Background

Tom Cenci’s culinary career began at school. With compulsory school work experience looming and an interest in food and cooking growing, he wrote to all the hotels in the area asking if they’d have him – they enthusiastically accepted. Fast forward to the present day and Tom is an acclaimed chef overseeing London-based restaurants 26 Grains and Stoney Street as head of food.

­Day in the Life

In this new role, Tom manages all the menus, food and kitchen operations across the two sites. There’s a lot of variety in the job, and this is reflected in Tom's menus. 26 Grains was once renowned for its porridge, but, alongside Stoney Street, the offering has vastly evolved. He recalls serving up ox tongue with green tomatoes, and even an elevated take on a chip-shop classic: saveloy and curry sauce. 

Style and Seasonality

As it stands, Tom doesn’t see his cooking as being wedded to any specific style or movement; he tends to work with ideas as they come to him. But what binds his work day-to-day, menu-to-menu is clear: seasonality. “I like to champion British seasonal produce,” explains Tom. “I look at the things around me and try to create the best dish possible, it’s really important to me.”

Seasonality Cont.

Tom’s passion for great seasonal produce is palpable. “It’s the number one thing any good chef should be looking into,” he continues. “When you think about it, if you buy amazing, high-quality ingredients – that’s half the job done for you. It means you can do simple things with them and just let them speak for themselves.”

“I don’t even think I’ve got a favourite ingredient, because for me it’s just always about variety and seasonality. Right now, rhubarb’s just coming in – and it’s all anyone can eat. But, of course, it’ll get to a point where you’ve had enough. So then the next thing comes in, and it happens all over again. That’s the great thing about the seasons.”

Access to Suppliers

Thinking back over his career, Tom reckons that access to high-quality seasonal produce has seen some serious change. In the past it was common to have a small handful of suppliers that covered everything, but he’s seen an increase in specialist suppliers finding mastery in their own niche: “Right now, I’ve got one supplier just for honey!”

Suppliers on Rotation

Whether general or niche, Tom’s got a whole range of REKKI suppliers on regular rotation. He opts for O’Shea’s for meat, Albion for dry store and Wright Brothers for fish – particularly for their smoked salmon. Getting really niche, he highlights Fruit Pig as one of his favourites, detailing with enthusiasm how they are one of the only suppliers still using fresh blood to make black pudding in the UK.