Chef from Kerridge who was trained in Macclesfield to open his own restaurant
A local rising star in the UK foodie scene is to open his own restaurant.
Sam Lomas, who grew up in our area, is to open Briar Restauraunt inside Somerset hotel Number One Bruton.
Hotly-tipped in industry 30 under 30 lists following high achievement on BBC TV show Great British Menu, Sam is now moving up from head chef to starting his own restaurant.
Macclesfield Nub News reached out to Sam, who has over 5000 followers on Instagram, to find out more.
"I have wanted to open my own restaurant for almost as long as I can remember, it has always been something in me," he said.
"I grew up in Kerridge, on the side of the hill, just down from White Nancy. I went to Bollington Cross Primary School and then Fallibroome Academy.
"Growing up in Kerridge was incredible, right on the edge of the Peak District, surrounded by beautiful hills, woodlands and rivers.
"My family all still live in that area so I try and visit every few months.
"I remember a few formative memories in Macclesfield that helped me on the path to becoming a chef, a cookery competition hosted by Aright Bianchi, work experience at Beasdales restaurant in Bollington [now closed] and working and learning from Paul Robinshaw at Flour Water Salt."
Sam's new restaurant will focus on locally-sourced ingredients, and a 'hyperseasonal' ethos.
He had this to say on the concept for Briar.
"Briar is a small friendly neighbourhood restaurant that will have a strong focus on West Country ingredients and cooking," he added.
"I want it to be affordable, creative and welcoming.
"I always want to feel a genuine connection to the food I'm cooking, whether that is knowing the farmer that reared the lamb on the menu, or picking the wild garlic going on the plate, I need to know the story behind it.
"We're a small restaurant, around 24 covers. So it will be a small team, three chefs, three front of house and a restaurant manager."
Sam was working in Devon before, but he has made the short trip to Somerset for his next venture.
"My restaurant will be in partnership with a beautiful boutique hotel in the Somerset town of Bruton," he explained.
"There are lots of amazing things happening in the world of food in Somerset, its such a great place for ingredients that it makes the cooking part very simple.
"I am about 5-6 weeks out from the grand opening, so there are lots of things to be thinking about, from hiring a team to choosing tablecloths. It's a bit like a triathlon or something, you have to be able to turn your hand to lots of different things.
"My mum and sister are currently making some linen bags to serve the bread in at the restaurant. They support me at every step and I'm very grateful for that."
His brief foray on telly has not damaged his focus. And given his new restaurant already has over 1000 followers on Instagram before opening, it looks like Sam is attracting attention from far and wide once more.
"Going on Great British Menu was an incredible experience," he recalled.
"It does help open doors and enable you to meet amazing people. More importantly it pushes you firmly out of your comfort zone.
"Being a chef is a big, wonderful, fun, stressful job. I wouldn't change it for the world."
It might be a fair few miles from Macclesfield, but Nub News is here to champion local talent, wherever they are in the world.
So on your next staycation down south, why not check Sam's new restaurant out?
Briar is to open in September. You can follow the restaurant and Sam on social media for updates.
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