0:00:02 > 0:00:05I'm Luke Thomas, I'm 18. This is my restaurant. I do everything here -
0:00:05 > 0:00:08food, wine, service. My name is above the door,
0:00:08 > 0:00:10"Luke's Dining Room." It's mine.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13This is 18-year-old Luke Thomas.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16He's already Britain's youngest head chef and now
0:00:16 > 0:00:20he wants to become the youngest person to win a Michelin star.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23Winning the Michelin star for a chef is probably one of THE biggest
0:00:23 > 0:00:28achievements. It is like a single winning a BRIT award.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31I'm following him over his first seven months as a baby boss to see
0:00:31 > 0:00:33if he really can catch his star.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36This programme contains some strong language from the start
0:00:40 > 0:00:4318-year-old Luke Thomas is about to open his first
0:00:43 > 0:00:48restaurant in a £4 million boutique hotel, Sanctum On The Green.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51He's been cooking all his life and started working evenings
0:00:51 > 0:00:55and weekends in professional kitchens when he was just 12.
0:00:55 > 0:00:59I used to go to the butcher's every Saturday and I got a Saturday job there.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01He used to take me round to the different restaurants that he
0:01:01 > 0:01:04delivered to and he took me in one of the kitchens one day,
0:01:04 > 0:01:09and the chef said, "Come and work for us for the day in the kitchen."
0:01:09 > 0:01:11A day later, I was in there in my chef whites
0:01:11 > 0:01:15and was completely amazed by how it all worked
0:01:15 > 0:01:17and I just fell in love with it straightaway and I knew from
0:01:17 > 0:01:21that moment on, it was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24Luke entered every junior cooking competition going,
0:01:24 > 0:01:27winning Springboard FutureChef when he was just 15.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29He then went on to do work experience in some
0:01:29 > 0:01:33of the world's top restaurants like Heston's Fat Duck
0:01:33 > 0:01:38and the Burj Al Arab in Dubai. Now he wants to join the chef elite
0:01:38 > 0:01:41by winning the culinary equivalent of an Oscar - a Michelin star.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45And he wants to do it by the time he's 21, which would make him
0:01:45 > 0:01:47the world's youngest ever recipient.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52It's early March and after four weeks of prep, Luke is taking
0:01:52 > 0:01:56full control of the restaurant for the official opening night.
0:01:56 > 0:02:01The pots are shit. I can't believe what they've sent me. I've put my neck on the line.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03I have no choice but to make it work.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07This job could make me or it could completely destroy me.
0:02:07 > 0:02:11If I get this right then, fuck me, it could be fantastic.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14If I get this wrong I could be fucked.
0:02:14 > 0:02:19Most head chefs train for years before they take on their own restaurant.
0:02:19 > 0:02:21Can an 18-year-old actually do it?
0:02:21 > 0:02:24It's about proving them wrong and saying, "I can actually cook."
0:02:24 > 0:02:28So far, the day is not going well for young Luke.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30Some of the food has not arrived yet.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33The crockery has not arrived, so we're just slightly nervous about that.
0:02:33 > 0:02:34We've got no vegetables,
0:02:34 > 0:02:37no dry goods and nothing to make cocktails with on arrival.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41- You're going to have to go shopping. - I've got to go to Sainsbury's.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43That's what I've got to do.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47Mrs Lawson's going to be driving because I haven't passed my driving test.
0:02:47 > 0:02:48We'll get there, I'm sure.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53Hi, it's Luke. John needs to call the wine company to tell them
0:02:53 > 0:02:57what time to arrive tonight. He needs to call Daniel.
0:02:57 > 0:03:02When I agreed to do this, I thought if I'm going to do it, it's got to be my name above the door
0:03:02 > 0:03:05and it's got to be the chef patron role, the chef
0:03:05 > 0:03:07being in charge of the kitchen,
0:03:07 > 0:03:10the patron, business partner in charge of the restaurant, so it does
0:03:10 > 0:03:14feel like the Luke Thomas experience rather than just Luke Thomas's food.
0:03:17 > 0:03:21The man who's taken a gamble on the unknown teenage chef is
0:03:21 > 0:03:24Harley-riding self-styled rock 'n' roll hotelier
0:03:24 > 0:03:26Mark Fuller.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32Where's the helmet? He's never been on a bike before!
0:03:35 > 0:03:38Oh, my God. Why couldn't he drive an Aston Martin or something?
0:03:41 > 0:03:45In the kitchen, Luke is getting ready for his first service as chef patron.
0:03:45 > 0:03:49- I wish you all the best. All right? - Yes.- How are the pork scratchings?
0:03:49 > 0:03:55- Any good? I eat them every Saturday night. They're a bit salty.- OK.
0:03:55 > 0:04:00- A little bit salty so don't put any seasoning in your soup.- Yes.
0:04:00 > 0:04:05When he first walked into my office, we start talking food.
0:04:05 > 0:04:10I'm looking at an 18-year-old boy and hearing a 30-year-old man.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13Wipe the plates and make sure the food doesn't spill.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15- Wipe the plate.- Got it, Chef.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18Age shouldn't really matter if you feel confident enough to do it, which I do,
0:04:18 > 0:04:21otherwise, I wouldn't have took this role on.
0:04:21 > 0:04:25Luke's chat was so impressive that Mark omitted an important
0:04:25 > 0:04:26part of any chef's job interview.
0:04:26 > 0:04:31When I offered Luke the job and we started talking contracts,
0:04:31 > 0:04:33he talked so eloquently about the food
0:04:33 > 0:04:36and had such understanding about food I instantly knew
0:04:36 > 0:04:39I was talking to somebody who knew what the fuck he was talking about.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41So I didn't actually check his food.
0:04:41 > 0:04:46When we came to talking about it and employing the PRs, someone simply said to me,
0:04:46 > 0:04:49"What is his food like?" I just went, "Ah."
0:04:49 > 0:04:53If it wasn't the food that had Mark biting Luke's
0:04:53 > 0:04:55hand off to sign, what was it?
0:04:55 > 0:04:57I would be a liar if I said that I didn't think
0:04:57 > 0:04:59he was good for business and a great PR angle.
0:04:59 > 0:05:04Everyone needs a PR angle. The restaurant trade's always looking for the next big thing.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06Maybe we have found it.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08Luke also knows that his age is a great story,
0:05:08 > 0:05:13so to capitalise on his great PR power he pursued top chef agent
0:05:13 > 0:05:17Borra Garson who represented Jamie Oliver at the start of his career.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19In one word, persistence.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22Luke is a very ambitious young man.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26He contacted me numerous times
0:05:26 > 0:05:29'until I had to take notice.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32'He just looked so young, I wanted to look after him.'
0:05:32 > 0:05:37Is it a secret that Mark hired Luke pretty much before he'd ever
0:05:37 > 0:05:41tasted Luke's cooking? And in fact I'm guilty as charged.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44I signed up Luke before I'd tasted his cooking.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48In terms of the PR value of signing up the UK's youngest chef,
0:05:48 > 0:05:51yes, there is that. I never felt cynical about it.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53I didn't think Mark was cynical about it.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56He obviously saw an opportunity for a story.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59I do think, on the downside, a PR stunt very quickly can
0:05:59 > 0:06:03turn from glory to disaster if we get it wrong.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08The restaurant hasn't been making money recently so to help
0:06:08 > 0:06:13Luke turn it around, Mark has put in place some highly experienced staff.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16In the kitchen, sous chefs Terry and Joe,
0:06:16 > 0:06:20and front of house, Mark's mother, hotel manager, Mrs Lawson.
0:06:23 > 0:06:28She wanders into the restaurant in a fur coat. It's challenging.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32I don't want Mark in a cowboy shirt walking around the restaurant showing his hairy chest thinking
0:06:32 > 0:06:36he's 22 again. It's like a modern-day Fawlty Towers with less rooms.
0:06:36 > 0:06:40'But when Mark gets here that is when the chaos starts. That for me'
0:06:40 > 0:06:43is now, should I say, a fear.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46Enjoy. I love the bread in this, don't you?
0:06:46 > 0:06:48When Mark is here things change.
0:06:48 > 0:06:53I do have to question to myself, "Do they change for the better?"
0:06:54 > 0:07:00I'd say if someone said to me, "If you mark tonight out of ten..." I'd probably say it was seven.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02We're nearly there.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05I was really happy with the food, I was happy with the service, but
0:07:05 > 0:07:09it's not just about one night, we've got to deliver 365 days of the year.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14The food is excellent so far.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18It's classical things with very subtle twists.
0:07:18 > 0:07:24A consistent service all year round is vital if Luke is to realise
0:07:24 > 0:07:27his dream of becoming the youngest ever chef to win a Michelin star.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33- Did you enjoy it? - Really good.- Fantastic.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35- Remarkable.- Two desserts. Fantastic.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38- Yes?- Yes. The rhubarb was lovely.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41That is when that does make your name in the industry,
0:07:41 > 0:07:45and that is what will give you that reputation to carry you through
0:07:45 > 0:07:48years and years of being in this industry and having restaurants.
0:07:48 > 0:07:55He wants that star. Whether it's achievable or not, that's what gets him up every morning.
0:07:55 > 0:08:02Of course, if you become the world's youngest Michelin-starred chef
0:08:02 > 0:08:07- you then get fame and fortune. - Fame and fortune is right.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11Winning a Michelin star can make you so famous you only need one name.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15Heston. Gordon. Luke?
0:08:16 > 0:08:21And with fame comes money. Last year, Gordon earned over £20 million.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26I'd like to achieve a star within a few years. It's a goal.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29I like to achieve certain things by a certain age
0:08:29 > 0:08:32and that's just how it is. I wanted a restaurant by the age I was 20.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34It happened when I was 18.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38I want a Michelin star by the time I'm probably 21. If I do that,
0:08:38 > 0:08:41that'll make me the world's youngest Michelin-starred chef.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43Hopefully it'll come soon.
0:08:43 > 0:08:48This is last year's Michelin book, Michelin guide.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52Sanctum On The Green is actually mentioned.
0:08:52 > 0:08:57It says, "Contemporary furnishings contrast with the old beams.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59"Classic dishes arrive in a modern style." No mention of
0:08:59 > 0:09:01Luke's Dining Room.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03In an ideal world for me it's got to be next year.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06It's got to be Luke's Dining Room in here as well.
0:09:08 > 0:09:10To see what his dining room has to live up to,
0:09:10 > 0:09:14Luke heads to the Westbury Hotel in London where Michelin-starred
0:09:14 > 0:09:16chef Alyn Williams has his restaurant.
0:09:22 > 0:09:23Thank you.
0:09:23 > 0:09:28Wow. This food here, this is Michelin-starred food in front of me.
0:09:28 > 0:09:34Look, for example, on this crisp, the way they've piped the puree,
0:09:34 > 0:09:37the way that they've put the little pieces of cauliflower,
0:09:37 > 0:09:41the way this is spread out with the little sprigs of dill,
0:09:41 > 0:09:43the coriander, the way it's been placed.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46This is fine dining at the top of its level.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55It's stunning, isn't it, when you look at the setting?
0:09:58 > 0:10:01I think the tablecloths work perfectly in here,
0:10:01 > 0:10:05the way they are all perfectly starched. Look at this.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07The distance between the plate on the edge of the table is
0:10:07 > 0:10:11identical there to there. The side plates are identical.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13The knife, the way it is sat,
0:10:13 > 0:10:17the same distance either side, the napkin rings, they're identical.
0:10:17 > 0:10:21That's it. It's that level of detail.
0:10:21 > 0:10:25It's partly my job to get them to do this.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28That is probably what is going to be a bit of a challenge.
0:10:28 > 0:10:32Not everybody will share that same goal or that same
0:10:32 > 0:10:34dream as what I do.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37One day, I will have a restaurant like this.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39This is what I've always wanted.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44For now, Luke has to make do with the status quo.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47More Mark's dream restaurant than his.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49I cannot stand these tables.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53They are complete shit. I think we need linen tablecloths.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55That wall looks cheap.
0:10:55 > 0:11:00But Mark I don't think quite gets that, as you will see with what he dresses.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04He hasn't got much style. There's two different side
0:11:04 > 0:11:07plates on a table. There is a mark on the wall.
0:11:07 > 0:11:08There is a big cobweb there.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11The bulbs are too bright, the side plates don't look right.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13That glass isn't polished.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16The fireplace, there is half-burned candles in there.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19Is it only me who notices the dust?
0:11:19 > 0:11:22When you let things like that go that's
0:11:22 > 0:11:25when things like Michelin stars, rosettes, will slip,
0:11:25 > 0:11:30because it's not acceptable, because it's not eye for detail.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34- This I don't like. - Don't tell me that.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37I designed that bit. It's the only bit I like in this room.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40- White tablecloths(!)- Yes. - All right, OK.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43On a personal basis, I don't really care about a Michelin star.
0:11:43 > 0:11:44I absolutely don't care.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47It's very important to Luke. It is totally unimportant to me.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50I've always worked on the fact I've had a few places with Michelin
0:11:50 > 0:11:53stars and the cost of maintaining them
0:11:53 > 0:11:55often outweighs the price of getting them.
0:12:03 > 0:12:09- Where are you off to?- Off to, I don't know, I should call it home really.
0:12:09 > 0:12:13It's not I suppose. It's where I live with Mrs Lawson, Mark's mum.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17- Is it handy living so close? - It's great. Pros and cons.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19The cons are that they know when someone doesn't turn up
0:12:19 > 0:12:22for work, they just pick up the phone and call me.
0:12:22 > 0:12:28That's nice, isn't it? I've now got an in and out sign on my room. Please(!)
0:12:28 > 0:12:32This is meant to be my bedroom at home.
0:12:32 > 0:12:36I wouldn't say it's very teenager to have this in your bedroom.
0:12:36 > 0:12:42Or this style of chair. That's my drawer I got told. This is my clothes rail.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45I have my suitcase full of all my old crap that I just live out of.
0:12:45 > 0:12:51My toiletries and that's it. I wouldn't really call it home so to speak.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54The cupboard space here is pretty limited due to the fur coat collection.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56They're not my coats,
0:12:56 > 0:13:00but they're all Mrs Lawson's and I'm a bit scared to touch them.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04I thought it best that I just leave mine on the rail and in the suitcase.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07- Do you think they might bite? - I don't think they might bite.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10Mrs Lawson might bite if I try and move her fur coats!
0:13:12 > 0:13:13Oh, God.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17The restaurant is shut on Mondays and Tuesdays,
0:13:17 > 0:13:21so Luke takes the opportunity to go home to Wales to see his family.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24Just a rib-eye, please, if that's OK.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27Food has been my thing since the age of three.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30When I was at my grandmother's house, I'd go to the garden
0:13:30 > 0:13:33and pick vegetables. I'd scrub them in the sink and I'd cook them.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36It's always been more than just eating every day.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39Luke was brought up by his mum and gran,
0:13:39 > 0:13:41following his parents' separation when he was three.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44I grew up in a place in North Wales called Connah's Quay, which is
0:13:44 > 0:13:50quite a small town just on the border to England and I grew
0:13:50 > 0:13:55up with my mum and I've lived in this house for 14 years of my life.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58My gran overcooks everything but pretends she doesn't hear it.
0:13:58 > 0:14:04She stews things for too long like all of the vegetables.
0:14:04 > 0:14:08I always say you have to cook things quickly to get the flavour.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12Yeah, then I don't like it.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15- I know.- They're not cooked properly.
0:14:15 > 0:14:19He always liked playing with pans when he was younger.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21He always wanted stock pots for Christmas.
0:14:21 > 0:14:27Always playing with veg, always washing-up, not like now.
0:14:27 > 0:14:32My dad actually lives in Liverpool with my three stepbrothers
0:14:32 > 0:14:34and my stepmum.
0:14:34 > 0:14:40I've known from probably early teens that he had something,
0:14:40 > 0:14:44that he had this drive in him, that is not common.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47What are you going to be if you're not going to be a chef and a footballer?
0:14:47 > 0:14:50- I wasn't going to be a chef and a footballer.- No?
0:14:51 > 0:14:54- Might become a chef. - Or I might become a waiter.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57Will you give any of them jobs in your restaurant?
0:14:57 > 0:15:01Definitely Joel because he's a good front man.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03I'm sure he'd entertain all the guests.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05THEY LAUGH
0:15:07 > 0:15:13Me and Luke's mum split up when he was about three.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16It's something I've never really spoke to Luke about,
0:15:16 > 0:15:20because if there was anything in his mind as a kid where it was
0:15:20 > 0:15:24affecting him, I probably wasn't strong enough to hear it, you know what I mean?
0:15:24 > 0:15:32One Christmas he had this, like, the microwave and the sink
0:15:32 > 0:15:35and all that, when he was three, and I was like, "Aye, aye." You know what I mean?
0:15:35 > 0:15:38Where's the football? You know what I mean?
0:15:38 > 0:15:41That's what I mean. There was nothing there.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44There was nothing in the family to say, "Yes, because he's going to
0:15:44 > 0:15:47"be like uncle so-and-so." It was like, "Sooner he gets the ball, the better."
0:15:49 > 0:15:53- Are you proud of Luke? - Yes, I'm proud of all of you.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57- But, yes, I'm proud of Luke. He's doing good, isn't he?- Yes.
0:15:57 > 0:16:01Following his dreams. That's what he's always wanted.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04Three months in and business is quiet.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06Mark has commissioned a radio ad to try
0:16:06 > 0:16:09and drum up customers for the hotel and Luke's Dining Room.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11That's it.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17RADIO: 'Less than an hour from London, nine exquisite bedrooms,
0:16:17 > 0:16:20'a stunning outdoor pool, and Luke's Dining Room,
0:16:20 > 0:16:24'run by the extraordinary young chef, Luke Thomas. It's a hideaway.'
0:16:24 > 0:16:27So we've just had the most amazing radio advert go out on a big
0:16:27 > 0:16:30- radio station in London. - Do you actually think it's amazing?- No, it's shit.
0:16:30 > 0:16:35Really shit and cheesy and completely wrong for here
0:16:35 > 0:16:36and the advert's wank.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41Despite the empty tables, Luke's boundless belief in his own
0:16:41 > 0:16:43PR power remains intact.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47It will change over time what people think of me
0:16:47 > 0:16:50and especially when we get well-respected critics in.
0:16:50 > 0:16:54As soon as we star, fingers crossed, get in some good reviews
0:16:54 > 0:16:56in the national media,
0:16:56 > 0:16:59then that will also change people's perception of what we do.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02As word of Britain's youngest head chef spreads,
0:17:02 > 0:17:04so does media interest in Luke.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06The first major critic to review the restaurant is
0:17:06 > 0:17:08Jay Rayner of the Observer.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11He sat in the restaurant and had a meal. He booked under a different name.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14He did the whole critic's thing, as they do.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17Luke's too media savvy to let a false name fool him.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20He knew exactly who Jay was and what his presence meant.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23Getting a review from Jay Rayner was massive.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26Many of the chefs I've worked with, even in restaurants like the
0:17:26 > 0:17:30Le Gavroche and Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley, those guys get reviewed by Jay Rayner.
0:17:30 > 0:17:35All of us can't stop reading it. He put, "The boy's done well."
0:17:35 > 0:17:38One of the desserts he said. "It's just about as good as it gets."
0:17:38 > 0:17:41For any chef in the world, if Jay Rayner says that, it is just
0:17:41 > 0:17:43about as good as it gets for a chef.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46Jay did criticise that the trout was overcooked and that
0:17:46 > 0:17:50- Luke was too fond of pepper.- He put, "Luke Thomas is fallible."
0:17:50 > 0:17:52I had to Google the word fallible.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54I did ask my grandmother, but I don't think
0:17:54 > 0:17:58she got any further than the opening paragraph to be honest.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01Jay concluded by saying he hoped Luke would take
0:18:01 > 0:18:03a break from running his own kitchen to go
0:18:03 > 0:18:05and work under a more experienced mentor.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10I think people in the catering industry, there are
0:18:10 > 0:18:15so many people who are going to say, "He's too young," but I expect it.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22Today, Luke is heading home to Connah's Quay, North Wales to celebrate
0:18:22 > 0:18:26with his old school friends at their leavers' ball.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32I think they almost thought I wasn't taking it seriously,
0:18:32 > 0:18:34it was just a slightly weird hobby,
0:18:34 > 0:18:37but then I think when they recognised that I was being pitched with
0:18:37 > 0:18:40the likes of Jamie Oliver and winning all these awards,
0:18:40 > 0:18:44that's when they thought, "He is taking this quite seriously."
0:18:44 > 0:18:47He is the big time from Connah's Quay.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50But he won't throw it in your face.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53You just can't believe it, how far he's come in such little time.
0:18:53 > 0:18:58We're proud of him. It's just nice to know someone like that.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00The way he speaks, the way he... It's just like...
0:19:00 > 0:19:02I feel like I'm talking to an adult.
0:19:02 > 0:19:06To have his own restaurant at this age - we're all so...
0:19:06 > 0:19:08We've had to move on to uni.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11Some of us going to college, gone travelling.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15We are all starting on our life, really. Luke's...
0:19:15 > 0:19:18They all have jobs as well. They have moments when it's stressful.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22So if they balance out their moments of stress, you know,
0:19:22 > 0:19:24taking money behind the till in a clothes store to actually
0:19:24 > 0:19:27running a restaurant and a £3.5 million business, I'm sure
0:19:27 > 0:19:31they can imagine the difference in stress and pressure I've got.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34Haven't you seen Gordon Ramsay dance?
0:19:34 > 0:19:39He's going to see the world, experience the world.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42There are things he'll do that we'll never do in our life.
0:19:43 > 0:19:48- Don't make me dance.- Gordon Ramsay dance.- Are you coming to dance?
0:19:48 > 0:19:50MUSIC: "La Macarena" by Los Del Rio
0:19:54 > 0:19:55This is my office.
0:19:55 > 0:19:59I can't even put my feet under the desk because there are plates
0:19:59 > 0:20:01and ramekins, but never mind.
0:20:01 > 0:20:05So this is where I tend to do a bit of work, write some menus
0:20:05 > 0:20:10and when I come home every week, this is where I throw all my paperwork.
0:20:10 > 0:20:14So, basically, I just decided, you know, that I wanted to travel
0:20:14 > 0:20:16and I wanted to work in all these restaurants
0:20:16 > 0:20:18but when I thought, "How am I actually going to afford to do it?
0:20:18 > 0:20:20"How can it afford to pay for flights to Dubai
0:20:20 > 0:20:23"and live in Dubai for a month and eat and drink?"
0:20:23 > 0:20:27It was just impossible, so I had to go out and almost pitch myself
0:20:27 > 0:20:32as a product, as a brand, to these individuals, to various companies.
0:20:32 > 0:20:34And say, "Look, you know, this is my plan,
0:20:34 > 0:20:37"I want to open a restaurant in the next few years.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39"I want to be a Michelin-starred chef."
0:20:39 > 0:20:42I've got all these plans and goals and aspirations
0:20:42 > 0:20:44and I literally had to sit there and sell myself to them.
0:20:44 > 0:20:48And I raised a fair amount of sponsorship money to go and travel around the world.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52One of the places I was very lucky to go and...
0:20:52 > 0:20:56Sandy Lane in Barbados.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59They have, like, an owner's estate.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03I was very lucky that I got asked to cook for some private clients.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06Barbados. This is the beach.
0:21:09 > 0:21:13- What is it like being in Barbados? - Amazing. Some of the people...
0:21:13 > 0:21:17At the same time, Simon Cowell was there, Rihanna, Philip Green,
0:21:17 > 0:21:22The Wanted, Michelle Keegan off Corrie. Obviously.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25Who were you most excited about seeing?
0:21:25 > 0:21:28Probably Michelle Keegan in her bikini, actually.
0:21:33 > 0:21:38It's July, and the first day of the Wireless Festival in London's Hyde Park.
0:21:38 > 0:21:43Mark Fuller's company is doing the catering and Luke has been roped in to help.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46Over the last 30 years working in the industry,
0:21:46 > 0:21:49Mark has built up an international business that encompasses clubs,
0:21:49 > 0:21:51restaurants and bars.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54And he's banking on Luke Thomas being his next success.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59I don't think Luke has ever been to a festival.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01I don't think he likes music.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03All those people that say an 18-year-old cannot have enough experience
0:22:03 > 0:22:07and can't make it... well, I'm going to make sure that he gets that experience,
0:22:07 > 0:22:11he gets a crash course in learning how the catering industry works,
0:22:11 > 0:22:13from nuts to bolts, from A to Zee.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16He's got to learn it, and he's got to learn it fast.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21You have got, give or take, 1,000 people per day here.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24That is a VVIP - 300 to 500 every day.
0:22:24 > 0:22:28Give or take 500 people per day here, give or take 500 there,
0:22:28 > 0:22:33and about 6,000 there. So really silly, 10,000 people.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36Lunch, dinner, from a hamburger to a full gourmet meal.
0:22:38 > 0:22:43- Today?- Dealing with everybody from Rihanna to your mum.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47Nathan, I've brought you someone to help.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49Get yourself in there.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51Get sweaty.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54- Yes. Yes. Need it all doing?- ASAP.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58It's great having a boutique hotel.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01It's great having a 40-cover Luke's Dining Room restaurant.
0:23:01 > 0:23:02But the bread and butter to get through
0:23:02 > 0:23:05when times are hard is things like this on festivals,
0:23:05 > 0:23:08catering for thousands and thousands of people, which make you serious money.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11The wetness, the hassle, the whole thing.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14It's got to be good for a kid to see that.
0:23:14 > 0:23:16I've never worked anywhere like this before.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19Backstage at one of the biggest festivals in the world in Hyde Park.
0:23:19 > 0:23:21I think they are really in the shit now.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23They've got guests coming in, and needing food.
0:23:23 > 0:23:28Already a dozen chefs in this kitchen so it's busy, busy now.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37Yes, loads of guests turning up and the food is not ready
0:23:37 > 0:23:40so I'm going to be late. I'll get out as quick as I can, OK?
0:23:40 > 0:23:42Are you OK for service?
0:23:42 > 0:23:45OK, bye. That was Terry.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48He's the sous chef at Sanctum On The Green. He's getting ready for service now.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50We're about an hour away from serving the first table
0:23:50 > 0:23:53and I am still in the fucking field in London.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56So, yes, the pressure is on now. I want to get back.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59It's important I'm there for every service.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02Guests are coming to my restaurant for my food and I'm cutting up pork belly
0:24:02 > 0:24:07for some VIP with, you know, a fucking vodka and Coke in a field.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10So I need to get back, I need to crack on.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15Holding the fort back at Luke's restaurant is sous chef Terry.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19Check on. One soup, one salad.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41This is what I love. I get a real buzz out of it. Being chaotic.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43This morning, I was doing breakfast at 7am.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46This afternoon, Mark said, "Can you come and help me out at Hyde Park?"
0:24:46 > 0:24:47Getting back in the car to go back
0:24:47 > 0:24:50and make the restaurant work tonight, busy day tomorrow, busy day Sunday.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52That's what it's all about.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55Unfortunately, I can't be in two places at once
0:24:55 > 0:24:57so I do have to go there tonight.
0:24:57 > 0:24:58But since it's my first ever festival,
0:24:58 > 0:25:00I should probably go and look at some of the bands as well.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02I'm going to check out some of the bands.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16Hi.
0:25:16 > 0:25:17Cheers.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21It's Monday night, Luke's day off and he's back up north
0:25:21 > 0:25:24for a night out in Chester at his favourite club.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34It is quite funny because I can never predict my diary,
0:25:34 > 0:25:36but I block out every Monday night throughout the year,
0:25:36 > 0:25:40near enough, unless it is something pretty important.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42I won't miss a Monday night at Cruise.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47Being a local celeb regular has its perks.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49Luke and his mates get ushered past the queue
0:25:49 > 0:25:51and straight up to the VIP area.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55There are no real nightclubs that I like in London.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58- Chester is nearer home. - How many have you been to in London?
0:25:58 > 0:25:59Like, four.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05- Your room's very tidy. - That's because I've got OCD.
0:26:05 > 0:26:06It has to always be tidy.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15- Is that enough? - Yes.- Are you sure?
0:26:15 > 0:26:16I normally put more on, as well.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24So Louis Vuitton polo shirt, Hugo Boss jeans, D&G belt,
0:26:24 > 0:26:26Cruyff white trainers.
0:26:29 > 0:26:36- I am whitening my teeth. - Why does it matter what your teeth look like?
0:26:36 > 0:26:39Cos everyone looks better when they've got nicer teeth, I think.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42It's good to have a bit of colour because I'm always quite pale.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44So sometimes I go on the sunbed, maybe.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56And if you're not going on the sunbed,
0:26:56 > 0:26:58how do you get yourself a bit of colour?
0:26:58 > 0:26:59I just tend to sit out in the sun
0:26:59 > 0:27:02because it's always sunny in North Wales, you see.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04- So that's how I get a good colour. - Spray tan?
0:27:04 > 0:27:08I would never have a spray tan, no. I am not admitting to out. Imagine if chefs are watching this.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10I can't admit to that.
0:27:10 > 0:27:11I always watch The Apprentice
0:27:11 > 0:27:14and you watch Lord Sugar come into the boardroom.
0:27:14 > 0:27:18And he looks, like, sharp, his suit's perfect. His tie's perfect.
0:27:18 > 0:27:19His hair's perfect.
0:27:19 > 0:27:24And you just look well-groomed and I always think it's a good first impression
0:27:24 > 0:27:28that if you're meeting somebody who is wanting to be successful, that is a success,
0:27:28 > 0:27:31that your first impression is that
0:27:31 > 0:27:34they look good, they look clean, they look really smart.
0:27:34 > 0:27:39- Would you like to be like Lord Sugar one day?- Of course.
0:27:39 > 0:27:43The Lord Sugar of the cooking world, maybe.
0:27:43 > 0:27:44So, what...
0:27:44 > 0:27:48I don't know why I'm doing this with these in. Do they look really white?
0:27:48 > 0:27:50I'll wear it for the rest of the film.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55Fucking hell, my teeth are hurting. Oh, you mother.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05Fuck it.
0:28:08 > 0:28:12- It's late July and Luke is in Italy. - We're in the hills of Tuscany.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15I am off to my first-ever vineyard
0:28:15 > 0:28:19to have a look at the process of wine being made and to have some wine tastings.
0:28:19 > 0:28:20I am extremely excited.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23I have never, ever done this before, so it's a real first for me.
0:28:23 > 0:28:26A prestigious wine supplier has invited him
0:28:26 > 0:28:29on an all-expenses-paid tasting tour of Tuscany.
0:28:29 > 0:28:33Luke's being shown around estates belonging to the closest thing
0:28:33 > 0:28:37that Italian wine has to royalty, the Frescobaldi family.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40And given that Luke's only been old enough to buy alcohol
0:28:40 > 0:28:44legally for nine months, he's on a very steep learning curve.
0:28:44 > 0:28:47Having boxes of wine being delivered, to reading the label
0:28:47 > 0:28:49and reading about it on the internet, to actually being here where they
0:28:49 > 0:28:53make it, it's a bit of a jump, really, so I'm trying to pick it up.
0:28:53 > 0:28:55When you first start,
0:28:55 > 0:28:58everybody blasts you with all this information and it takes time.
0:28:58 > 0:29:00But when they talk about wine like that,
0:29:00 > 0:29:04I feel I can talk just as passionately about food in the same way.
0:29:04 > 0:29:08So, Luke, which kind of foods, in your opinion,
0:29:08 > 0:29:12- would best suit this type of wine? - I don't know. I wouldn't say it's...
0:29:12 > 0:29:18I wouldn't say the flavours are very bold, really. That's my opinion.
0:29:18 > 0:29:22With this wine, it is quite dry in the mouth.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25- Are a lot of red wines like that? - Yes.
0:29:25 > 0:29:28- All red wines, would you just say?- Most.
0:29:28 > 0:29:30I don't learn from reading books.
0:29:30 > 0:29:33I learn from seeing things and to be here in Tuscany,
0:29:33 > 0:29:37in one of the, sort of, best cellars in the world, you know,
0:29:37 > 0:29:39looking at wines, looking at the barrels that they age in,
0:29:39 > 0:29:42it's got to be one of the best things, you know,
0:29:42 > 0:29:44for anybody who wants to be a restaurateur,
0:29:44 > 0:29:48or one of the best chefs or sommeliers in the world.
0:29:48 > 0:29:54So you want to be a top chef, top sommelier, top restaurateur...
0:29:54 > 0:29:56Yes. I do.
0:29:56 > 0:29:59The minor celeb status Luke's gained by being Britain's
0:29:59 > 0:30:01youngest head chef has opened doors for him.
0:30:01 > 0:30:03Some, anyway.
0:30:03 > 0:30:05- It doesn't open until ten. - Doesn't open till ten?- No.
0:30:05 > 0:30:07That is a bit of a shame. You want do some shopping whilst you're here.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10I do want to do some shopping.
0:30:11 > 0:30:14Maybe time tomorrow.
0:30:14 > 0:30:16The more Luke is tempted away on extravagant trips,
0:30:16 > 0:30:19or to promote himself in the press, the more his small team
0:30:19 > 0:30:22back at the restaurant are left to cope on their own.
0:30:22 > 0:30:26I've come all the way to Florence and they text me to say
0:30:26 > 0:30:30the waitress didn't turn up for breakfast. What am I meant to do?
0:30:30 > 0:30:32It's all part of being chef patron.
0:30:32 > 0:30:38It is part of it, but it does make you wonder why can't these things be dealt with?
0:30:38 > 0:30:41If a waitress doesn't turn up, somebody is there, just fill in
0:30:41 > 0:30:45until they get another one. You know, the music, if it's not working,
0:30:45 > 0:30:49go on to the internet and download some more until it starts working again.
0:30:50 > 0:30:53Luke spending time away from the kitchen is a worry for Mark.
0:30:53 > 0:30:56He's got to realise that he has come with a certain talent
0:30:56 > 0:30:58and he needs to develop that talent.
0:30:58 > 0:31:04And if you don't do that hard work and you don't, you know, get your credibility,
0:31:04 > 0:31:08then you can be shot down in flames really, really badly.
0:31:08 > 0:31:10He wheedles his way out of the kitchen
0:31:10 > 0:31:12because he is coerced by the fame and publicity,
0:31:12 > 0:31:16so he'd rather do an interview than cooking a piece of chicken.
0:31:16 > 0:31:19Being a chef is not about being famous.
0:31:19 > 0:31:22Being a chef is about making a restaurant work and make money.
0:31:23 > 0:31:27Mark is also concerned because since Luke took over the restaurant,
0:31:27 > 0:31:31it still hasn't made a consistent profit, even though turnover is up.
0:31:33 > 0:31:37- Luke and manager James are going through the figures.- Turnover is up.
0:31:37 > 0:31:40Same time as last year, it is double what it was.
0:31:40 > 0:31:44- Average spend per head has gone from £20 to £60 a head in seven weeks.- Amazing.
0:31:44 > 0:31:50Tonight we've got 12, two fours and it says 24 but that's a cock-up,
0:31:50 > 0:31:52so it's 20 tonight.
0:31:52 > 0:31:53PHONE BEEPS
0:31:53 > 0:31:56- We're going to have a problem with customers at some point.- Mr Fuller.
0:32:02 > 0:32:04What's he said?
0:32:04 > 0:32:10"Luke, as I said on the phone, when you stick your head above..." What?
0:32:10 > 0:32:13"If you stick your head above the water, the snipers come out.
0:32:13 > 0:32:17"There is a very thin line between lauded as the next big thing
0:32:17 > 0:32:20"and too painful to handle."
0:32:20 > 0:32:22- Mark just sent you that? - Mark Fuller.
0:32:25 > 0:32:26What a complete arse.
0:32:28 > 0:32:30What a prick.
0:32:30 > 0:32:32The business is growing, the owner is a prick,
0:32:32 > 0:32:34and everything is going well.
0:32:34 > 0:32:38But, yeah, we're on target for the month. So I'm happy.
0:32:38 > 0:32:41What a complete arse. Too painful to handle?
0:32:41 > 0:32:45Why do the work for him again? Why do we make him money?
0:32:46 > 0:32:51Why do we make this successful? Oh, do you know what, that is ridiculous.
0:32:51 > 0:32:53He hasn't put you in, has he?
0:32:53 > 0:32:57He won't copy me in because it is a direct attack on you.
0:32:57 > 0:32:59Does he mean I'm too painful to handle?
0:32:59 > 0:33:01Yes, I'm too painful to handle.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04So the snipers are out and you're a pain in the arse.
0:33:04 > 0:33:09- That is a ridiculous message. - Let's just reply and say, "Thanks.
0:33:09 > 0:33:12- "You're too painful to handle too." - Don't bother replying.
0:33:12 > 0:33:16Seriously, he's not worth the time. He won't pay any attention anyway.
0:33:16 > 0:33:23It hasn't exactly gone according to plan. I think Luke...
0:33:23 > 0:33:29thought that he is so fucking amazing that the doors would open
0:33:29 > 0:33:35and people would flock to see this prodigy cook.
0:33:36 > 0:33:38His food's good.
0:33:38 > 0:33:40But the takings aren't.
0:33:41 > 0:33:44Mark's about to give Luke a baptism of fire.
0:33:44 > 0:33:47So far, he has been covering the shortfall between what the restaurant
0:33:47 > 0:33:52is taking and what Luke and James are spending on ingredients and staff.
0:33:52 > 0:33:55But that is about to change.
0:33:55 > 0:33:58I want Luke to work it out.
0:33:59 > 0:34:02If you buy too much steak at the beginning of the week
0:34:02 > 0:34:05and you throw it away at the end of it because the customers haven't
0:34:05 > 0:34:08come through, immaterial to press, PR and everything else,
0:34:08 > 0:34:10it doesn't really work, does it?
0:34:10 > 0:34:13Now that Mark's no longer bailing out the restaurant, there's
0:34:13 > 0:34:17not enough money in the business account to pay the suppliers.
0:34:18 > 0:34:21Several have refused to deliver any more ingredients
0:34:21 > 0:34:23until bills are settled.
0:34:32 > 0:34:33Vicky has not been paid either.
0:34:33 > 0:34:41Therefore, we have nobody to supply meat for tomorrow.
0:34:54 > 0:34:56James hasn't been paid either.
0:34:56 > 0:34:58Luke heads into nearby Marlow for a breather
0:34:58 > 0:35:03but it's not long before James is back on the phone.
0:35:03 > 0:35:06OK. Yes.
0:35:07 > 0:35:10All right. Well, just try and calm down anyway.
0:35:10 > 0:35:15I will call you back when I can. OK. Bye.
0:35:15 > 0:35:18What was that all about?
0:35:18 > 0:35:20That was James.
0:35:20 > 0:35:22He has just said that it is now three weeks late
0:35:22 > 0:35:23since he's been paid.
0:35:23 > 0:35:27So, basically, he has just said that unless he gets paid today or,
0:35:27 > 0:35:31if not, tomorrow morning, he is about to walk out the door.
0:35:31 > 0:35:33He'll be the third manager in three months of the restaurant
0:35:33 > 0:35:38so I have just said if he goes, I'm going as well. So that's it.
0:35:38 > 0:35:39I don't know. That's it.
0:35:43 > 0:35:47- Luke phones his agent, Borra, to talk it through.- 'Hello.'
0:35:47 > 0:35:51- Hey, Borra, it's Luke. How are you? - 'Good. Are you?'- Yes, good.
0:35:51 > 0:35:55Basically, I have just had a phone call from James,
0:35:55 > 0:36:00the manager at the hotel, to say he has just got to the train station to go home for the day
0:36:00 > 0:36:03and he said that he hasn't been paid
0:36:03 > 0:36:08and he said that, basically, he's ready to leave and he's going to walk out.
0:36:08 > 0:36:13'Do you think he's going to come back, because you can appeal to his better nature, as your friend,
0:36:13 > 0:36:16'or do you think he's being serious and he just can't take any more?'
0:36:16 > 0:36:20To be honest, I think the last three weeks he's been coming back
0:36:20 > 0:36:24just because I'm his friend. I think that's it now.
0:36:24 > 0:36:27I'd be very surprised if I see him at Sanctum On The Green again.
0:36:27 > 0:36:31The bills aren't paid. We need 240 bottles of wine for Saturday.
0:36:31 > 0:36:35We haven't had a delivery of wine for one month. The supplier is on stop.
0:36:35 > 0:36:39Mark has basically suspended any payments to them because he said
0:36:39 > 0:36:43that until we have got enough money in the account, he won't pay them.
0:36:43 > 0:36:45You know the reason why bills aren't being paid?
0:36:45 > 0:36:48The reason why bills aren't being paid is because you don't make money.
0:36:48 > 0:36:51If you don't make money, it's a very simple... Life is very simple.
0:36:51 > 0:36:55If you spend more than you take, you cannot pay your bills.
0:36:55 > 0:36:59And it doesn't matter whether you're 18 or 45.
0:36:59 > 0:37:02Mark's stance might seem tough on his inexperienced chef, but Luke's role
0:37:02 > 0:37:07as chef patron involves running the business as well as the kitchen.
0:37:07 > 0:37:09'This does fall under your jurisdiction, Luke.
0:37:09 > 0:37:14'You need to come up with a plan B in case James doesn't show up and
0:37:14 > 0:37:17'we need to be ready and prepared.
0:37:17 > 0:37:21'You think it's not working and you're having your doubts,
0:37:21 > 0:37:24'but there's so much other stuff going on, Luke, that we
0:37:24 > 0:37:28'have to tough it out and figure out a way forward,
0:37:28 > 0:37:31'with or without James, and I know you don't want to hear that.'
0:37:31 > 0:37:33- Cheers, thanks.- 'OK, bye.'
0:37:38 > 0:37:39What was Borra's advice?
0:37:39 > 0:37:42She said stick it out, just go with it, but I don't know.
0:37:42 > 0:37:45That's her advice.
0:37:45 > 0:37:48So...I think the problem is,
0:37:48 > 0:37:50if I speak to any of the managers or any of the people
0:37:50 > 0:37:51that worked at Sanctum On The Green,
0:37:51 > 0:37:54they all say, "Oh, yeah, you've got to get out of there.
0:37:54 > 0:37:57"Completely, go, go, go. It's pointless, you're wasting your time.
0:37:57 > 0:37:59"You could be enjoying your time somewhere else,"
0:37:59 > 0:38:03but I think it's like, you know, if she came here for a week
0:38:03 > 0:38:07and worked here, she'd understand exactly what I mean.
0:38:07 > 0:38:08So...
0:38:08 > 0:38:11So I don't know. I don't know. We'll just have to see.
0:38:11 > 0:38:13But I'm not going to quit today, that's all I'll say.
0:38:19 > 0:38:23I'm waiting for the moment that he gets it.
0:38:23 > 0:38:26When he gets it, we're good. At the moment, this is all bollocks.
0:38:26 > 0:38:29Luke wants to walk away from it, it's his prerogative.
0:38:29 > 0:38:32It'll be the most stupidest thing he's ever done in his life
0:38:32 > 0:38:35for his career, because he will say several things... You know what?
0:38:35 > 0:38:38Ultimately, it'll be a little embarrassing for me,
0:38:38 > 0:38:40but we'll regroup and suddenly somebody new will be in there,
0:38:40 > 0:38:42because it's not going to kill me.
0:38:42 > 0:38:43It will kill Luke.
0:38:45 > 0:38:48Back at the restaurant, James and Luke have decided to stay,
0:38:48 > 0:38:52and they scrape together enough money to secure a meat delivery.
0:38:52 > 0:38:55- Four of lamb.- Yeah. - But there is little relief for Luke.
0:38:55 > 0:38:58He knows that now the Bank of Mark is closed,
0:38:58 > 0:38:59he has to start making a profit
0:38:59 > 0:39:02if his restaurant is going to stay in business
0:39:02 > 0:39:04and give him that invaluable step up
0:39:04 > 0:39:06to help him achieve his Michelin star.
0:39:06 > 0:39:08- See you later. Thank you. - Take care.- Bye-bye.
0:39:08 > 0:39:10This order is...
0:39:12 > 0:39:14..171.48.
0:39:14 > 0:39:18Now, I have to make 70% GP, gross profit, on every dish.
0:39:18 > 0:39:22So if I sell you that dish with some meat on it or whatever,
0:39:22 > 0:39:25for ten quid, it has to only cost me £3.
0:39:28 > 0:39:32To add to the cash flow problems, there is unrest in the kitchen too.
0:39:32 > 0:39:36Sous chef and old friend Joe has handed in his notice.
0:39:36 > 0:39:39I'm just leaving because I just don't like people
0:39:39 > 0:39:42taking credit for my work or for other people's work.
0:39:42 > 0:39:45Me and Terry worked really hard in the kitchen,
0:39:45 > 0:39:47and it gets to me when we have,
0:39:47 > 0:39:51a critic comes in and praises the hot dishes
0:39:51 > 0:39:54and some of the owners are just, like, thinking he's...
0:39:54 > 0:39:56Do they really know who Luke is?
0:39:56 > 0:40:00Do they really know what he does in the kitchen?
0:40:00 > 0:40:03Luke and Joe have known each other for years.
0:40:03 > 0:40:04When Luke was still at school,
0:40:04 > 0:40:07working weekends at a Michelin-starred hotel,
0:40:07 > 0:40:09Joe was his mentor.
0:40:09 > 0:40:10Luke's a lovely guy.
0:40:10 > 0:40:12That's why I came to work for him,
0:40:12 > 0:40:15because me and Luke got on really well
0:40:15 > 0:40:18when I was working with him in The Grosvenor,
0:40:18 > 0:40:21but here he's a different person.
0:40:21 > 0:40:24You know, he's definitely changed, and he's....
0:40:24 > 0:40:28His ego has got bigger.
0:40:28 > 0:40:31- Nice to meet you. - I've heard a lot about you.- Good.
0:40:31 > 0:40:32Yeah, we just wanted to meet you, really.
0:40:32 > 0:40:37Is it weird working for someone who used to work under you?
0:40:37 > 0:40:39Not really.
0:40:39 > 0:40:42I'm not that kind of person. I don't...
0:40:43 > 0:40:45You know, he could be....
0:40:45 > 0:40:48If Luke's in the kitchen all the time,
0:40:48 > 0:40:50I would have been happy for him to be younger
0:40:50 > 0:40:53and I would have been happy for him to succeed.
0:40:55 > 0:40:58If you're in the big kitchen, right, you've got 30 staff underneath you,
0:40:58 > 0:41:00you're not going to be doing any cooking,
0:41:00 > 0:41:03you'll be doing more of the managerial side.
0:41:03 > 0:41:05You're making sure things are done properly.
0:41:05 > 0:41:08But when there's only three of you in the kitchen,
0:41:08 > 0:41:10I think you need to be hands-on.
0:41:10 > 0:41:14But Luke, I don't think he understands that,
0:41:14 > 0:41:17which he needs to understand, that when there's only three of you,
0:41:17 > 0:41:19you need to be in the kitchen, you know?
0:41:19 > 0:41:22Let someone else deal with what's happening at front of house.
0:41:27 > 0:41:31Talk to me, big boy, as Marco would say.
0:41:33 > 0:41:37I'm still getting some fairly big vibes
0:41:37 > 0:41:40- that you're not spending a lot of time in the kitchen.- Right.- OK?
0:41:42 > 0:41:46Joe's going. I mean, you've had two really, really good support chefs.
0:41:46 > 0:41:48- Yeah, yeah.- In Joe and Terry.
0:41:48 > 0:41:51I've told you this once and I'll tell you again.
0:41:51 > 0:41:54It's my position as the senior partner and the big boss,
0:41:54 > 0:41:57and also really as I feel, as my mentor,
0:41:57 > 0:42:00and equally as my friend and someone that believes in you. Right, OK?
0:42:00 > 0:42:03You've got to stay in the kitchen, right, OK?
0:42:03 > 0:42:06Otherwise, you will fail. Right, OK?
0:42:06 > 0:42:09Because people will just see you as a blown up...
0:42:09 > 0:42:10you know, celebrity chef.
0:42:10 > 0:42:13You see these celebrity chefs, like, you know,
0:42:13 > 0:42:16your Novellis and all the people and everything else -
0:42:16 > 0:42:17they've got some provenance.
0:42:17 > 0:42:20- They've done their time.- Yeah. - They don't have to be in the kitchen.
0:42:20 > 0:42:22- Yeah.- Right, OK? You've got to do your time.
0:42:22 > 0:42:27Even when Luke is in the kitchen, he focuses on starters and desserts,
0:42:27 > 0:42:28leaving the sauce section,
0:42:28 > 0:42:31where they cook the meat and fish, to Joe.
0:42:31 > 0:42:35Some head chefs just spend every hour of every day in the kitchen,
0:42:35 > 0:42:37and I do that, but on the same hand,
0:42:37 > 0:42:39I like to be very hands on front of house as well,
0:42:39 > 0:42:43so writing the menus, tasting the wines, composing the wine list,
0:42:43 > 0:42:46selecting teas, selecting coffees, the service elements,
0:42:46 > 0:42:47and it's really important to do that
0:42:47 > 0:42:49when your name does go above the door,
0:42:49 > 0:42:52so they really feel that every touch in the restaurant is from you.
0:42:52 > 0:42:54Why don't you do sauce?
0:42:54 > 0:42:58Well, we just don't. We just divide it up. I just do starters...
0:42:58 > 0:43:01Starters, desserts, and then communicate with James.
0:43:01 > 0:43:05- All the great chefs do the cooking of the meat and fish.- Yeah.
0:43:05 > 0:43:09Right? All the great chefs get themselves involved, right?
0:43:09 > 0:43:11They do everything in the kitchen.
0:43:11 > 0:43:14But they concentrate on the sauce.
0:43:14 > 0:43:17- Yeah.- You know, you really, really need to be the cook.
0:43:17 > 0:43:18You've got to do the sauce. Got to.
0:43:18 > 0:43:22- Come on, then.- Yeah.- Round two. - Let's go.- Let's go.
0:43:22 > 0:43:27There was a real gap between Luke's expectations of the job
0:43:27 > 0:43:30and then the reality of what that job was,
0:43:30 > 0:43:33so Luke had been working around the world
0:43:33 > 0:43:35in very high-end restaurants
0:43:35 > 0:43:39where there's an awful lot of staff and kitchen staff and support
0:43:39 > 0:43:42and there's bookings, so there's income,
0:43:42 > 0:43:45and, you know, it flows very smoothly.
0:43:45 > 0:43:47These are very well-oiled machines.
0:43:47 > 0:43:50Then he goes in and it's pretty much starting from scratch.
0:43:50 > 0:43:52The job of head chef, he thought,
0:43:52 > 0:43:55was going to be all about the food and his staff,
0:43:55 > 0:43:59with some coordination between the front of house staff,
0:43:59 > 0:44:01but actually, there was a lot more multitasking
0:44:01 > 0:44:05put on his plate, or so he perceived,
0:44:05 > 0:44:09so that this became a much more challenging job for him.
0:44:09 > 0:44:13Main course is new seasoned lamb with parsley puree underneath,
0:44:13 > 0:44:15fricassee of summer vegetables,
0:44:15 > 0:44:17pea mousse and a light red wine lamb sauce.
0:44:17 > 0:44:19- Lovely.- Thank you.- OK. Enjoy.
0:44:19 > 0:44:22I've referred to him jokingly as my third child,
0:44:22 > 0:44:26because he has needed a lot of hand-holding.
0:44:26 > 0:44:29Luke does have a long way to go, just because of his age.
0:44:30 > 0:44:34Today, Luke is in London to meet Tom Aikens.
0:44:34 > 0:44:35Tom became famous at 26
0:44:35 > 0:44:39for being the youngest ever chef with two Michelin stars,
0:44:39 > 0:44:42but he was fired three years later
0:44:42 > 0:44:45when he was accused of branding someone with a hot knife.
0:44:45 > 0:44:47You know, the pressure of being that young,
0:44:47 > 0:44:51the pressure of keeping the consistency,
0:44:51 > 0:44:55keeping that level of food was a lot for a 26, 27-year-old.
0:44:55 > 0:44:59And it definitely got to me over time and, you know,
0:44:59 > 0:45:06I also left there under quite a shroud of publicity as well.
0:45:06 > 0:45:09I learnt my lesson from that.
0:45:09 > 0:45:14I thought, you know, at one point I was not dispensable.
0:45:14 > 0:45:16Everyone is dispensable.
0:45:16 > 0:45:17What is that?
0:45:17 > 0:45:19Are you jesting?
0:45:19 > 0:45:22I started my career when I was 16,
0:45:22 > 0:45:24went straight into catering college,
0:45:24 > 0:45:27and then I came to London when I was 19 and a half.
0:45:27 > 0:45:28Crazy, isn't it?
0:45:28 > 0:45:30At The Grosvenor, it used to be quite this.
0:45:30 > 0:45:33Lots of chefs, very busy, very focused.
0:45:33 > 0:45:35So tell me, how do you split the work up?
0:45:35 > 0:45:38Normally, myself, I would do starters and desserts.
0:45:38 > 0:45:43One guy would do the sauce section, the meat section,
0:45:43 > 0:45:45and that's just how we work, you know.
0:45:45 > 0:45:46I still work in my kitchen.
0:45:46 > 0:45:50- I work doing the meat, I do the sauce.- OK.
0:45:50 > 0:45:53Cos then I can control the whole of the kitchen.
0:45:53 > 0:45:55Obviously, I direct them,
0:45:55 > 0:45:57I tell them what's going on, what's happening.
0:45:57 > 0:46:00You know, there's a lot of pressure sometimes to deal with,
0:46:00 > 0:46:03and you won't be able to handle that because you're too young.
0:46:03 > 0:46:07- So I understand that your sous chef is handing his notice in?- Yeah.
0:46:07 > 0:46:08And that's probably a big blow, yeah?
0:46:08 > 0:46:11Yeah, yeah, it's a challenge.
0:46:11 > 0:46:13Why was that, do you know?
0:46:13 > 0:46:16Well, I think where he's probably got annoyed
0:46:16 > 0:46:18or slightly pissed off at the start is
0:46:18 > 0:46:22that he probably felt that I wasn't spending enough time in the kitchen.
0:46:22 > 0:46:25I can understand the guy wanting to leave, you know?
0:46:25 > 0:46:29I mean, I wouldn't take orders from an 18-year-old if I was 25.
0:46:29 > 0:46:30I wouldn't.
0:46:30 > 0:46:33If you do want to reach, you know, the top of your game,
0:46:33 > 0:46:37then I think, you really have to look at what you're doing and...
0:46:37 > 0:46:41Because I don't think you'll do it being a head chef at 18. You won't.
0:46:41 > 0:46:44Do you want to be a head chef of a gastro-pub, a hotel,
0:46:44 > 0:46:47or do you want to go into Michelin cooking?
0:46:47 > 0:46:50I aspire to be a Michelin-starred chef, because I want to be
0:46:50 > 0:46:54at the top of my game and I want to achieve, really, perfection.
0:46:54 > 0:46:58The only way that you can learn that is through working with other people.
0:46:58 > 0:47:02Every kitchen you work in, you pick up a certain amount of techniques.
0:47:02 > 0:47:04That's kind of like a journey, and you put all those
0:47:04 > 0:47:09little bits and bobs that you picked up into your food.
0:47:09 > 0:47:11And as I said, you're not going to learn that
0:47:11 > 0:47:13through being a head chef at 18.
0:47:22 > 0:47:23It was quite interesting because
0:47:23 > 0:47:25he was saying that I'm far too young,
0:47:25 > 0:47:27and that's fine, cos a lot of people have.
0:47:27 > 0:47:30Maybe he's right and maybe he's wrong.
0:47:30 > 0:47:33But he also then said that he thought HE was far too young.
0:47:33 > 0:47:38But when I look at what he's achieved and how successful he is,
0:47:38 > 0:47:43I just think, well, I could follow in that same footstep as well,
0:47:43 > 0:47:45and be just as successful
0:47:45 > 0:47:47through starting at a young age.
0:47:50 > 0:47:51He's 18.
0:47:51 > 0:47:55There's a certain amount of respect that has to be accorded, right, OK?
0:47:55 > 0:48:00If he gets with the team, he asks for help, he talks to us
0:48:00 > 0:48:04and he does everything, then we will be there 100% behind him
0:48:04 > 0:48:06and push him through this.
0:48:06 > 0:48:11There is a massive possibility that he can get this right.
0:48:11 > 0:48:17There is also a huge possibility his career will be sunk before it starts.
0:48:17 > 0:48:19We had one month where we made money, right?
0:48:19 > 0:48:21We've had seven months before where we lost money
0:48:21 > 0:48:23and we lost a lot of money, right?
0:48:23 > 0:48:28And you showed me something was going on and it was happening, right?
0:48:28 > 0:48:30And now we've gone back to square one again.
0:48:30 > 0:48:32Maybe you've concentrated too much in the front of house
0:48:32 > 0:48:36and the food's suffered and the whole thing... Maybe it's too much for you,
0:48:36 > 0:48:40I don't know, but the bottom line is we've got to do something and now.
0:48:40 > 0:48:42- If you can't do it you've got to tell me.- Yeah.
0:48:42 > 0:48:45If you can't make it, tell me and we'll work it out.
0:48:45 > 0:48:48But the bottom line is that we can't overspend,
0:48:48 > 0:48:50because you can't lose money for ever
0:48:50 > 0:48:53because then you go bust. And you just need to be in the kitchen.
0:48:53 > 0:48:57What I need your support with is that you need to stand there
0:48:57 > 0:49:02and say, "It's Luke's restaurant, you listen to him and that's it."
0:49:02 > 0:49:04- Then prove it to me.- No, no, I will.
0:49:04 > 0:49:08That's what I'm saying, because I think that...you know...
0:49:08 > 0:49:11I almost wonder if they think, "He's just 18. It's..."
0:49:11 > 0:49:13- Yeah, they probably do, but you've got to prove it.- Yeah.
0:49:13 > 0:49:17I can't do that for you. I can't come and sit with you every single day on service
0:49:17 > 0:49:20and make sure it works, OK? You've got to do it.
0:49:20 > 0:49:23You've got to take the proverbial bull by the horns
0:49:23 > 0:49:28- and fucking ram it through that door. - Yeah.- Right? Time now, right?
0:49:28 > 0:49:29Enough time learning.
0:49:29 > 0:49:33The learning curve for anybody - 18, 24, 30, whatever, right?
0:49:33 > 0:49:36We're blaming too many people. It's OUR fault.
0:49:36 > 0:49:40We need to get the fuck on with it and show people what we can do.
0:49:40 > 0:49:44- Yeah.- Bollocks to everybody else, yeah?- Yeah.- Let's do it.- OK.- Come on.
0:49:44 > 0:49:46- Tonight, yeah?- Yeah.
0:49:49 > 0:49:52I think he's still kind of half blaming other people.
0:49:52 > 0:49:54But I've got to see some colours, I really have.
0:49:54 > 0:49:58I've got to see that exuberance, that youth, that belief
0:49:58 > 0:50:02and that doggedness that he had that he can succeed.
0:50:02 > 0:50:03I've got to see that come back
0:50:03 > 0:50:05and I've got to see it come out on a plate.
0:50:05 > 0:50:09And I've got to see the cash in the till afterwards.
0:50:09 > 0:50:13Otherwise, it's nothing, cos it's just another closed restaurant.
0:50:17 > 0:50:21Luke has now been at the restaurant for seven months.
0:50:21 > 0:50:24Today, the 2013 Michelin Guide is released
0:50:24 > 0:50:27and Luke hopes that his dining room will have been noticed,
0:50:27 > 0:50:31bringing him a little closer to his dream of becoming the youngest
0:50:31 > 0:50:34ever chef to win that star.
0:50:34 > 0:50:38So I've got the guide, so it's the moment of truth now to see...
0:50:39 > 0:50:42..whether we get a nice little mention or not.
0:50:43 > 0:50:46Here we go. Great Britain...
0:50:57 > 0:51:00"A la carte...
0:51:00 > 0:51:01"Booking essential..."
0:51:02 > 0:51:05They've reviewed it as Sanctum On The Green, basically.
0:51:05 > 0:51:08It should be Luke's Dining Room, not Sanctum On The Green.
0:51:08 > 0:51:12This is a restaurant guide for Michelin, and it's bloody...
0:51:12 > 0:51:13You know, you'd think that...
0:51:13 > 0:51:16I've put a lot of hard work in so far and we've got a lot more
0:51:16 > 0:51:18to go until we get that little star next to our name,
0:51:18 > 0:51:22but the fact that it's Sanctum On The Green and not Luke's Dining Room
0:51:22 > 0:51:24is really a real disappointment.
0:51:24 > 0:51:27With no Michelin star and the new name of the restaurant not
0:51:27 > 0:51:30being recognised, it's a double blow for Luke.
0:51:30 > 0:51:35They've put it in the guide as Sanctum On The Green.
0:51:36 > 0:51:39Why isn't it Luke's Dining Room?
0:51:39 > 0:51:42I don't know. I think it's the same. Let's get last year's guide.
0:51:57 > 0:51:59One fork.
0:52:01 > 0:52:02It's the same as...
0:52:02 > 0:52:06- I just don't know why it's exactly the same.- No, I know.
0:52:08 > 0:52:09I...
0:52:10 > 0:52:12Cos it mentions, er...
0:52:13 > 0:52:15I mean, let me have a look.
0:52:15 > 0:52:17- Just carry on. - We'll have to work harder and...
0:52:17 > 0:52:22Just carry on and work harder. The menu gets better.
0:52:22 > 0:52:26We'll just have to keep changing the menu to make it to the right level.
0:52:26 > 0:52:28The service needs to be tweaked slightly...
0:52:33 > 0:52:35I think he expected to open the book
0:52:35 > 0:52:38and he was going to be there cos he's a great chef.
0:52:38 > 0:52:40Not how it works.
0:52:44 > 0:52:48When I return to the restaurant a week later,
0:52:48 > 0:52:51I find Luke in the kitchen preparing a new lamb dish with what
0:52:51 > 0:52:55seems to be fresh enthusiasm and determination.
0:52:55 > 0:52:58This is what I'm good at, you know.
0:52:58 > 0:53:02This is where I can be creative and, you know,
0:53:02 > 0:53:05this is what I've trained to do for years.
0:53:05 > 0:53:10It's what I spent the whole time of being in high school doing,
0:53:10 > 0:53:13you know. It's what I spent my childhood doing.
0:53:13 > 0:53:16And I think that, you know, that's what I'm here for.
0:53:18 > 0:53:23There was only a realisation actually, probably even a month
0:53:23 > 0:53:26or two ago that I was unhappy, Mark was unhappy, the staff were unhappy.
0:53:26 > 0:53:30Where I went wrong was that I didn't structure my time enough
0:53:30 > 0:53:33in between where I was balancing being in the kitchen
0:53:33 > 0:53:36to working with the team front of house.
0:53:36 > 0:53:39You know, the reason I was there is to simply put amazing
0:53:39 > 0:53:41food on the plate.
0:53:41 > 0:53:43And I let that go and I let it go out of control.
0:53:43 > 0:53:46I think I've probably learnt more in the last six months than
0:53:46 > 0:53:48I have in the last six years.
0:53:48 > 0:53:49It's still borderline,
0:53:49 > 0:53:53because he's just getting his feet under the table.
0:53:53 > 0:53:56But I see an assurance and a confidence and it's coming out in
0:53:56 > 0:54:00the cooking - he's going faster, he's quicker, he's getting more inventive.
0:54:00 > 0:54:02There's a real breakthrough here.
0:54:02 > 0:54:05I almost feel, I'm 18 years old,
0:54:05 > 0:54:08should I be pointing the finger saying, "You do this, you do that"?
0:54:08 > 0:54:11Then you'll come back and get the final two, OK?
0:54:11 > 0:54:13When Gordon Ramsay opened his first restaurant,
0:54:13 > 0:54:17he'd already won two Michelin stars for somebody else.
0:54:17 > 0:54:20He was already a respected chef before he even had the chance
0:54:20 > 0:54:23to put his name above his own door.
0:54:23 > 0:54:25And I think that, for me,
0:54:25 > 0:54:30I'd not run a kitchen before, I'd not run a business before.
0:54:30 > 0:54:33I'd just come in, put the sign up
0:54:33 > 0:54:36and went in and ran the kitchen.
0:54:36 > 0:54:39But it's only now that it's just started working
0:54:39 > 0:54:43because they've now just started to respect me and start taking
0:54:43 > 0:54:46instructions without thinking, "Who does he think he's talking to?"
0:54:46 > 0:54:48Where's it coming, Colin?
0:54:48 > 0:54:50- Sauce?- Yeah, sauce it, lovely.
0:54:50 > 0:54:53He's confident, he's sitting there talking to people
0:54:53 > 0:54:54and they're listening to him.
0:54:54 > 0:54:56But they're not listening to him cos I've put him there,
0:54:56 > 0:55:01he's now there because there's a growing respect.
0:55:01 > 0:55:05Yeah, right. First job, Colin, one there... Thank you, commis.
0:55:05 > 0:55:07- MAN:- Sorry, I didn't want to lose the thought.
0:55:07 > 0:55:09LAUGHTER
0:55:09 > 0:55:11Write it down quickly.
0:55:11 > 0:55:14We've got scallops with mussel curry and almond cream.
0:55:16 > 0:55:20I think what we're seeing is a really great chef and it's very
0:55:20 > 0:55:21early, early times.
0:55:22 > 0:55:24I'm happy.
0:55:24 > 0:55:26My goal since entering this industry at the age of 12 has been to
0:55:26 > 0:55:30be the youngest Michelin-starred chef ever. I still want it.
0:55:30 > 0:55:32I'm still going to make it happen.
0:55:32 > 0:55:34I'm much closer than I was six months ago.
0:55:34 > 0:55:35Maybe not quite close enough,
0:55:35 > 0:55:38but it just makes me even more determined to get there.
0:55:38 > 0:55:40I think he thought he was on fast-track.
0:55:40 > 0:55:43Wham, bam, give me the Ferrari.
0:55:43 > 0:55:48And he's suddenly realised there's no Ferrari without hard work.
0:55:48 > 0:55:50He'll get a Ferrari,
0:55:50 > 0:55:53- but not right now. - Not if he doesn't get off his phone!
0:55:53 > 0:55:54HE LAUGHS
0:55:54 > 0:55:57Is he on his mobile phone again, the little bugger? You see?
0:55:57 > 0:55:59Every now and again...
0:55:59 > 0:56:02The point is that we've started, we haven't finished.
0:56:02 > 0:56:04Still a bloody teenager!
0:56:06 > 0:56:08Get off your phone!
0:56:08 > 0:56:09HE LAUGHS
0:56:09 > 0:56:12- Good service.- Yeah, it was. - Really good.
0:56:12 > 0:56:15FAWLTY TOWERS THEME
0:56:34 > 0:56:37Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd