Tom Aikens

Born in Norwich in 1970, Tom Aikens began his culinary journey at a young age, attending Hotel School at City College Norwich at 16 and earning an Advanced Catering Diploma in 1989. His early career included working at acclaimed restaurants such as the three-Michelin-starred La Tante Claire under Pierre Koffman and Pied à Terre as a sous-chef in 1993. He also honed his skills in Paris with Joël Robuchon. Aikens returned to Pied à Terre in 1996, becoming head chef in May of that year. Under his leadership, the restaurant earned two Michelin stars in January 1997, making him the youngest British chef at 26 to achieve this distinction at the time.

In April 2003, Aikens opened his first eponymous restaurant, Tom Aikens, in Chelsea, which quickly gained recognition, receiving four rosettes from AA plc and its first Michelin star in January 2004. This restaurant further achieved its second Michelin star in January 2008. Although it temporarily closed for refurbishment and later permanently in 2014, it regained a Michelin star in late 2012. Aikens expanded his culinary ventures with Tom’s Kitchen in November 2006, a gastropub concept, which saw iterations in Canary Wharf and Birmingham before the last Chelsea location closed in 2020 due to challenging market conditions.

After stepping back from the fine dining scene for several years, Aikens made a return with Muse, a 25-seater fine dining restaurant in Belgravia, which opened in January 2020 and earned its first Michelin star a year later. He also currently oversees three eateries at The Abu Dhabi Edition hotel. Throughout his career, Aikens has been a prominent figure in the UK hospitality industry, appearing on television shows such as “Trouble at the Top,” “Saturday Kitchen,” “Iron Chef UK,” and “Great British Menu.” His contributions have been recognized with numerous awards, including Newcomer of the Year at the 2004 Catey Awards and the AA Chefs’ Chef of the Year title in 2024.