I am extremely lucky to have found a vocation that is not only my job but also my passion and love, it has taken me all over the world cooking for so many interesting people in some of the most amazing places and venues.   I have always had an interest in food since a young age, but the first stepping-stones laid of my path in the life of being a chef was by the legend Raymond Blanc.

 

Aged 14 I secured my 2-week work experience placement from school at Le Manoir au Quat’Saisons, talk about having your eyes opened to a whole new world! The tastes, smells, heat, intensity, dedication and camaraderie of the Le Manoir kitchens gave me a sense of longing and purpose I had not felt before and I left with the aspiration to become a great chef.  Off the back of my 2 week life revelation at Le Manoir I was asked to star in a chef programme alongside Michael Caines at Gidleigh Park, the night prior to filming I was lucky enough to have dinner at Gidleigh with Raymond and his then partner who was also the producer of the show.  What a unique unrivalled experience for a young budding chef to have and hands down the most memorable dinner of my life.

 

Fast forward 26 years and I have never looked back on the career I have chosen and have added many mores steeping-stones to that path and overcome many obstacles.

 

After 3 years at catering college learning the building blocks of classic cookery, I left bursting with passion and having obtained the highest distinction ever achieved in the Colleges history. Off I headed to the big smoke, I joined the team at the 1 Michelin star No1 Lombard street under Herbert Berger and here the real journey began.

 

In 2003 I joined Michael Caine’s in Bristol to open his restaurant there, a city I instantly fell in love with for its creativity, food scene and individuality. A city I now proudly call home.  

 

In 2010 after working in some of the top restaurants in the UK cooking classic French, Italian and modern European cuisine whilst also having had the privilege to cook and travel across Australia and South East Asia learning a whole new raft of skills and techniques I started my own business.

 

'The Flavour Smith' offered clients the quality and experience of a fine dining restaurant in the comfort and luxury of their own homes. The business went from strength to strength, expanded premises and branched out into event catering for both the private and corporate markets. The Flavour Smith quickly built a large portfolio of high profile, loyal clients including regularly catering for His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales for events at Highgrove.

 

In 2016 I was approached by Fosters Events, the acquisition lead to me bidding farewell to The Flavour Smith and joining Fosters as their first Executive chef Director, a unique opportunity and one in which I was extremely excited to take. I worked closely with the team to take what was already a successful well reputed business with over 50 years of trading to develop new menus, systems and win new business.  Two venues I was extremely proud to play a major part in Fosters being awarded the full catering contracts was the iconic Bristol Old Vic theatre and The Box Museum Plymouth.

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In February 2020 exactly 4 years to the date I finished at Fosters Events and started my own business again, Chef Tom Green LTD.  It is wonderful to be back cooking again on a much more individual basis for clients both in the private and corporate market.