Jonny Bone reflects on 'whirlwind' journey with Core and Clare Smyth
Jonny Bone described his time at Core by Clare Smyth as “a whirlwind and an amazing experience”, as he explained his decision for leaving the restaurant.
Jonny spent nearly two decades working alongside chef Clare Smyth MBE and restaurant director Rob Rose, and was part of the opening team for Core in 2017, which has gone on to earn three Michelin stars.
Last month he confirmed he would be leaving his role as head chef of the Notting Hill restaurant.
Why did Jonny Bone leave Core by Clare Smyth?
Discussing his reasoning for leaving now and reflecting on his time at Core, Jonny told The Staff Canteen: “It was a really, really tough decision to leave because, at the end of the day, it’s such a great place to work.
“How busy it is, the standards it holds every day, it’s amazing.
“The decision was really difficult, but I feel it was the right one for me.
“Clare was always super supportive. We just opened up the dialogue and worked out how it would work. She was great about it.”
He added: “The whole time at Core was amazing and everything that we did and achieved was phenomenal.
“Being part of that, helping pioneer it and run it, was one of the greatest things in my career to date.
“It hasn’t really sunk in. I don’t know what I’m going to feel because, at the minute, it’s a weird thing. It’s like being on holiday.
“It’s all new, it’s all great, it’s all interesting. I’m at home in Scotland and it’s lovely, but I don’t know what’s next.”
The commute to Aberdeenshire played a big part in Jonny’s decision to ultimately leave Core.
“About five years ago, I based my family home up in Scotland because of the love of the area and what it meant for time outside of London,” he explained.
“I absolutely love it here. But obviously it came with its own challenges, being down in London in the week and then being at home at the weekends.
“It just became not possible any longer.”
He added: “There are always flights between London and Aberdeen on a regular basis and they weren’t too bad at all, but it still takes a toll, making that journey.
“Also, the discipline and the dedication that we give to our profession, especially at the highest level, it took a lot.
“I’d be in London for the work week and then at the weekend I’d try and get back to Scotland.
“Over time, that’s the reason you decide this is not going to continue now. You make that choice.
“It is a hard decision, but at this moment in time I feel good, I feel happy, and we’ll see what comes next.”
Jonny Bone’s career path
Prior to joining Core, Jonny’s previous experience had seen him work at high-level restaurants in Paris, Copenhagen and New York, before joining Restaurant Gordon Ramsay.
That is where his working relationship with Clare would begin.
Asked how he would describe his former boss, Jonny said: “It’s been a really close relationship. I would say I learned so much, or nearly everything, from Clare.
“How she looks at food, how she looks at the team, how she looks at business, how she looks at restaurants.
“One of the most invaluable things I have is having that point of view that I was working alongside, or for, her every single day. That was an amazing thing.
“She is already becoming, or is, one of the greats within our industry.”
Recalling the first time he ever met Clare, Jonny said: “It was at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay. I’d gone there for a trial and Clare was running the pass.
“It was just pure energy.
“It came across as just a love for food and a love for hospitality, and that pursuit of perfection and excellence.
“That’s what drove me to think, this is a person you really want to work with and for.
“I walked in, did that trial, and it was like: this is where I want to be.”
Earning three Michelin stars at Core
For Jonny, the opportunity to be part of an opening team at a project like Core was a dream for him.
He said: “Building something from the ground up was the biggest, most rewarding achievement in the whole time of being there.
“I used to work at a place called L’Autre Pied, with Daniel Calvert from Sézanne and chef Luke Armstrong.
“One of the things I always remember was sitting on the fridges at the end of the week, eating a bit of ice cream that was left over, and talking about what we wanted to do with our careers.
“We’d always look at things like Boiling Point and go, ‘I want to be part of something that’s going from the bottom to the top.’
“It was always that thing of how do you catch a restaurant in that moment, in its wave, where it’s coming from this calm sea to the crest, to the peak? That was something we were always talking about, because that’s an amazing moment to be part of.
“I went on from there to work at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay with Clare, and that was experiencing a restaurant at its peak. We brought that restaurant back to its glory days in the sense that we maxed out every single guide. It was really busy, and it’s a fantastic restaurant.
“Doing that was an amazing thing to be part of, but that was a restaurant that already had all of the accolades, the three stars, and that amazing history and tradition.
“Then the opportunity came to potentially do something similar with Clare at the new restaurant, Core. It was like: wow, that’s an amazing thing to do.
“In your career, working at the top restaurants is the most important thing because that builds your knowledge and understanding. Working in different countries wherever you can is really important, to understand cultures and different types of food.
“Coming back after doing that and then achieving something like that is amazing. It was a whirlwind and an amazing experience.”
Jonny Bone’s proudest achievement from working at Core
Working at Core brought with it many accolades and achievements, including cooking at international events and Number 10 Downing Street.
But for Jonny, helping develop the chefs of the future was always something he saw as a key part of his responsibility.
“One of the most important things has been about the team itself,” he said.
“It’s been about those individuals growing through the team to become their own leaders.
“When we were trying to achieve three stars and become great at what we were doing, we were always using comparisons, whether that was with other sports, football teams, other professions.
“One of the things I’ve always enjoyed reading about is Formula One and the advancements they have. One of the things they always talked about is a trickle-down effect. Something that would be on an F1 car today, in six or seven years’ time, or maybe less, would then be in a normal road car.
“That’s very much how I saw it. If we were trying to get all of our team to aspire, articulate and conduct themselves in this really professional manner, in theory, when they leave us and go on to run their own restaurants or kitchens and teams, that’s all going to trickle down.
“May, one of our chefs, now works at Jonny Lake’s Labombe by Trivet. I said to her, ‘how is it?’ and she was like, ‘it’s going really well, getting a good team together and I’ve nearly got them all wearing black socks every day.’
“That was really cool because even that one element, for us, was important. It’s not important to everyone and everyone’s different, but for us it was important everyone was like that.
“You set a standard, and you hope that it filters through the industry.
“Suddenly you’ve got all these individuals who really take pride in themselves and take pride in what they do every day.”
He added: “I think for a while there has been an idea, and it’s getting better every single day, of everything being a little bit wild west with cooking.
“My idea was always to show that we were really dedicated professionals and really put the time into our craft.
“Whether that was the way we decided to dress, or instead of going into service with messy hair, we wanted to be sharp, look good, and look professional.
“We were always comparing ourselves to doctors, lawyers, accountants and people in professions where people look at them and go: these are real top professionals.
“That’s what I always wanted everyone in our team to aspire to be.”
While he will no longer be at Core day-to-day, the restaurant remains a part of him.
“I think the thing to point out is that it’s not walking away,” Jonny said.
“When you spend nearly half your life with people such as Clare and Rob, you don’t walk away.
“That bond is something you can’t really put into words.
“When I say goodbye for now, it’s just to let people know that I’m not disappearing.
“I’m just looking at what I really want as my next choice.
“I think I know what I want. I always want to be in hospitality. I want to deliver that level of excellence and the feeling you give to guests.
“What I’m trying to do now is work out exactly what that looks like for my next chapter.”
He added: “I’m turning 40 this year and I’ve spent nearly 18 years with Clare and Rob.
“It’s nearly half the life where you make your choices, that I’ve chosen to be with Clare and Rob.
“That’s been an amazing thing. It’s a big part of my life and always will be.”
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Jonny Bone reflects on 'whirlwind' journey with Core and Clare Smyth
