Tony Parkin has been head chef at Great Fosters Michelin-starred restaurant for nearly five months and now the name of the restaurant has been changed to Tony Parkin at the Tudor Room.
Talking exclusively to The Staff Canteen, Tony says having his name above the door wasn’t something he expected.
Tony Parkin
“I never wanted my own restaurant, I’m not brave enough! So I wasn’t expecting this to happen but now it has I’m really embracing it.
“It’s happened quite quickly and I’m looking forward to building on the reputation the restaurant already has.”
He added: “I’m really chuffed and it feels like all the graft has finally paid off. I’ve worked in a lot of great restaurants and I’ve been cooking since I was 16 so I think it’s the right time for this to happen.
“I’m being the most creative I’ve ever been because it’s very personal to me and I’m very happy here.”
In March, Great Fosters announced Tony Parkin, former head chef at Graham Garrett’s The West House, would replace Douglas Balish who took over as executive chef at Grove of Narberth.
At the time Tony said he was excited to start his new role at the fine dining restaurant.
“I was ready to do something new and have my own platform,” he explained. “I’ve been in the trade for 18 years and I’m confident in my own ability, so it seemed a natural next step to leave The West House.”
He added: “Working at The West House has been fantastic, and I love the Garrets to pieces it’s just time for a different challenge.”
Tony worked for Graham for three and a half years and previous to that he was a private chef for Lord and Lady Bamford, sous chef at Adam Simmonds at Danesfield House, he also spent time at 2 Michelin-starred Kommendaten and Rene Redzepi’s Noma.
Tony Parkin at The Tudor Room
On his plans for The Tudor Room he said: “I’m great friends with Dougie and we are both classically trained and similar chefs - my style is simple, and I want to be true to the ingredients but still be refined.
“Dougie has achieved a lot there, he has done very well and he’s a phenomenal chef - in my opinion he is possibly the most underrated chef in Britain!
“So, I want to continue his success but also put my own stamp on it.”
After making the decision to leave The West House Tony had offers to work in the private sector and to take on other restaurants so he didn’t make the decision lightly to take the role at The Tudor Room.
“A lot of things have come up and it’s been quite overwhelming,” he said. “But for me it’s about the cooking, I’m at a stage in my life where I want to showcase what I can do. I’ve done a few guest nights at other restaurants in the past year and I’ve enjoyed having that free reign.
“When the Great Fosters opportunity came up I thought, ‘if I don’t do it now, I’ll regret it’.”
Ian Heath, Group Operations Director, said: "We are delighted to welcome Tony to the team. His wealth of expertise will help us to continue to drive The Tudor Room forward and maintain our Michelin Star and four AA Rosettes. We're looking forward to experiencing his dishes and sharing his menu with our guests."
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