| Born | 1970 (age 41–42) Norwich, England |
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| Cooking style | French cuisine |
| Education | Hotel School at City College Norwich |
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Current restaurant(s)
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Tom Aikens (born 1970) is an English Michelin star winning head chef.
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Aikens was born in Norwich in 1970 into a family of wine merchants.[1] The Aikens family had a converted barn in the Auvergne region of France[2] where the chef would spend his early summers. The Aikens' family regularly travelled around France where he was exposed to fine regional cuisine.
Aikens started his cooking career as a commis chef at the Mirabelle in Eastbourne. 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 in London when the restaurant won its third Michelin star before becoming sous chef at Pied à Terre in 1993 under Richard Neat. 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.[3]
Aikens 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 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 Top 50.[4]
Aikens' second restaurant, Tom's Kitchen, 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.[5]
In April 2010, Aikens opened "Tom's Terrace" at Somerset House in London.
Aikens was one of the four Iron Chefs in Iron Chef UK on Channel 4. He has also appeared on Market Kitchen on UK Good Food Channel.[6]
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 Aikens. In June 2007, Aikens married publicist and former chef Amber Nuttall, third daughter of Sir Nicholas Nuttall, Bt.. Aikens and Amber separated in November 2010.[7]