1 Michelin Star Chefs: Zach Elliott-Crenn, head chef, Portland

The Staff Canteen

Zach Elliott-Crenn is the head chef of Michelin-starred Portland Restaurant in Fitzrovia, London

Australian born, Zach Elliott-Crenn has been working at Portland since 2015 and became head chef of the Michelin star restaurant after Merlin Labron-Johnson departed in 2018.

Portland

20150414 Portland Interior 013 Patricia Niven Patricia Niven

113 Great Portland Street W1W 6QQ

Telephone: 0207 436 3261

Website: www.portlandrestaurant.co.uk

Email: [email protected]

Head Chef: Zach Elliott-Crenn

Twitter: @portland113

Instagram: @portlandrestaurant

Biography

The Australian chef who is now head chef at the Portland Restaurant in London started his culinary career as a Commis Pastry Chef at the Hyatt Hotel in Australia in 2005. Where he was responsible for prepping the pastry goods and where he was awarded the apprentice of the year in 2007. Following this, he graduated Canberra Institute of Technology in Canberra in pastry production and retail baking.

team at Portland
The team at Portland

Following this Zach was junior sous chef at the Courgette Restaurant in 2008 where he was in continuing his pastry experiences and taking more responsibilities within the kitchen that was required. At the time that he was at the Courgette Restaurant, the restaurant was awarded an Australian Good Food Guide Chef Hat Award. He also attained an apprenticeship in commercial cookery.

What the guides say

Michelin

Michelin star

AA Restaurant Guide:

three rosette logo

Harden's

Screenshot 2018 12 21 at 12.45.16

In 2012, Zach moved to New York

and joined the team at the world-renowned Le Cirque as a chef de partie for 10 months until he moved to France where he joined the Institut National des Sciences Appliqués where he did six months full-time study of French in Rennes. Whilst studying, he was a part-time lead assistant as he prepared and cooked private dinners through Bretagne with Michelin Starred chef Jean-Yves Crenn.

Quince & bergamot tart%2C cardamom ice cream

Quince & bergamot tart

cardamom ice cream

After studying the French language for 6 months, he moved back to Australia where he was chef tournant at Vue de Monde.

 In January 2015, he moved to London to join the kitchen at the Michelin starred Marcus in The Berkeley Hotel in Knightsbridge for 9 months. He worked under the work of the supervision of Michelin star chef Marcus Wareing as a chef de partie.

Since then, Zach has been working at the Portland Restaurant where he was working with Merlin Labron-Johnson as a sous chef until Merlin left in October 2018, where Zach was hired as the head chef.

What's on the menu?

Zach's menu at Portland contains plenty of imagination and creativity. Portland prides itself on its daily menus and quality ingredients.

The restaurant offers a set lunch menu, á la carte menu and a desserts menu alongside the long and illustrious wine selection.

Portland also offers a tasting menu for both the lunch and dinner menus. It offers  

By George Heal

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The Staff Canteen

The Staff Canteen

Editor 6th February 2019

1 Michelin Star Chefs: Zach Elliott-Crenn, head chef, Portland