Michelin man Tom cooking up a storm...
Latest chef to join Midlands culinary greats explains key to his success
HE is the Midlands’ latest Michelin man and he’s going up in the world – literally, if the name of his restaurant has anything to do with it.
Tom Shepherd only opened Upstairs, the acclaimed restaurant above his father’s business, City Jewellers, in Bore Street, Lichfield, in October.
And just four months later he was celebrating the ultimate culinary honour – a Michelin star, as reported last month.
Now, the 33-year-old has spoken to the Post about the journey that has led him to being the boss of a Michelin-starred restaurant.
Tom, from Sutton Coldfield, moved to Lichfield when he was 11 as an only child with parents Paul and Sara.
He’s been in the industry for 16 years but did not take the usual route to becoming one of the top chefs in the country after finishing secondary school at The Friary.
He said: “There was no romance behind my passion for food. You hear about people who baked scones with their nan at 11 but that just wasn’t me.
“I was very much only interested in sports as I grew up and am a big Aston Villa fan.
“I could foresee no future in sport, though, so I quickly changed to hospitality, because I was working at the George Hotel aged 15 or 16 as a pot washer part-time.
“I then actually got headhunted by someone at the George Hotel and was told that there was a job opportunity at New Hall in Walmley, which is back where I grew up.
“There was then a trainee manager position which was offered to me and I couldn’t believe how natural I found cooking, having no interest in it, but the camaraderie and environment suited me so well.”
Tom never thought his food would be given recognition on such a major scale so quickly.
He said: “Your mindset is obviously different when you’re a business owner, so my priority to start was very much with getting the product right.
“You can’t just set up a restaurant and immediately start chasing these Michelin stars, so my main focus was to form a solid team that could evolve so, potentially, we may be considered a Michelin level restaurant.
“I’m very proud of what we’ve managed so far. To receive the phone call that we did in February to tell us that we’d got up to that level was, of course, a surprise, but also testament to how hard we’d worked.”
Tom explained his signature dish – the plate that has guaranteed rave reviews from everyone who tastes it.
He said: “I love working and cooking with fish, because I love prepping and sourcing it – that’s just my personal thing.
“But the sweet Thai green curry is probably the dish that’s followed me and we’ve refined and perfected here.
“It’s a pre-dessert we do here with coconut, rice pudding and mango, with Thai-infused coconut cream that goes on top of the food. It’ll probably never come off the menu here.”
Many novice chefs and cooks will aspire to improve their food at home – and Tom has shared a few top tips to help them achieve that.
He said: “I’d always say if you’re cooking protein, always pull it out of the fridge one or two hours before cooking it, allowing it to come up to room temperature. It’ll make the cook more efficient, too.
“This will help in getting a more consistent cook without the redraw hole inside and the overcooked outside, especially with steaks.
“It’s also important to rest the meat afterwards, which a lot of people don’t.”
With Tom now rated among the best chefs in the country, the chances are that television offers may come in. But he wouldn’t consider the move unless the restaurant could manage without him.
He said: “The business always comes first, but if the business ever came into a position for me to go and do a TV performance, then, absolutely, that would be something I’d love to do.
“But at the moment, I’m very happy with what I’m doing in the restaurant, which needs me here on a day-to-day basis, and that’ll continue until we have the right staff to take it forward.”
You can’t just set up a restaurant and immediately start chasing these Michelin stars Tom Shepherd