Restaurant Story’s Tom Phillips on mentors, Michelin and Bocuse d’Or

Mentors who shaped the chef

“I’ve had a lot of people who’ve inspired me and been part of my journey,” Tom explained.

“John Williams is a huge part of that. I’m fortunate to have a strong relationship with him now — I can still go to him for advice and he’ll always point me in the right direction.

“Before John there was Hywel Jones at Lucknam Park, and he’s the one who set me on my path.

“We’re both Newport boys, so I think he took a liking to me when I was young. He got me involved in the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts, and that’s how I got to the Ritz.

“Hywel showed me hospitality. I’d go down as a 16-year-old, he’d give me a room for the night, and treat me like one of the team. It was amazing to step into a Michelin-star restaurant for the first time with someone so generous and caring, and who really pointed me in the right direction.

“From there I went to Per Se. Thomas Keller, like for so many of us, is the North Star of the culinary world — and it was a dream to work for him.

“In that kitchen there were also other individuals who influenced me: Eli Kaimeh was chef de cuisine at the time, and Nicolas Ferreira, executive sous chef. Then Mathew Peters was also executive sous chef and was doing his Bocuse journey when I worked under him.

“He had a huge influence, not just on my time at Per Se, but on what brought me back to the UK — wanting to be involved in Bocuse d’Or.

“I feel really lucky to have worked with those people as a young chef. Then back in the UK I worked for Simon (Rogan) for a while, and now I’ve been with Tom (Sellers) for a significant amount of time.

“Tom has mentored me in different ways — not as a young cook, but as an operator and a head chef, and someone who oversees the business. His entrepreneurship is unmatched.”

Why competitions matter — and the Bocuse d’Or journey

Already with an interest in classic French cuisine, Tom learned the fundamentals as a teenager at The Ritz, which is also where his interest in the Bocuse d’Or began.

“I did my first competition at the Ritz — the Annual Awards of Excellence,” he explained.

“I loved the notion of testing yourself. I’m competitive, but mostly against myself. I like to challenge myself and push.

“In a restaurant you’re often cooking somebody else’s food and learning their techniques and ethos, which is brilliant.

“But in a competition, it is all you. It’s an amazing platform to grow.

“The Bocuse d’Or has been the biggest one that shaped me. I feel so privileged to have had the opportunity to be involved.

“It was a lot of hard work and commitment, but I fell in love with it at a young age and didn’t expect to end up where I ended up with it.

“I remember seeing a certificate outside John Williams’s office from when he competed and I asked him about it. He told me the history, Paul Bocuse starting it in 1987 etcetera. I went away, researched it, watched it, and it felt like nothing else — so far removed from day-to-day restaurant life. I wanted to experience it.

“At Per Se, I then got to watch Mathew Peters train. I was amazed by that growth of his development. I spoke to him a lot, and he said: go get involved, be a fly on the wall for Team UK.

“I started the crazy journey. After a year where the UK didn’t compete, we went from 10th in the world, to coaching Ian (Musgrave) to seventh, then going again and coming fourth in Europe and fifth in the world. It’s an amazing thing.”

How Restaurant Story evolved over eight years

He has enjoyed that success whilst playing a key role in the progression of Restaurant Story.

The dining experience features 10 courses, but there is no menu presented on arrival, with the chefs instead deciding what to present.

“I’ve been here just over eight years, and everything’s evolved massively — myself, and the restaurant,” said Tom.

“I started here as a sous chef, hungry, wanting to get stuck in. I came at an amazing time when the restaurant was at a pivotal point — we were maturing.

“After my first year, we did our first remodel. We started to move away from the storytelling element per se — where every dish was a story of Tom’s childhood — which was brilliant at the start.

“As I stepped into the head chef role, we shifted. The story became less about Tom’s personal background and more about the restaurant, and its growth and development. We developed the food, changed our approach to produce and crockery. We grew up a little bit. We work with better artisans across the board.

“Now, eight years later, we’ve got a private dining room on the second floor that Tom built — two Michelin stars, a great team, a great culture, and a business that keeps growing. It’s been quite a journey, but a really great one.”

He added: “The food is hospitality focused.

“I want people to feel like they’ve been looked after. That comes from everything: the food, the experience.

“The food is ingredient-led, but there’s an essence of comfort to it. I hope it’s skilful and intricate and detailed — I like detail — but I also want people to feel comfortable when they eat it.

“We build the menu up to a main course that feels warming — like you’re at home and somebody’s looking after you.

“I want people to feel they’ve had an experience, but that they’ve been looked after.”

Next target: Master of Culinary Arts

Away from the restaurant, next, Tom is eyeing up the Master of Culinary Arts (MCA).

“You look at France with the MOFs (Meilleur Ouvrier de France), they’re masters of their craft, with a vigorous examination every four years,” Tom explained.

“If you’re skilled enough you get awarded a medal and a collar you’re allowed to wear.

“We have something similar in the UK: the MCA. It’s less known, but just as important — a high accolade as a creative. To be a master of something you’ve dedicated your career to is phenomenal.

“I looked at it last time it came round four years ago, but I was in the middle of Bocuse and it was too much.

“The opportunity is coming round now, and I’m definitely aiming to go for it and see what we can do.”

Advice for the next generation

Tom has come a long way from his early days as a commis chef at The Ritz.

Asked what advice he gives to young chefs coming through in the industry, he said: “I find now a lot of young chefs are in a rush to get to the top.

“My best advice is don’t rush it. Learn your craft, dedicate yourself, become a master of it. It takes time, but all great things do.

“Find somebody to mentor you in the right field — someone who sings to your beliefs — and stick with them for a good amount of time. Develop under them, then go off and grow.

“And don’t burn bridges. That’s very important.”