ONLY one star could be named the winner of Five Star Kitchen: Britain’s Next Great Chef.
Throughout the Channel 4 series, 13 talented competitors battled it out to win their own restaurant in an exclusive five star hotel.
Michel Roux Jr was delighted with the series winner and has been secretly working with him over the past year
Chefs Jordan Brady, Adria Wu and Dominic Taylor competed for the prestigious culinary prize
Who won Five Star Kitchen: Britain’s Next Great Chef?
The cooks competed for a life changing opportunity to own their own restaurant in the Palm Court at The Langham hotel in Central London.
World class judges including Michel Roux Jr, Ravneet Gill and Mike Reid put the fine dining enthusiasts through their paces to prove they have the culinary skills and the business brain to win.
In the nail-biting finale, the three remaining competing chefs – Dominic Taylor, Adria Wu and Jordan Brady competed in the final challenge of the competition.
Each chef was tasked to run the Palm Court restaurant as if it were their own for one night.
They needed to devise and deliver a menu that represented the concept of their future establishment in order to impress thier diners and the judges.
In the end, Dom Taylor was crowned the winner of the show as he received the most prestigious prizes in culinary history.
He combined influences from his Caribbean heritage and South London upbringing to bring mouth-watering dishes to life.
His concept is based on offering the full flavours of West Indian cuisine to a five-star setting.
The Good Front Room will open its doors for the first time tomorrow on Saturday 15 July.
He’s also been secretly working with Michel Roux Jr and the Langham team since filming the final last year to develop his menu in the build up to the highly anticipated launch.
Chef Dom was overwhelmed by the news as he exclaimed “I am absolutely blown away and delighted to have won.
My plans for this restaurant concept are big, we’re going to be serving fantastic Caribbean food.
Knowing that people are likely to travel from far and wide to taste my cuisine is daunting, but makes me all the more determined to deliver something very exciting and delicious!”
Meanwhile Michel Roux Jr was delighted with the results of the competition.
He explained: “We set out to find a hidden gem with an original vision to revolutionise five-star dining. Dom’s concept is personal – it’s what makes his restaurant unique.”
He added: “[Chef Dom’s food] tells a story that I want to be
part of.”
Who took part in the Five Star Kitchen: Britain’s Next Great Chef final?
Jordan Brady
Jordan Brady turned his life around after becoming homeless
Jordan Brady from Leicestershire says that being in the final episode of Five Star Kitchen was the “biggest day” of his life.
He currently owns and is head chef at JB Kitchen, but he says he used to be homeless.
The chef explained: “I left school when I was 11, and I was told I wouldn’t be anything in life.
“I was homeless and I’d sleep in the woods at night, but this just proves if you’ve got the right ethic and you believe in yourself then you can do it.”
He exclusively tells us: “It’s always been my dream to be a chef. It’s in my veins and while I’ve had several difficulties along my journey – it’s made me who I am today.
“Being on the show has changed my life. It has allowed me to find who I am and gave me the power to believe in myself. Never did I think I would reach the final.
“My cooking is all about flavour. Evoking memories. Classical cooking.”
Adria Wu
Adria Wu changed her life when she pursued her dream to become a chef
Adria Wu started a career working in management consulting and finance before she decided to change her life and pursue her true love.
To be in the final is a mixture of excitement, stress and anxiety – I am deathly afraid.
She told The Celeb Report: “I quit my career as an engineer to do this – I sacrificed so much, but I never had this chance and I really believe making plants the star of the menu will work.”
“I definitely didn’t plan it, but I’ve ended up putting all my insecurities out to the world in this competition – at times I felt like everyone was a ‘real chef’ and rocking with so much confidence and I kinda felt like “What am I even doing here?”
“This has really been an opportunity to wow people with my cooking.
“I always think I can work harder than the person next to me. I am always driven for perfection. I have a continuous drive for excellence.”
Dominic Taylor
Dom Taylor will soon open his West Indian restaurant
Dominic grew up in Catford, London in a single-parent home alongside five siblings.
Reflecting on his humble beginnings, he said: “When I first arrived, I had imposter syndrome – I couldn’t see how my food was going to fit in.
“There are a lot of stereotypes and stigma around Caribbean food – and I wanted to run away from that, I wasn’t proud to cook Caribbean food.
“It’s only in the last five years that dream was re-ignited again. Now, I cook from the soul.
He added: “I grew up in London in a single parent family with five siblings – cooking came out of necessity. I was interested from a young age.
“I’ve had to make a lot of sacrifices to make it in hospitality. When I was in my 30s and starting out as a head chef, I had to give up on friend’s birthday and family events to be in the kitchen working.
“Now, on the show, I’ve really been able to champion Caribbean food and ingredients on a platform I haven’t seen in my time as a chef or in my life.
“I want people to get absorbed into what I’ve tried to create. I want people to think “Wow, I didn’t think Caribbean food could be so opulent and upscale.
“The UK is the food capital of the world and I want Caribbean food to have a platform it has not had before and for me to be the chef who leads that.”
Ravneet Gill, Michel Roux Jr, and Mike Reid put the fine dining enthusiasts through their paces
The finalists were tasked with running the restaurant at The Palm Court at The Langham
