Tom Aikens
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- This is about an English chef. For the restaurant he founded, see Tom Aikens, Restaurant
| Tom Aikens | |
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| Born | 1970 (age 37–38) Norwich, England |
| Cooking style | French cuisine |
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Current Restaurant(s)
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This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (November 2007) |
Tom Aikens (born 1970) is an English chef.
Aikens was born in Norwich in 1970 into a family of wine merchants. He worked at Mirabelle in Eastbourne and Cavaliers in Battersea, London, as a commis chef.
He moved to London’s Capital hotel under Michelin-starred head chef Philip Britten and was working as chef de partie at Pierre Koffmann’s La Tante Claire in London when the restaurant won its third Michelin star before becoming sous chef at Pied à Terre in 1993.
Aikens left London to work under Joël Robuchon in Paris and Gerard Boyer in Reims 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 was sacked by Pied à Terre in 1999 for allegedly "branding" a 19-year-old trainee chef with a hot knife. He spent a year as head chef at La Tante Claire before opening Tom Aikens in April 2003 in partnership with his then wife, Laura Vanninen, who handled front of house. The restaurant won a Michelin star in January 2004 and three stars in the Egon Ronay’s revived restaurant guide for 2005. In 2005, it was named as the eighth best restaurant in the world in Restaurant's Top 50.[1]
In November 2004, he caused a stir by accusing a customer of stealing a silver coffee spoon from his restaurant. Following the incident, he told The Times he did not wish to discuss it, but did complain that theft at the restaurant was rife.
In August 2006, a sous-chef at Tom Aikens was stabbed in the buttock, prompting a health and safety inquiry. The resultant report concluded that the sous-chef had slipped on a wet floor "into another chef who was holding a knife", and the restaurant was warned to "thoroughly dry off the floor" after washing.
Aiken's second restaurant, Tom's Kitchen, opened in November 2006.
His third restaurant Tom's Place is due to open in February 2008.
[edit] Personal life
Tom Aiken's identical twin brother Robert now works with him.
Aikens married Laura Vanninen in 1997, but the marriage broke down in 2004, a year after they opened their first Chelsea restaurant Tom Aikens. In June 2007, Aikens married publicist and former chef Amber Nuttall, third daughter of Sir Nicholas Nuttall, Bt.,. Amber's mother Miranda Quarry was once married to actor Peter Sellers and is now married to the Earl of Stockton. The wedding was attended by several society figures.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ World’s Top 50 Restaurants 2005 - Worldpress.org
- ^ Samantha Conti. [http://www.wmagazine.com/celebrities/2007/10/chef_tom_aikens?printable=true " Cooking with Gas: Known for his hot restaurants and fiery temper, chef Tom Aikens is burning up the London food scene."] ] W magazine, October 2007, in the W Celebrities feature.
