2 Michelin Star Chefs: Tom Sellers, chef patron, Restaurant Story

Tom Sellers is chef patron of the two Michelin-starred, Restaurant Story

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Tom first stumbled into a kitchen at 16, with his first job in a pub kitchen.

He moved to London a year later, where he received his initial training under Tom Aikens, working 110 hours a week and without the experience of a catering college.

Career to Date

The chef subsequently moved to the USA, where he worked for Thomas Keller at Per Se for two years, and then at The French Laundry.

France was his next step, where he worked at a three Michelin-starred restaurant, before seizing on the opportunity to work at Noma in Copenhagen with René Redzepi.

When he returned to London, Tom worked for Adam Byatt at Trinity before opening Story in 2013. receiving his first star the following year, and its second in the 2021 Guide.

Food Style

Tom’s food is inspired by his culinary career and the history of British food.

Story is a unique restaurant that combines a literary theme with the world of food, and his dishes are an edible story, each inspired by a memory.

He shares these memories visually, as well as through smell and taste.

Tom strongly believes that it is of utmost importance to understand your history in order to shape your future.

He sees food as a way of expressing his own story, where he has come from to where he is now.

Not only are the dishes inspired by his own story but also stories that others are familiar, such as ‘three bears porridge’ dish, inspired by the nursery rhyme.

Tom is known for a dish called ‘bread and dripping’ which is better known as the ‘beef candle’, a solid taper candle made of beef drippings that melts into its holder, the diner being able to dip bread into the fat.

Restaurant Story

With restaurant Story, Tom wants to strengthen the link between stories and food and hopes people will bring books to his restaurant.

To write in the books, and say why they left it, and why they chose that book, and leave it in the restaurant for other people to look at while they’re dining. Tom came up with the name Story when he was just 16, aware that he wanted to tell his story with his food. Tom is very focused on the narrative side of food and feels it is important that the diner feel a connection to the food. 

Television Appearances and other ventures

Tom's rising reputation has seen him break into television, competing on BBC2’s Great British Menu in 2014, taking a dish to the banquet in St Paul’s Cathedral to mark the 70th anniversary of D-Day. Unfortunately having to drop out due to illness, Tom was known for his inspiring daily kitchen quotes on the show. 

In 2016 he released his first book, titled 'A Kind of Love Story'. His book doesn't include any recipes, instead focusing on how food makes the chef feel and what he does with food. 

Videos by Tom Sellers: