Chef of the Year
Tom Shepherd Chef Owner - Upstairs
Tom Shepherd trained under some of the most demanding names in British cooking, including Michael Wignall and Sat Bains, before opening his own restaurant, Upstairs, above his father's jewellery shop in Lichfield. The Michelin inspectors didn't make him wait: Upstairs was awarded a star just four months after opening in 2021, making it Staffordshire's first ever Michelin-starred restaurant. Since then, Tom and his team have retained that star while picking up three AA Rosettes and a clutch of industry awards, proving the achievement was no fluke. Vote for Tom Shepherd if you back a chef who's put a new part of the country on the fine-dining map in record time.
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