1 Michelin Star Chefs: Paul Foster, Chef Owner, Salt

Paul Foster is chef owner at the Michelin-starred Salt in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Paul has moved on from his catering studying days at Henley College Coventry and working under Michelin-starred chefs to owning and running his own Michelin-starred restaurant.

Biography

By cooking in his parents' pub business, Paul found his love for food and began his career as a professional chef. His first job was working with the classically trained chef Paul Hartup.

Paul was the winner of the William Hepstinstall Award in 2006 which allowed him £3000 to travel to America and France to enhance his culinary knowledge. He spent one week in three Michelin star restaurant L'Auberge de I'lle in Lyon where he was given the responsibility of running the pass by the end of the week.

He then travelled to New York where he worked in a molecular gastronomy restaurant wd~50 learning new alternative cooking methods.

                               

A pivotal year for Paul was when he worked under chef patissier Benoit Blin at Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons in Oxford. This was his first taste at working in a busy kitchen on many different stations as apposed to working with only one other person. He credits this time as helping him become the chef he is today.

Paul then moved around different restaurants before becoming sous chef at Michelin-starred Sat Bains under head chef John Freeman. While there Paul contributed to the restaurant earning five rosettes from AA.

Becoming Head Chef

Paul's first role as head chef was in 2010 at Tuddenham Mill in Suffolk where he spent four years. 

While there Paul earned the restaurant three rosettes from AA as well as winning Observer Food Monthly young chef of the year and the Good Food Guide's best up in coming chef. Paul also appeared on BBC One's Saturday Kitchen and BBC Two's Great British Menu while at Tuddenham Mill.

After gaining these accomplishments and being in the top 50 in the Good Food Guide, Paul decided to move on from Tuddenham Mill and became head chef at Mallory Court Dining Room.

Opening Salt

In early 2016, Paul decided to quite his job in order to focus entirely on opening his own restaurant. He began a crowdfunding campaign and, including his savings, managed to raise over £100,000. With that, along with aid provided by investors, Paul's ambitions were beginning to materialise into a reality.

Little over a year after quitting his job Paul opened Salt, 'a fine dining restaurant using the best produce, served in a relaxed atmosphere where you can sit back, relax and enjoy your dining experience.'

Salt was awarded a Michelin star in the Michelin Guide UK 2019 and three AA Rosettes in the AA Restaurant Guide 2019. 

Food Style

The menu at Salt is often changed to incorporate the current season's freshest ingredients but it always contains a vegetarian option for guests.

On a Friday or Saturday evening customers can enjoy a five course tasting menu for £55 or an eight course tasting menu for £70. A two course dinner will cost £37 with three courses costing £45. 

Guests can appreciate dishes such as Cornish Cod, Cotswold Lamb and Yorkshire Grouse before finishing with a delicious dessert such as the Salted Chocolate Mousse.

Salt the Cookbook

A star is a tick in the box for most chefs and so is publishing a book, Paul has done both. Salt wasn’t intended ‘to be like any other cookbook’ and at times it allows a very personal view of Paul’s journey not just as a chef but as a father and a husband.

The book is also called Salt and was published in November 2018, The book features stunning photography by Andy Richardson alongside 40 hand-picked recipes and it also features some of the artisan producers which Paul uses as he says he ‘couldn’t do it without them’.

Videos with Paul Foster: