Tommy Banks has named Callum Leslie to be the new head chef at Michelin-starred Yorkshire-based restaurant with rooms, The Black Swan.
Callum
has spent the last two and a half years at The Black Swan as senior sous-chef.
Working with Tommy and team he has played a fundamental role in developing the
restaurant’s offering, finding uniquely creative ways of serving the produce grown on
and around the Banks family’s farm in Oldstead.
Callum, who hails from Yorkshire, is
passionate about the restaurant’s commitment to self-sufficiency - for which it was
awarded a Green Star from Michelin last year - and celebration of the region’s
produce.
Prior to joining The Black Swan, Callum spent a year and a half at world-renowned
UK chef Sat Bains’ eponymous two Michelin-starred restaurant with rooms,
Restaurant Sat Bains. Callum joined the Nottingham-based establishment in 2018,
having spent a year as chef de partie at acclaimed British chef Marcus Wareing’s
Michelin-starred restaurant Marcus in South Kensington, London.
Commenting on his appointment, Callum said: “I’m thrilled to have taken on the role
as Head Chef at The Black Swan. Tommy has been a great mentor to me and I love
working closely with him in the kitchen as well as the rest of the team. I’m in awe of
what he and his family have set up here in Oldstead - it’s a true reflection of
everything our region has to offer.
“We have some brilliant new dishes on the menu, and others that are in the
development phase. I’ve particularly loved creating our new partridge dish, it has
taken some time and real creativity to refine it to the end result but it has been a joy
working with the locally-shot bird and pairing it with produce from the Oldstead
farm.”
Meanwhile, Will Lockwood has been named head chef of
Roots, York, after the restaurant was awarded its first Michelin star earlier this year.
Having
headed up the kitchen at sister restaurant, Michelin-starred The Black Swan, Oldstead, for the
best part of 3 years, Will brings a wealth of expertise to Roots.
The only restaurant to hold a Michelin star in the city of York, Roots was established in 2018 by
Tommy Banks and business partner Matthew Lockwood. The pair’s goal was to 'bring a taste
of Oldstead to the city' and the restaurant’s tasting menu (and only menu available)
showcases a constantly evolving palate of produce grown on the Banks family’s twenty-acre
farm and three-acre kitchen garden in Oldstead.
His work at The Black Swan, working his way up from Demi Chef de Partie in 2014 to Head
Chef in 2017, makes Will exceptionally well suited to his new role at Roots. His knowledge and
understanding of the farm and kitchen garden at Oldstead knows no bounds, having
worked closely with the team, growing and foraging the produce, before subsequently
bringing it to table at The Black Swan.
Commenting on the appointment, Will said: “I’ve worked with Tommy, his family and the
team at The Black Swan almost exclusively since I left university in 2014 and am ever grateful
for the experiences I’ve had to date. I’m excited to be back once again and play a part in
the continued evolution of Roots, which is different to The Black Swan in many ways and yet
centred around the same ethos, devotion to local produce and self-sufficiency that I love so
much.”
Tommy Banks added: “It’s the produce, people and passion that make our businesses what
they are and Will is a real testament to this. He’s played a crucial part in our team since
joining in 2014 and I’m always amazed by the creativity and flair he shows in the kitchen
every day.
We are so proud to have received a Michelin star for Roots earlier this year - it’s great
recognition for all the work, time and love we’ve put into the restaurant. Since opening in
2018 the concept has come a long way while sticking to the principles that are so central to
what we do. I’m excited to see where we get to in the coming months with Will at the helm.”
