Opus at Cornwall Street names their new executive chef

The Staff Canteen
Following the news at the beginning of this month that chef director David Colcombe had left Birmingham restaurant Opus at Cornwall Street, today it has been announced that Ben Ternent has been promoted from head to executive chef. Having run the kitchen operations of Opus at Cornwall Street for some time, and having added Cafe Opus and Bar Opus for the last six months, the 30-year-old’s new role will see him managing a team of 11 chefs and three kitchen porters across the three venues, as well as developing menus, buying fine British produce from the company’s range of local and sustainable suppliers, and continuing to cook with the celebrated kitchen team.Opus Speaking of his appointment, Ben said: “It’s now my job to develop our ever-growing team and motivate them to keep pushing the quality of our dishes and menus forward. It goes to show that hard work pays off and it’s a privilege for me to be working with such talent. I’m now looking forward to delivering our new summer menus and organising some trips out to our suppliers.” Born and raised in Birmingham, Ben studied at the Birmingham College of Food (now UCB) during which he did a placement year in Denver, Colorado, where he got his first taste of a la carte cooking. He then joined Opus as one of the original team shortly after its launch in 2005 as a commis chef, and has gained 10 years’ worth of experience working in almost every section of its kitchen, to become one of its youngest members of management. opus outsideDuring his time at the restaurant, Ben has achieved a number of prestigious awards including being crowned the British Culinary Federation’s Young Chef of the Year in 2006 and achieving his Royal Academy of Culinary Arts Award of Excellence in 2009. Ann Tonks, managing director at Opus, said: “Ben is so young and passionate, and his new position truly recognises the work that he’s been doing for some time now. He has built strong relationships with his team and our suppliers and is much loved by Opus’ staff and customers . We can’t wait to see what he and his team will be cooking up for us in the future.” Opus are this year celebrating their 10th birthday - Opus  
In these challenging times…

The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall  – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.

Over the last 16 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 560,000 followers across Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.

A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.

Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.

The Staff Canteen

The Staff Canteen

Editor 12th May 2015

Opus at Cornwall Street names their new executive chef