Meet the chef: Tom Sellers of Restaurant Story and Story Cellar
From a working class town in Nottingham to the world’s best kitchens, the multi-Michelin-starred chef talks expressing himself through food
Tom Sellers has quite the story to tell. Growing up in Nottingham, Sellers admits that he never enjoyed the constraints of the classroom, but upon discovering restaurant work – or, at first, pot washing – at 15, his eyes were opened to the fast-paced, high-pressure world he didn’t realise he was yearning for. Now, more than 15 years later, the kitchen is still where he feels most at home.
Luckily for him, Sellers has three kitchens across the capital to dive into: his flagship, two Michelin-starred Restaurant Story in Bermondsey, his Parisian-style rotisserie-focused Story Cellar in Covent Garden, and his Dovetale outpost housed at 1 Hotel Mayfair. It’s a culinary empire that is the result of, not only sheer grit and determination, but also an enviable culinary education. Sellers worked with some of the world’s most influential chefs – Tom Aikens in London, Thomas Keller at the three Michelin-starred Per Se in New York, and two-star Noma in Copenhagen with René Redzepi – all before the age of 21.
The experience garnered from working in fine dining restaurants across the globe gave him the confidence and nous to launch his first restaurant in 2013, at the tender age of 26 – and it was quickly a raving success. His unique, down-to-earth approach attracted significant critical acclaim, earning him his first Michelin star just five months post-opening, before a second came less than a decade later in 2021.
Image: Nicholas Worley
His collection of accolades at Restaurant Story pay homage to how personal and witty Sellers’ menus are. Each dish is rooted in a distinctive memory, such as the much-Instagrammed Bread and Dripping: an edible candle made from beef tallow that melts to become a dip for the bread, it’s a nod to his dad snacking on bread and leftover dripping from a Sunday roast. On a mission to break the conventions of traditional fine dining through nostalgic storytelling, he then created the Storeo – a squid ink biscuit filled with savoury mousse inspired by his favourite childhood snack – and the Half Time Oranges which are presented halfway through the meal as if at a sports match.
In 2023 came Sellers’ second act, rotisserie restaurant Story Cellar in Covent Garden, as well as a partnership with 1 Hotel Mayfair in the form of Dovetale. The former celebrates the brasseries of Paris, boasting counter seating overlooking the hustle and bustle of Neal’s Yard and serving some of Sellers’ best-selling dishes, such as the famed snail bolognaise on toast, and tuna tartare with tomato ponzu, sesame and seaweed.
The latter, meanwhile, leans into Sellers’ passion for homegrown provenance and was a match made in heaven for the sustainability-driven 1 Hotel brand. Here, you can dine on same-day made English burrata with olive oil, day boat Dover sole Veronique from the grill and English Wagyu Denver steak. Like every Sellers outpost, a nod to nostalgia can be found in the two Knickerbocker Glory trolleys offering the classic dessert made tableside.
While they all subtly showcase his intrinsic culinary identity, Sellers has ensured each of his restaurants is different, moving away from the if-it-ain’t-broke-don’t-fix-it ethos that sees some chefs open in every corner of the capital. Here, we discuss going for a third star, and how a dish can say a thousand words.
No, not always. I didn’t grow up in a house with chefs or fine dining, my dad was a builder. But I always loved the idea of creating something from nothing.
I left school at 15. I wasn’t academic. I didn’t fit in the system. But I knew I wanted more. I walked into Tom Aikens’ kitchen in Chelsea at 16, and that was the start. It was brutal, and beautiful. That kitchen taught me discipline, work ethic, and pain – but also how to care about every detail. From there, I trained in New York at Per Se with Thomas Keller, and then at Noma with René Redzepi in Copenhagen.
That it’s not about perfection, it’s about purpose. It’s about emotion. Technique matters, of course, but if there’s no story behind it, no intention, then it’s hollow. Thomas taught me about elegance. René taught me about nature. Tom Aikens taught me about fire. But each of them, in their own way, made me understand what it meant to truly care about what you put on a plate.
Because I had something to say – and I didn’t want to wait. Restaurant Story was born out of this idea that food could tell a story, my story. I wanted to create a space where memory met imagination; where people could eat something and feel something.
Restaurant Story is deeply personal. Story Cellar is different; it’s more about comfort, ritual, the things we come back to. It’s inspired by the rotisseries of Paris, but made for Londoners. Still ingredient-led. Still considered.
It’s humbling. You dream of one star, and when you get two, it’s both a validation and a responsibility. Every day we come in, and the team knows the standard. I’m proud of what we’ve built. There’s a lot of love in these walls.
Of course. Not for ego. Not for the Guide. But because I believe in growth. I believe in chasing what feels just out of reach. If we can keep evolving, keep surprising people, then the rest takes care of itself.
I’d say Ikoyi. What Jeremy Chan is doing there is bold, unapologetic. He’s creating a new language in food; flavour, technique, origin, all blurred together.
Story Cellar. Images: Ceri Davies
There’s a lot of talent right now. Santiago Lastra at Kol – the way he’s telling a Mexican story through British produce is clever, and important.
I read. I write. I travel when I can. I need headspace to create – and London can be a lot. Sometimes I just sit with a coffee and watch people. That’s where the ideas come from – real life.
Probably the beef dripping candle. It’s simple, nostalgic, and a little bit cheeky. But most of all, it’s a memory – of home, of growing up, It reminds me where I came from. And where I want to go.
Visit restaurantstory.co.uk and storycellar.co.uk
