Tom Aikens
Encyclopedia
- This is about an English chef. For the restaurant he founded, see Tom Aikens, RestaurantTom Aikens, RestaurantTom Aikens is a restaurant on Elystan Street in Chelsea, London, England. It was opened in 2003 by Tom Aikens and his then-wife, Laura Vanninen.The style of the food is contemporary French....
Tom Aikens (born 1970) is an English chef.
Early life
Aikens was born in NorwichNorwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
in 1970 into a family of wine merchants. The Aikens family had a converted barn in the Auvergne
Auvergne (région)
Auvergne is one of the 27 administrative regions of France. It comprises the 4 departments of Allier, Puy de Dome, Cantal and Haute Loire.The current administrative region of Auvergne is larger than the historical province of Auvergne, and includes provinces and areas that historically were not...
region of France where the chef would spend his early summers. The Aikens' family regularly travelled around France where he was exposed to fine regional cuisine.
Professional career
Aikens started his cooking career as a commis chef at the Mirabelle in EastbourneEastbourne
Eastbourne is a large town and borough in East Sussex, on the south coast of England between Brighton and Hastings. The town is situated at the eastern end of the chalk South Downs alongside the high cliff at Beachy Head...
. He continued his career as a commis chef at the Cavalier's with David Cavalier.
Aikens moved to London’s Capital Hotel under Michelin-starred head chef Philip Britten as a commis chef. Aikens was working as chef de partie at Pierre Koffmann’s La Tante Claire
La Tante Claire
La Tante Claire was a restaurant in London which opened in 1977 and closed in 2004. Owned and operated by Pierre Koffmann, it gained three Michelin stars in 1983, and held all three until the restaurant moved premises in 1998.-Description:...
in London when the restaurant won its third Michelin star before becoming sous chef at Pied à Terre
Pied a terre
A pied-à-terre is a small living unit usually located in a large city some distance away from an individual's primary residence. It may be an apartment or condominium....
in 1993 under Richard Neat.
Aikens left London to work under Joël Robuchon
Joël Robuchon
Joël Robuchon is a French chef and restaurateur. He was titled "Chef of the Century" by the guide Gault Millau in 1989 and also awarded the Meilleur Ouvrier de France in cuisine in 1976...
in Paris and Gerard Boyer in Reims
Reims
Reims , a city in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, lies east-northeast of Paris. Founded by the Gauls, it became a major city during the period of the Roman Empire....
before returning to Pied à Terre as head chef in 1996, where he held onto the two Michelin stars earned by his predecessor, Richard Neat. In doing so, he became the youngest British chef to be awarded two Michelin stars.
Aikens spent a year as head chef at La Tante Claire before opening Tom Aikens
Tom Aikens, Restaurant
Tom Aikens is a restaurant on Elystan Street in Chelsea, London, England. It was opened in 2003 by Tom Aikens and his then-wife, Laura Vanninen.The style of the food is contemporary French....
in April 2003 in partnership with his then wife, Laura Vanninen, who handled the front of the house. The restaurant won a Michelin star in January 2004 and three stars in the Egon Ronay Guide for 2005. In 2005, it was named as the eighth best restaurant in the world in Restaurant's
Restaurant (magazine)
Restaurant is a British magazine aimed at chefs, restaurant proprietors and other catering professionals that concentrates on the fine dining end of the industry. It produces an annual list of what it considers to be the best 50 restaurants, based on the votes of 600 "chefs, restaurateurs, critics...
Top 50
Restaurant (magazine) Top 50
The S.Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants is produced by British magazine Restaurant based on a poll of international chefs, restaurateurs, gourmands and restaurant critics. In addition to the main ranking, the Chef's Choice list is based on votes from the fifty head chefs from the restaurants...
.
Aikens' second restaurant, Tom's Kitchen
Tom's Kitchen
Tom's Kitchen is a restaurant on Cale Street in London's Chelsea. It opened in November 2006 and was Tom Aikens' second restaurant as proprietor....
, opened in November 2006. His third restaurant Tom's Place, which opened in February 2008, closed in August 2008. In October 2008 Tom’s Kitchen and the Michelin-starred Tom Aikens in London’s Chelsea were acquired by TA Holdco Ltd, after being put into administration.
In April 2010, Aikens opened "Tom's Terrace" at Somerset House
Somerset House
Somerset House is a large building situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, England, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The central block of the Neoclassical building, the outstanding project of the architect Sir William Chambers, dates from 1776–96. It...
in London.
Television career
Aikens was one of the four Iron Chefs in Iron Chef UKIron Chef UK
Iron Chef UK was a British competition-based cooking show based on Fuji Television's Iron Chef and Food Network's Iron Chef America. It was produced by IWC Media and broadcasted on Channel 4.-Summary:...
on Channel 4. He has also appeared on Market Kitchen on UK Good Food Channel.
Personal life
Aikens married business partner Laura Vänninen in 1997, but the marriage broke down in 2004, a year after they opened their first Chelsea restaurant Tom AikensTom Aikens, Restaurant
Tom Aikens is a restaurant on Elystan Street in Chelsea, London, England. It was opened in 2003 by Tom Aikens and his then-wife, Laura Vanninen.The style of the food is contemporary French....
. In June 2007, Aikens married publicist and former chef Amber Nuttall, third daughter of Sir Nicholas Nuttall, Bt.
Nicholas Nuttall
Sir Nicholas Keith Lillington Nuttall, 3rd Baronet was the heir to the Edmund Nuttall construction and civil engineering business. He also inherited the Nuttall baronetcy on his father's death in 1941, when he was eight years old...
. Amber's mother, former model Miranda Quarry, was once married to actor Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers
Richard Henry Sellers, CBE , known as Peter Sellers, was a British comedian and actor. Perhaps best known as Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther film series, he is also notable for playing three different characters in Dr...
, and after the death of Sir Nicholas a month after his daughters wedding, is now married to the Earl of Stockton
Alexander Macmillan, 2nd Earl of Stockton
Alexander Daniel Alan Macmillan, 2nd Earl of Stockton is a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. He is the first son of the late Conservative politician Maurice Macmillan and the first grandson of former prime minister Harold Macmillan.-Life:Lord Stockton was educated at Eton...
. The wedding was attended by several society figures. Aikens and Amber separated in November 2010.
External links
- Tom Aikens official homepage
- Tom's Kitchen official homepage
- Tom's Place official homepage
- Tom Aikens, Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...