Introducing Tom Aikens: Owner of Muse and Ambassador of Only A Pavement Away
On this episode, Caroline Donaghue and Priya Rawal welcome one of the best chefs of our generation, being the youngest British chef to hold two Michelin stars, owner of a chain of restaurants Muse, Tom's Kitchen, The Pawn, Pots, Pans & Boards and ambassador of Only a Pavement Away charity, Tom Aikens.
Born into a foodie family in Norfolk, Tom grew up in a house that had a respect for fresh, seasonal ingredients and at age 11, Tom decided that he wanted to become a chef. After working in several kitchens working with the likes of Pierre Koffmann at La Tante Claire, Philip Britten at The Capital, Richard Neat at Pied à Terre to name afew, he was finally offered the role of Head Chef and Co-Owner of Pied à Terre. Under his leadership, he landed the restaurant another Michellin star making him the youngest chef to earn Michellin star status at only 26 years old. Pivoting to private chef, Tom worked for the Lord Andrew Lloyd Weber, Anushka Hepo and Carole Bamford. He later helped Carole with the opening of Daylesford Organic, developing a large range of organic products for Daylesford Farm Organic Shop and Wootton Organic.
Tom later took the leap to open his own restaurants both in the UK and globally, starting with Tom Aikens Restaurant in 2003 (which received a Michelin Star in its first year of opening in 2004 and the ‘Rising-Two-Star’ status and 5 AA Rosettes in 2008), Tom's Kitchen in 2006, The Pawn in Hong Kong, Pots, Pans & Boards in Dubai and recently, The Muse in London which pays homage to all the inspirations different people, places, time and travels Tom has experienced.
Tom has also written multiple cook books, the most notable of which was the Charity Cookbook which was launched with charity Only a Pavement Away as a response to help the increased homelessness caused by the 2020 pandemic. What started as the #FiveMinuteFeast cookery competition social media, has now given a huge amount of people a second start in life.
Sponsored by V1 Architectural Visualisation & 28°-50° Oxford Circus (2850oxfordcircus.co.uk). Follow Caroline @caroline.donaghue and Priya @priya.rawal.london and the podcast page @therealrendezvous on Instagram and LinkedIn. Produced by BBE Podcast Agency.
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