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Home of Food chefs

The Home of Food Festival Chef Bios

WITH A LINE UP OF SOME OF THE UK'S FINEST CHEFS, HOME OF FOOD WILL SEE LORD'S PLAY HOST TO EXTRAORDINARY TALENT ACROSS THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY.

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Tommy Banks

Tommy Banks

Restaurants: Made In Oldstead, Roots, Black Swan

Tommy Banks is one of the UK’s most acclaimed Michelin-starred chefs. The three-time winner of BBC’s Great British Menu is owner of The Black Swan at Oldstead, Roots York and The Abbey Inn Byland, as well as Head Chef at The Edrich at Lord’s on major match days.

Due to his strong farming heritage, Tommy is famous for using locally sourced ingredients from his families’ own farm and garden. He will be bringing these tastes of Yorkshire to London for The Home of Food and will be appearing at numerous experiences across the weekend.

Aktar Islam

Aktar Islam

Restaurant: Opheem

Aktar Islam is Chef Patron of Opheem in Birmingham and a multiple award-winning English Michelin- starred chef, restaurateur, and entrepreneur. His credentials include winning Gordon Ramsay’s F Word and BBC’s Great British Menu.

Aktar’s flagship restaurant Opheem in Birmingham focuses on progressive Indian cuisine, and is the only Michelin-starred Indian restaurant outside of London. Aktar’s latest venture is Aktar at Home, a critically acclaimed food delivery business offering traditional Indian home cooking.

Callum Leslie

Callum Leslie

Restaurant: The Black Swan

Callum Leslie has proudly been the Head Chef of Michelin-starred restaurant The Black Swan in Yorkshire since late 2021, under the direction and guidance of Chef Director Tommy Banks.

Having begun his career as a Kitchen Porter, Callum’s journey has seen him work in various Michelin-starred establishments across the country, from Daniel Clifford’s two-Michelin starred Midsummer House, Marcus Wareing’s eponymous Knightsbridge restaurant, to heading the pastry section of Restaurant Sat Bains in Nottingham.

Florian Poirot

Florian Poirot

Restaurant: Florian Poirot, Master Patisser

Florian Poirot is a pastry chef from Nancy, Northeast France. Florian spent time working at some of the best patisseries in Paris but has since crossed the channel to open his eponymous pastry shop in Malton, Yorkshire.

Having been baking all his life, Florian is known as one of the best pastry chefs in the UK and became UK Pastry Champion in 2017. He takes a special interest in the artistic side of the patisserie world to create beautiful works of art using the best ingredients available.

Gareth Ward

Gareth Ward

Restaurant: Ynyshir

Gareth Ward is the head chef of two Michelin starred restaurant Ynyshir, the most highly awarded restaurant in Wales and was named the UK’s best restaurant at the Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards in 2022.

Gareth is considered one of the most exciting chefs cooking in the UK today, and took home the award for Best Chef at the 2023 GQ Food and Drink Awards thanks to his unique use of Asian techniques and flavours combined with the wild ingredients of the Welsh countryside.

Jack Croft and Will Murray

Jack Croft and Will Murray

Restaurant: Fallow

Chefs Jack Croft and Will Murray opened Fallow in 2020 after working together at the two Michelin-starred Dinner by Heston in London.

Originally launched as a pop-up, they quickly garnered numerous awards and accolades, this success paved the way for the opening of their permanent restaurant in November 2021. Regarded as one of the most exciting restaurants in the UK, Jack and Will have gained fame for their shared passion for creating delicious food using kitchen by-products such as fish heads, leek tops, and lemon peel.

Liam Fauchard-Newman

Liam Fauchard-Newman

Restaurant: Holborn Dining Room

Liam is the head chef at Holborn Dining Room, the season British restaurant within the luxury hotel Rosewood London, where he also works alongside Nokx in the Pie Room.

Liam has been a feature in many of the top kitchens across London. He now leads the culinary team and is responsible for developing new dishes at The Holborn Room, where his expertise in pastries has played a key role in developing the Pie Room alongside Nokx Majozi. Make sure to try their famous pies at The Home of Food.

Lisa Goodwin-Allen

Lisa Goodwin-Allen

Restaurant: Northcote

Lisa Goodwin-Allen is Executive Chef of Michelin-starred restaurant Northcote in Lancashire. Having been named 2022 CATEY Chef of the Year and AYALA SquareMeal Female Chef of the Year Award 2022, she is one exciting chefs in the UK today.

Lisa is passionate about using seasonal, locally sourced ingredients and is always finding new ways to create dishes that allow her ingredients to shine through. Her skills have landed her regular TV appearances, including as one of the veteran judge’s on BBC1’s Great British Menu.

Louisa Ellis

Louisa Ellis

MasterChef: The Professionals 2020 Champion

Louisa Ellis is known for exploring flavours and techniques developed from working in numerous Michelin-starred restaurants. This experience led her to take on the challenge of MasterChef: The Professionals, where she walked away as champion in December 2020.

Since this success, Louisa has turned her talents to being a private chef, based in Nottingham. Here her passion for flavour and unique combinations has helped her create an array of ever evolving menus to cater for her client’s diverse needs.

Niall Keating

Niall Keating

Restaurant: Lunar

Niall Keating, Head Chef, and owner of Lunar in his hometown of Stoke-on-Trent. He is one of the small handful of chefs in the UK to have held two Michelin stars, giving him a reputation as one of the leading chefs in the country today.

Niall has a plethora of accolades including BBC’s Great British Menu Champion of Champions 2020 and Michelin Young European Chef of the Year 2018. Niall brought his distinctive style, inspired by Korean, Japanese and French cuisines, to a sold-out Lord’s Dining Club last December.

Nokx Majozi

Nokx Majozi

Restaurant: The Pie Room

Nokx is the brains behind the famous Pie Room at Holborn Dining Room, where she pores over delicate pastry patterns to create her uniquely delicious pies which she will be bringing to The Home of Food.

Outside of the kitchen, she is passionate about brining women to the forefront of the chef industry, by encouraging and supporting those starting their careers by organising networking events and workshops.

Richard Corrigan

Richard Corrigan

Restaurant: Bentley's

Richard Corrigan owns and runs famous London restaurants Corrigan’s Mayfair and Bentley’s Seafood Bar. His career has seen him gain Michelin stars, cook for the late Queen and appear on television on countless occasions, including winning Great British Menu three times.

Richard is bringing Bentley’s Seafood Bar to the Harris Gardens at The Home of Food, where guests can get their hands on some of Bentley’s Seafood Bar’s famous oysters or order from an à la carte menu of seafood favourites.

Will Lockwood

Will Lockwood

Restaurant: Roots

Will Lockwood is the Head Chef of Michelin-starred restaurant, Roots in York, part of the Tommy Banks Group, where Will has worked for the best part of a decade.

Will has previously been Head Chef at The Black Swan, retaining the restaurant’s Michelin-star for six years and being named TripAdvisor’s Best Restaurant in the World. Just this year, Will competed on BBC Two’s Great British Menu, reaching the final with his menu inspired by British animation and illustration.

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