HUNGRY. Espresso: Tom Kerridge - How to Put Your Personality Into Your Brand
Mar 12, 2026
Tom Kerridge, British chef and restaurateur famed for Michelin-starred pubs, talks about turning craft into a recognisable culinary personality rooted in working-class tastes. He covers mastering technique before style. He explores kitchen culture as a tight, theatrical team and explains how approachable fine dining and signature dishes like the Coach burger bring fun, buzz and familiarity to eating out.
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Transcript
Personality Comes After Mastering Craft
- Distinctive culinary personality emerges after mastering craft and infrastructure.
- Tom Kerridge explains one-star consistency builds foundation, then chefs risk exposure to create a recognisable style that separates two and three stars.
Only Risk After You’ve Built Confidence
- Take creative risks only after building confidence and systems that deliver consistency.
- Tom warns that moving from safe, proven dishes to personal, exposed work feels risky but is necessary to become identifiable.
Kitchens Run Like Pirate Ships
- Kerridge compares kitchens to pirate ships full of misfits who become a tight unit under a shared vision.
- He describes staff from tattoos to neurodiversity coming together and the head chef uniting them toward one goal.