Tom Booton to leave The Dorchester after six years

Tom Booton has announced he is set to leave The Dorchester after six years at the five-star London hotel.

Tom is the executive chef at The Grill by Tom Booton, making history in 2019 by becoming the youngest head chef in the hotel restaurant’s history, at the age of 26.

But he is now set to leave, sharing a statement via social media.

>> Read our feature interview with Tom here <<

He wrote: “After six incredible years at The Dorchester I have decided it’s time for me to begin a new chapter in my career.

“When I was brought on board, the mission was to put The Grill at The Dorchester back on the map - and looking back, what we’ve achieved together is nothing short of impressive and something I am massively proud of.

“I’m forever grateful to everyone at the Dorchester Collection for believing in me and for the many once-in-a-lifetime opportunities I’ve had the privilege to experience.

“Most importantly, I want to thank my amazing team, past and present without whose support, we couldn’t have achieved all that we have at The Grill.

“It’s been an unforgettable journey, I leave with immense pride in what we’ve built and excitement for my next step in this beautiful industry.

“I will be here until August, so if you are a regular, or have been meaning to visit – I would love to see as many new and familiar faces as I can before I go.”

Alongside his work at The Dorchester, Tom has had various other projects keeping him occupied, including a restaurant in St Moritz, Switzerland, and live demo appearances across the UK.

Speaking to The Staff Canteen earlier this year, Tom said: “What does the future mean for me? I still want to grow. I’ve still got a lot of ideas.

“I’ve got an amazing team. I’d love to be able to be in a position one day to give them a site, give them something else and all of us grow together as a collective.”

Michelin-starred background

Tom’s culinary journey began at a young age, at the Talbooth restaurant with Ian Rhodes. Spells then followed working for Alyn Williams, running the kitchen at his Michelin-starred restaurant The Westbury.

He went on to work at L’Autre Pied in Marylebone under Andy McFadden.

And Tom admits he has faced some scepticism when he joined The Dorchester, regarding his progress at a young age.

“I did get trolled by people who said he's way too young to be a chef, he's never been a head chef,” Tom explained.

“But none of them knew my backstory of already being head chef of a Michelin star restaurant, sous chef in multiple Michelin star restaurants. If it wasn’t hard, we wouldn’t love it.”