In association with

In the build up to The Staff Canteen Live 2016 – Skillery in association with Westlands and supported by the Craft Guild of Chefs at Hotelympia 2016, we are taking a closer look at the chefs who will be joining us on stage - next up Tom Aikens. 

Tom Aikens is the founder and owner of multiple restaurants, including Tom's Kitchen in Chelsea, London along with Tom’s Terrace, Tom’s Deli and a second Tom’s Kitchen site at Somerset House. Tom also oversees the menu at the Hong Kong’s iconic restaurant, The Pawn. Norfolk-born Tom specialises in creative French cooking style.

>>> Read more in the Behind The Chef series here

He was the youngest ever chef to be awarded two-Michelin stars at the tender age of 26 and has made numerous television appearances as well as releasing three books.

At The Staff Canteen we want to see what makes chefs tick. We asked Tom a few questions about what he gets up to when not in the kitchen:

Would you rather order a starter or a pudding?

I’m not that much of a sweet tooth so definitely a starter.

What would your last meal be?

Probably a charred steak medium rare with béarnaise sauce and triple-cooked chips.

What was the last thing you ate?

A ham, cheese sandwich with fresh homemade sourdough toasted.

If you weren’t a chef what would you be?

Either a Jump Jockey or I’d be in an endurance sport of some kind.

If you could choose to dine in any restaurant in the world which would you choose?

One of the most amazing establishments I have been to is Michel Geurards’s Les Prés d’Eugénie at Eugenie-les-bains,