Daily news update: our selection of food and chef news from the world's press

Ben Spalding to turn Stripped Back and No Rules into 'huge brands' and open restaurant

Chef Ben Spalding is planning on turning his pop-up ventures No Rules and Stripped Back into 'huge brands' while continuing to find a site for a permanent restaurant that he hopes will 'change London's dining scene'.

Read more from Big Hospitality

 

Celebrity chef James Martin gobsmacked by demand from Manchester diners

We all know the ladies love James Martin... but it seems the celebrity chef has won an army of new fans with the launch of his first city centre restaurant.  For James tells me he has been “gobsmacked” by demand since he opened his self-named restaurant inside the Manchester 235 Casino in September.  He says: “I can’t believe how popular this restaurant has become, I still can’t.  When I get the figures through of numbers through the doors I’m honestly gobsmacked.

Read more from Manchester Evening News

 

Bid high to cook with four Michelin star chefs

Manchester House head chef Aiden Byrne has called on fellow celebrity chefs Tom Aikens, Daniel Clifford and Michael Wignall, to host a special fundraising dinner at the North West-based restaurant in aid of Hospitality Action.  This unique dining experience will see the four award-winning Michelin-starred chefs collaborate exclusively to create an eight-course menu on Tuesday 18th February in aid of the charity, which provides a lifeline for current and former hospitality industry workers who find themselves in a crisis or in need.

Read more from Hotel Industry

 

Rebecca Mascarenhas takes over former Gregg Wallace restaurant

The site of what used to be Gregg Wallace's Wallace & Co in London's Putney is set to become a new restaurant called Bibo, run by chef Chris Beverley and backed by restaurateur Rebecca Mascarenhas.  The new 70-seat venture, on Upper Richmond Street, will open on 6 March.  Beverley, who has previously worked for Theo Randall at London's InterContinental for three years, as well as at Chez Bruce, has adopted Italian food as his favoured cuisine. His menus will feature modern Italian cooking, including typical dishes such as: farro arancini; fritto misto of squid, prawns and zucchini; pasta e ceci; pappardelle with rabbit and Prosecco ragù; and poussin, braised greens and lemon.

Read more from Caterer & Hotelkeeper