Tom Aikens

Tom Aikens (born 1970), also named Tom Aitkens,[1] is an English Michelin-starred chef. Aikens briefly worked for chefs in London and Paris restaurants. Under his tenure from 1996 to 1999 as head chef and then chef patron, Pied à Terre earned its two Michelin stars in January 1997.

For the Queensland politician, see Tom Aikens (politician).
Tom Aikens
Aikens in 2012
Born1970 (age 52–53)
Norwich, England
EducationHotel School at City College Norwich
Culinary career
Cooking styleBritish cuisine
Rating(s)
Current restaurant(s)
  • Muse by Tom Aikens 1 Michelin star
Previous restaurant(s)
Television show(s)
  • Trouble at the Top
    Saturday Kitchen
    Iron Chef UK
    Great British Menu
Websitewww.tomaikens.co.uk

Aikens's current restaurants include Michelin-starred London restaurant Muse, opened in January 2020, and three hotel eateries in Abu Dhabi. He appeared on television, including Great British Menu as one of its contestants and then one of its veteran chef judges.

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 just 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 a week, Pied à Terre's board of directors advised Aikens to take a break from work during the Christmas period. However, Aikens decided to leave Pied a Terre and establish his own restaurant, which 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]

After 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
Main article: Tom Aikens (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 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.

Other 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 only 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 against 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, Michael Smith, 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]

Aikens has been awarded up to two Michelin stars for his restaurants. He currently holds one for his restaurant Muse, located in Belgravia.

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
  1. "A brief history of... haute cuisine". The Observer (The Guardian). 9 March 2003. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  2. 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.
  3. Conti, Samantha (1 October 2007). "Cooking with Gas". W. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  4. Devine, Cate (11 November 2006). "Who the Hell Is Gordon Ramsay?". The Herald. Glasgow. ProQuest 332997747.
  5. Aikens, Tom (2006). "Introduction". Cooking. London: Ebury Publishing. ISBN 9781448177196.
  6. "Tom Aikens". BBC. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  7. "Chef's Walkout, with Staff, Sets London Abroil". The New York Times. 30 July 1998.
  8. 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.
  9. Gillan, Audrey (15 December 1999). "Branding row chef quits top restaurant". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  10. Lee, Adrian; Wilkinson, Paul (16 December 1999). "Top chef quits after 'branding' kitchen worker". The Times (5L ed.). ISSN 0140-0460. ProQuest 318207883.
  11. Moir, Jan (3 May 2003). "This week: Tom Aikens". The Daily Telegraph. p. 18. ISSN 0307-1235. ProQuest 316851328.
  12. Wood, Joanna (9 January 2004). "AA awards rosettes ahead of next guide". The Caterer. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  13. 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.
  14. Kühn, Kerstin (31 January 2008). "2008 – the year the Michelin stars stood still". The Caterer. ProQuest 222766921. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  15. Kühn, Kerstin (12 January 2012). "Tom Aikens reopens flagship restaurant today". The Caterer. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  16. Kühn, Kerstin (3 October 2012). "Leaked results reveal record number of Michelin stars". The Caterer. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  17. Gerrard, Neil (2 January 2014). "Tom Aikens Restaurant to close". The Caterer. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  18. 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
  19. Gunn, Jessica (10 February 2006). "Tom Aikens diversifies with new opening". The Caterer. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  20. 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.
  21. "Just Opened". Caterer & Hotelkeeper. Vol. 196, no. 4451. 16–22 November 2006. p. 16. ISSN 0008-7777. ProQuest 222772553.
  22. Wood, Joanna (1–7 February 2007). "Menuwatch: Tom's Kitchen". Caterer & Hotelkeeper. Vol. 197, no. 4461. p. 32. ISSN 0008-7777. ProQuest 222772553.
  23. Manson, Emily (10 August 2006). "Aiden Byrne to head the Grill at the Dorchester". The Caterer. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  24. "Ollie Couillard set to open own restaurant". The Caterer. 16 May 2007. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  25. "New London restaurant and bar openings, June 2013". Telegraph.co.uk. 11 June 2013. ProQuest 1366434779.
  26. Pathiaki, Katie (14 July 2016). "Tom Aikens announces two new restaurants". The Caterer. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  27. Wood, Vincent (3 June 2019). "Tom Aikens closes kitchen offshoots in Birmingham and Canary Wharf". The Caterer. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  28. Price, Katherine (22 January 2020). "Tom Aikens closes Tom's Kitchen". The Caterer. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  29. 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.
  30. 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.
  31. Kühn, Kerstin (5 February 2008). "New Tom Aikens restaurant opens on Wednesday". The Caterer. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  32. 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.
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  36. Chater, David; Alex Hardy; Mike Mulvihill (24 April 2010). "David Chater's choices". The Times. p. 36. ISSN 0140-0460. ProQuest 320486823.
  37. Jeffries, Stuart (9 September 2010). "Tom Aikens – a chef back from the brink". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  38. "Great British Menu – Series 6, Episode 36 of 45, London and South East Starter". BBC. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
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  41. 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.
  42. Shrimpton, David (6 July 2004). "2004 Catey award winners unveiled". The Caterer. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  43. "Newcomer of the Year: Tom Aikens". Caterer & Hotelkeeper. Vol. 193, no. 4331. 8–14 July 2004. p. R13. ISSN 0008-7777. ProQuest 222763014.
  44. Afiya, Amanda (18 September 2007). "Roux brothers win AA's Lifetime Achievement award". The Caterer. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  45. "Tom Aikens". The Caterer. 12 May 2005. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  46. "CatererSearch 100 – the full list". The Caterer. 20 September 2006. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  47. "Caterer and Hotelkeeper 100: Tom Aikens". 1 July 2011. Retrieved 22 March 2021. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  48. Walker, Tim (30 March 2011). "Aikens breaks silence on split". The Daily Telegraph. p. 6. ISSN 0307-1235. ProQuest 859030468.
  49. 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.
  50. "Tom Aikens: 5 Minute Feast Charity Cook Book". Only a Pavement Away. 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.

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