London


<p>He&#8217;s worked everywhere from private yachts to student cafés, remote villages in Sweden and Michelin-star restaurants, and now chef Tom Kemble&#8217;s running his own restaurant, <a href="https://springstpizza.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Spring St Pizza</a> in Southwark. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="768" height="1024" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/ely.bsc_photography_Eleonora_Boscarelli_9231-768x1024.jpg" alt="Tom Kemble " class="wp-image-21382" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/ely.bsc_photography_Eleonora_Boscarelli_9231-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/ely.bsc_photography_Eleonora_Boscarelli_9231-225x300.jpg 225w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/ely.bsc_photography_Eleonora_Boscarelli_9231-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/ely.bsc_photography_Eleonora_Boscarelli_9231.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /></figure>



<p>You might be surprised to hear that the man who made <a href="https://www.bonhams.com/press_release/20005/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Bonhams</a> great again – the restaurant was awarded a Michelin star just seven months after he took the helm – has left the white tablecloths of fine dining behind in favour of a New York-inspired pizza joint. </p>



<p>Yet in an era when Michelin-starred restaurants are statistically more likely to close down than highly-regarded eateries without an award, it seems like Tom&#8217;s decision is a wise one. Always ahead of the curve, he aims to bring the finesse of fine dining to London&#8217;s popular (and profitable) casual dining scene by switching fancy tasting menus for perfect pizza slices. We caught up with Tom to find out more. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-your-first-job-in-a-kitchen-nbsp">Your first job in a kitchen?&nbsp;</h2>



<p>I was a kitchen porter at the Hilton hotel in Bath.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-career-highlight-nbsp">Career highlight?&nbsp;</h2>



<p>Achieving a Michelin star within seven months of opening Bonhams restaurant has to be up there.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-did-you-do-a-lot-of-cooking-for-the-rich-and-famous">Did you do a lot of cooking for the rich and famous?</h2>



<p>I did work as a private chef on a yacht for a high net worth family chartering the Caribbean. I also spent some time working for Virgin Limited Edition at Richard Branson’s ski lodge in Verbier.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-nice-any-goss">Nice! Any goss?</h2>



<p>Discretion is key in those roles..although I would say that TV show <em>Below Deck</em> TV is a very accurate portrayal of life as a yachtie! </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-would-you-sum-up-your-cooking-style-and-food-philosophy">How would you sum up your cooking style and food philosophy?</h2>



<p>Ingredient-led, seasonal cooking with generosity, precision and deliciousness at its heart.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="768" height="1024" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/Credit_-India-Whiley-Morton-6-768x1024.jpg" alt="Spring St Pizza " class="wp-image-21384" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/Credit_-India-Whiley-Morton-6-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/Credit_-India-Whiley-Morton-6-225x300.jpg 225w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/Credit_-India-Whiley-Morton-6-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/Credit_-India-Whiley-Morton-6.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-most-memorable-moment-at-work-nbsp">Most memorable moment at work?&nbsp;</h2>



<p>Probably my first day cooking at Faviken restaurant in Sweden. Moving from London to North Sweden was quite a shock to the senses. I arrived there after a nine-hour night train journey and went straight to work. The remoteness of the restaurant, the landscape and the quality of the local ingredients were mesmerising.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-you-re-tired-starving-and-impatient-what-do-you-cook-for-dinner-nbsp">You’re tired, starving and impatient: what do you cook for dinner?&nbsp;</h2>



<p>I always have some quality dried Mancini pasta in my store cupboard, so it would be a cavolo nero Maniche (a short style rigatoni) with parmesan, anchovy and lemon. Quick to cook and delicious.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="683" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/Credit_-India-Whiley-Morton-1024x683.jpg" alt="Tom Kemble making pizza " class="wp-image-21383" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/Credit_-India-Whiley-Morton-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/Credit_-India-Whiley-Morton-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/Credit_-India-Whiley-Morton-768x513.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/Credit_-India-Whiley-Morton.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-would-you-cook-to-impress-a-date-nbsp">What would you cook to impress a date?&nbsp;</h2>



<p>Date nights with my wife are few and far between now because we have two young girls, but on the occasions we do make time it would be some hand-made pasta tagliolini with fresh crab, tomatoes and chilli</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-who-is-your-favourite-chef">Who is your favourite chef?</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/alainpassard/?hl=en-gb" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Alain Passard</a>, who has boundless energy and creativity in his cooking along with an incredible repertoire of dishes accumulated over decades of work.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-do-you-have-a-favourite-cookbook-nbsp">Do you have a favourite cookbook?&nbsp;</h2>



<p>I have a well-thumbed <em><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bruces-Cookbook-Bruce-Poole/dp/0007376103" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Bruce’s Cookbook</a></em> by Bruce Poole, which is always in my kitchen</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-s-your-favourite-type-of-cuisine-nbsp">What’s your favourite type of cuisine?&nbsp;</h2>



<p>It&#8217;s a tough choice between French, Italian, Spanish and Japanese, but if I have to choose one it would probably be French due to its sheer breadth. From bistro cooking to the pinnacle of French gastronomy, the country has so much to offer in terms of produce and technique across each region.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-favourite-things-to-eat-when-you-re-on-holiday">Favourite things to eat when you’re on holiday?</h2>



<p>As a family we love going to Ile de Re in France. Nothing beats freshly shucked oysters, grilled shellfish and a chilled rosé at one of the local cabanes.&nbsp;Each village has a great market with locally grown fruit and vegetables which are of excellent quality, partly down to the warm climate and mineral rich soil they&#8217;re grown in.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-favourite-kitchen-gadget-nbsp">Favourite kitchen gadget?&nbsp;</h2>



<p>A ceramic mandolin.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-favourite-ingredient-and-why-nbsp">Favourite ingredient and why?&nbsp;</h2>



<p>An excellent quality vinegar from La Guinelle. They&#8217;re based in Banyuls and create the most wonderful aromatic vinegars. Acidity is crucial to achieve a balanced dish and their vinegars are so versatile.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-most-overrated-ingredient-nbsp">Most overrated ingredient?&nbsp;</h2>



<p>Caviar when it&#8217;s used to garnish a dish instead of being a core ingredient. It&#8217;s wasteful, an excessive use of a luxury ingredient and rarely does much to elevate a dish.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tell-us-your-best-ever-cooking-tip-nbsp">Tell us your best ever cooking tip?&nbsp;</h2>



<p>If you&#8217;re using butter to make sweet pastry or savoury tarts, freeze the block first and then grate it using a box grater. It&#8217;s a really quick way of incorporating butter into the flour without overworking the dough.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-more-foodie-inspiration">More foodie inspiration&#8230;</h2>



<ul>
<li><a href="https://muddystilettos.co.uk/eat-out/best-cookery-schools-uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The best cookery schools in the UK </a></li>



<li><a href="https://london.muddystilettos.co.uk/wellbeing/mushrooms/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Why London&#8217;s mad about mushrooms </a></li>



<li><a href="https://london.muddystilettos.co.uk/life/people/chef-vivek-singh/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">What&#8217;s cooking? Vivek Singh of the Cinnamon Club</a></li>
</ul>


What’s cooking? Chef Tom Kemble chats Michelin stars and date nights

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