Stefan Chomka

3 weeks ago | restaurantonline.co.uk | Stefan Chomka

In October you closed Purnell’s after 17 years. Tell us about thatI never had a financial backer for the restaurant—I did it off my own back. I re-mortgaged the house, maxed out my credit cards, and did it the old-fashioned way. I battled through a couple of recessions, the credit crunch, the 2008 bank collapse. Even though the industry had its peaks and troughs, it was manageable. I made a decent living, and I loved it. Brexit was difficult, but we got through it. Then Covid hit.

1 month ago | restaurantonline.co.uk | Joe Lutrario |Stefan Chomka |William Reed

Nice office…Johnny Smith: We wanted to give SMITH & WILLIS a home. Somewhere to bring together everything we love about restaurants. It’s going to be the creative force that drives the business forward. We’d had our eye on this space above LUCA for a while. The day we signed, we were served notice at our old office across the road, so it felt meant to be. It has a Manchester loft vibe, which Daniel and I love.

1 month ago | restaurantonline.co.uk | Joe Lutrario |Stefan Chomka |James McAllister |William Reed

The group says that the appointment is an exciting new chapter for the luxury St. James’s property, which is home to The Game Bird restaurant and the American Bar. Caines - who is the chef owner of Michelin-starred hotel and restaurant Lympstone Manor - will work with the existing team to ‘shape the hotel’s culinary vision’ and ‘elevate dining experiences throughout’.

1 month ago | restaurantonline.co.uk | Stefan Chomka |William Reed

Every restaurateur has their all-too familiar Covid lockdown story - of forced closure, furlough, anxiety about whether there might even be a business on the other side - but Emma Schwarz’s is slightly different. When the UK shutdown in March 2020, the former retail expert didn’t yet have a restaurant, having been locked in negotiations with two separate landlords on trying to open her first place.

1 month ago | restaurantonline.co.uk | Joe Lutrario |Stefan Chomka |William Reed

The chef - who swapped the restaurant world for school catering in 2023 - impressed the judges with her dessert entitled ‘Books, The Mind’s Food’. Made with hay-infused set cream, fermented strawberries and a white chocolate disc, served with honey parfait and a sable biscuit sandwich the dish was inspired by writer Hannah More. She fought off competition from fellow banquet chefs Jean Delport and Sally Abé to win the award, which is determined by the banquet guests voting for their favorite dish.