Taste of London: protégés of kitchen stars to serve up a feast at food festival
Three protégés of top chefs Michel Roux Jr, Simon Rogan and Daniel Doherty will be showcasing their skills at London’s largest food festival.
The Protégé pop-up at this year’s Taste of London festival in Regent’s Park will see Chris Thompson, 23, sous-chef at Daniel Doherty’s London restaurant Duck and Waffle, create a sit-down three-course menu for £25.
Derek Johnstone, 32, who has been mentored by Roux Jr since winning Masterchef: The Professionals in 2008 and who is now heading The Golf Inn in Gullane, Scotland, and Ben Donkin, 21, who has been mentored by Rogan since the age of 13 and who is chef de partie at L’Enclume in Cumbria, will join Londoner Thompson as hosts in a first for the festival.
Visitors will enjoy an amuse-bouche created by each of the trio, followed by a three-course tasting menu, again with each chef taking a course each, and a glass of Laurent-Perrier champagne.
Thompson, who previously worked at The Grove in Watford, said: “I am excited to be a part of it. As a chef, it gives me a chance to showcase my abilities. I am looking forward to seeing what the others are doing as well. It is all a learning process.”
Taste of London, which was launched in 2004, will this year also feature chefs from London’s top restaurants — including The House of Ho, Roka and Sushisamba — who will serve up taster-sized portions, while others, including Thomasina Miers and Nuno Mendes, will host demonstrations.
Tickets for the festival, which runs from June 17 to 21, are on sale now from £16, with the Protégé experience costing an extra £25. Protégé by Ford runs each day and can be booked online. For details visit tasteoflondon.co.uk.
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