- ^ "England, Scotland and Ireland's New One Michelin Star Restaurants". Michelin Guide. 25 January 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
- ^ "Business on the box". Sunday Times. 21 March 2004. p. 15. ISSN 0956-1382. ProQuest 316806847.
- ^ "Saturday Kitchen: 18/11/2006". BBC. 18 November 2006. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ^ Chater, David; Alex Hardy; Mike Mulvihill (24 April 2010). "David Chater's choices". The Times. p. 36. ISSN 0140-0460. ProQuest 320486823.
- ^ Jeffries, Stuart (9 September 2010). "Tom Aikens – a chef back from the brink". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ^ "Great British Menu – Series 6, Episode 36 of 45, London and South East Starter". BBC. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ^ "Great British Menu – Tom Aikens". BBC. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ^ Shaw, Monica (29 March 2013). "Great British Menu 2013, The Final Banquet". Great British Chefs. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ^ Price, Katherine (11 November 2020). "Great British Menu reveals all-star line-up of former chef winners for Christmas special". The Caterer. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ^ Shrimpton, David (6 July 2004). "2004 Catey award winners unveiled". The Caterer. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
- ^ "Newcomer of the Year: Tom Aikens". Caterer & Hotelkeeper. Vol. 193 no. 4331. 8–14 July 2004. p. R13. ISSN 0008-7777. ProQuest 222763014.
- ^ Afiya, Amanda (18 September 2007). "Roux brothers win AA's Lifetime Achievement award". The Caterer. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ^ "Tom Aikens". The Caterer. 12 May 2005. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
- ^ "CatererSearch 100 – the full list". The Caterer. 20 September 2006. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
- ^ "Caterer and Hotelkeeper 100: Tom Aikens". 1 July 2011. Retrieved 22 March 2021. Cite magazine requires
|magazine=
(help) - ^ Walker, Tim (30 March 2011). "Aikens breaks silence on split". The Daily Telegraph. p. 6. ISSN 0307-1235. ProQuest 859030468.
- ^ Wallop, Harry (16 January 2020). "Tom Aikens: 'I was definitely, y'know, a psycho. I looked like I was gonna kill someone'". The Times. ProQuest 2338901803. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
- ^ "Tom Aikens: 5 Minute Feast Charity Cook Book". Only a Pavement Away. 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
Further readings[]
- Hancock, Tiffany (18 March 2006). "Keep on running". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. ProQuest 321341420. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
- Coren, Giles. "Restaurant review: Giles Coren at Oslo Court and Tom Aikens". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. ProQuest 319864880. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
- Kühn, Kerstin (22 April 2010). "Tom Aikens and Compass to launch two restaurants at Somerset House". The Caterer. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
- Stretton, Mark (23 September 2010). "Tom Aikens abandons Paramount restaurant purchase". Big Hospitality. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
- Hanly, Catherine (17 February 2011). "Tom Aikens talks about this year's Great British Menu". Hot Dinners. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- "Restaurants: Tom Aikens Launches Events Service at Somerset House". Caterer and Hotelkeeper. Vol. 201 no. 4662. 28 January 2011. p. 8. ISSN 0008-7777. ProQuest 856109194.
- Rowbotham, Gemma (21 April 2011). "Michelin-starred chef Tom Aikens to reopen Tom Terrace". The Caterer. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
- Sturgess, Emma (26 May 2011). "Pop-up restaurants: here today, gone tomorrow". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
- Hirschmiller, Stephanie (25 June 2013). "Tom's Kitchen: Cooking on the Wharf". The Handbook. Archived from the original on 6 September 2013.
- Aikens, Tom (18 August 2013). "Routine Is Key to Creating Quality Cuisine". The New York Times (Interview). Interviewed by Julia Werdigier. ProQuest 2214777985. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
- Hipwell, Deirdre (23 May 2014). "Tired of dry land? Live on the water". The Times. p. 6. ISSN 0140-0460. ProQuest 1527302820. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- Alano, Katherine (8 October 2014). "Chef Tom Aikens to open Hong Kong restaurant". The Caterer. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
- Divecha, Devina (27 July 2015). "Tom Aikens outlet opening set for September 2015". Hotelier Middle East. ISSN 1997-7786. ProQuest 1778806327. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
- Simpson, Leah (18 January 2016). "Celebrity chef Tom Aikens to open second Dubai outlet". Arabian Business. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
External links[]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tom Aikens. |
- Official website
- Tom Aikens at IMDb
- Tom Aikens and Tom's Kitchen – London England at GreatChefs.com
- Tom's Kitchen at the Wayback Machine (archived 11 May 2008). Additional archives: 31 January 2010, 23 June 2010, 7 December 2011, 23 May 2013.
- 1970 births
- Living people
- Television personalities from London
- English television chefs
- English restaurateurs
- Head chefs of Michelin starred restaurants
- British cookbook writers
- People educated at City College Norwich