W L
EVENINGS WITH SIMON RIMMER & STEVEN DOHERTY
BY PAUL ASKEW , CHEF PATRON OF THE ART SCHOOL RESTAURANT
I firstly would like to say huge thanks to every one of you reading this . Your continued support for what we do at The Art School is incredible and you ’ re all deeply valued by myself and the team . We ’ ve had a very busy January and February – including Valentine ’ s Day – and Mother ’ s Day is already close to being sold out . Liverpool loves all its mothers and certainly knows how to celebrate them .
In January two of my very good friends came to The Art School – Simon Rimmer and Steven Doherty . Both are chefs at the tops of their games and both events were sold out weeks in advance . It ’ s fabulous to share the kitchen with chefs like these and both created wonderful evenings for our guests . It ’ s taken us pretty much 7 years to get Simon with us so that in itself was an achievement ! And he led an absolutely splendid evening . Then later in January , Steven paid loving homage to the dearly beloved Roux Brothers who both are sadly no longer with us . I think for all of us they have been huge inspirations and certainly for me ; my favourite book is New Classic Cuisine by the Roux Brothers . It took me in a totally new direction and was one of the pivotal reasons why I became a chef in the first place . It ’ s a classic . So having Steven with us to really celebrate everything they did was really special . And we will of course be announcing more special events in due course .
We reached 8 proud years in September 2022 at The Art School , also which was the end of my 40th year in gastronomy . It ’ s been an incredible journey so far and there ’ s still much more to do . Just recently we have been named the city region ’ s only restaurant to make the prestigious Harden ’ s 100 Best UK Restaurants 2023 which is a fantastic accolade , following on from last year ’ s inclusion .
As readers will know , we keep ourselves very busy at The Art School and we are always seeking new heights here , alongside some wonderful external projects which have been brilliant to be involved in and proudly fly the flag for Liverpool ; just over a year ago in December 2021 myself and my team cooked for the G7 delegation and almost a year later we had the immense honour to cater for The Turner Prize which took place in the spectacular St George ’ s Hall in December 2022 . Last year also included debuting at The Grand National in April and bringing fine-dining to Topham House where The Art School was lovingly recreated , to myself helping launch Taste Liverpool . Drink Bordeaux in June as its patron whilst running the Bordeaux Bar de Vin in the spectacular Martins Bank Building during the festival . We ’ re going back to Aintree this April . There are still some places left during The Grand National so if you ’ re thinking of coming I advise you to book asap . Last year was truly inspiring for myself and all of my team who worked there .
And speaking of inspiration , I was recently asked where do I get it from – a very good question ! In reaching the end of my 40th anniversary last year in gastronomy , believe me when I say there ’ s been a lot of trial and error during this time . But at The Art School we ’ re always inspired and motivated by the ingredients that come through the front door . And that ’ s what inspires me to try new things too in the kitchen . We ’ re always looking at new techniques and flavour combinations , many of which end up on the menus here . And I still get new ideas based on my travels and cheffing in Singapore , Dubai , upstate New York and many other countries and locations – I had so many pivotal moments during those years of travel which still inform my cooking to the present . And now as we embark into spring and how our menus will change , the ingredients we use which are available , all of this informs what we ultimately serve our customers .
I wish you all a lovely month of March – look out for the land around us changing , the days getting longer and we will have lots more exciting news for you soon . Paul x
40 wirrallife . com