James McAllister

🍴 First industry job as a kitchen porter in a local restaurant; admires Gordon Ramsay; cooking style - nice defined flavors, simple; worst review involved a burnt onion broth; essential kitchen equipment - Thermomix; favorite meals at Chapter One in Dublin and McDonald’s; prefers MasterChef over Great British Menu; dislikes avocados; would ban vegans as a restaurant dictator; enjoys Instagram; relaxes at Discount Suit Company near Spitalfields; drinks Guinness or rum and ginger; pairs Coke with spicy pizza; signature dishes include cuttlefish lasagne or buffalo oyster at Pearly Queen.

🍴 Paddy Maher, head chef at Pearly Queen, admires Gordon Ramsay and would choose a big hungover Chinese meal as his last. He started as a kitchen porter, despises bad attitudes in the kitchen, and values simple, well-defined flavours. Maher suggests hard work is key in the industry and cannot live without a Thermomix. He opts for à la carte over tasting menus, favours Chapter One in Dublin for his best meal, loves McDonald’s, prefers MasterChef, and would ban vegans as a hypothetical restaurant dictator. His signature dish is cuttlefish lasagne or buffalo oyster.

🍔 Hawksmoor, a UK steakhouse group founded in 2006 by Will Beckett and Huw Gott, could be valued at £100m in a potential sale. Stephens investment bank is handling the sale, targeting potential buyers. The group has 10 UK locations and is expanding internationally, with the latest opening in Chicago, following a New York City debut in 2021 and a Dublin site in 2023. Since 2013, Graphite Capital has owned a 51% stake after investing £35m. Beckett and Gott retain minority ownership and intend to lead the company post-sale.

🍴 Jöro, blending Nordic and Japanese cuisine, initially in a shipping container in Kelham Island, is relocating to Oughtibridge Mill in Sheffield. Announced earlier in 2023, the new destination includes two bars, an outdoor BBQ kitchen with live-fire cooking, and terrace dining. The expansion features five studio rooms, two one-bedroom apartments with Scandi-inspired design, and a retail deli called Shop by Jöro. Jöro, launched in 2016, featured in the National Restaurant Awards top 100 list. The original container will reopen under the Konjö brand.

🍽 Jöro, a Sheffield restaurant known for Nordic-Japanese cuisine, announced earlier this year a relocation from its original shipping container site in Kelham Island to a larger dining destination in Oughtibridge. This new site will include two bars, an outdoor BBQ kitchen developed in partnership with Big Green Egg, and Scandi-inspired accommodation offering five studio rooms and two one-bedroom apartments. The expanded space will allow the restaurant to alleviate table turnover pressure, introduce new concepts, and provide foodie stays with homemade breakfasts. Additionally, Jöro, launched in 2016 and previously recognized in the National Restaurant Awards top 100 list, will operate a retail deli shop called Shop by Jöro. Owners Luke French and Stacey Sherwood-French also manage the east Asian street food brand Konjö and boutique hotel brand House of Jöro, with plans to repurpose the original Jöro site for Konjö.