Britain's Youngest Head Chef

I'm Luke Thomas, I'm 18. This is my restaurant. I do everything here -

food, wine, service. My name is above the door,

"Luke's Dining Room." It's mine.

This is 18-year-old Luke Thomas.

He's already Britain's youngest head chef and now

he wants to become the youngest person to win a Michelin star.

Winning the Michelin star for a chef is probably one of THE biggest

achievements. It is like a single winning a BRIT award.

I'm following him over his first seven months as a baby boss to see

if he really can catch his star.

This programme contains some strong language from the start

18-year-old Luke Thomas is about to open his first

restaurant in a £4 million boutique hotel, Sanctum On The Green.

He's been cooking all his life and started working evenings

and weekends in professional kitchens when he was just 12.

I used to go to the butcher's every Saturday and I got a Saturday job there.

He used to take me round to the different restaurants that he

delivered to and he took me in one of the kitchens one day,

and the chef said, "Come and work for us for the day in the kitchen."

A day later, I was in there in my chef whites

and was completely amazed by how it all worked

and I just fell in love with it straightaway and I knew from

that moment on, it was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

Luke entered every junior cooking competition going,

winning Springboard FutureChef when he was just 15.

He then went on to do work experience in some

of the world's top restaurants like Heston's Fat Duck

and the Burj Al Arab in Dubai. Now he wants to join the chef elite

by winning the culinary equivalent of an Oscar - a Michelin star.

And he wants to do it by the time he's 21, which would make him

the world's youngest ever recipient.

It's early March and after four weeks of prep, Luke is taking

full control of the restaurant for the official opening night.

The pots are shit. I can't believe what they've sent me. I've put my neck on the line.

I have no choice but to make it work.

This job could make me or it could completely destroy me.

If I get this right then, fuck me, it could be fantastic.

If I get this wrong I could be fucked.

Most head chefs train for years before they take on their own restaurant.

Can an 18-year-old actually do it?

It's about proving them wrong and saying, "I can actually cook."

So far, the day is not going well for young Luke.

Some of the food has not arrived yet.

The crockery has not arrived, so we're just slightly nervous about that.

We've got no vegetables,

no dry goods and nothing to make cocktails with on arrival.

-You're going to have to go shopping.

-I've got to go to Sainsbury's.

That's what I've got to do.

Mrs Lawson's going to be driving because I haven't passed my driving test.

We'll get there, I'm sure.

Hi, it's Luke. John needs to call the wine company to tell them

what time to arrive tonight. He needs to call Daniel.

When I agreed to do this, I thought if I'm going to do it, it's got to be my name above the door

and it's got to be the chef patron role, the chef

being in charge of the kitchen,

the patron, business partner in charge of the restaurant, so it does

feel like the Luke Thomas experience rather than just Luke Thomas's food.

The man who's taken a gamble on the unknown teenage chef is

Harley-riding self-styled rock 'n' roll hotelier

Mark Fuller.

Where's the helmet? He's never been on a bike before!

Oh, my God. Why couldn't he drive an Aston Martin or something?

In the kitchen, Luke is getting ready for his first service as chef patron.

-I wish you all the best. All right?

-Yes.

-How are the pork scratchings?

-Any good? I eat them every Saturday night. They're a bit salty.

-OK.

-A little bit salty so don't put any seasoning in your soup.

-Yes.

When he first walked into my office, we start talking food.

I'm looking at an 18-year-old boy and hearing a 30-year-old man.

Wipe the plates and make sure the food doesn't spill.

-Wipe the plate.

-Got it, Chef.

Age shouldn't really matter if you feel confident enough to do it, which I do,

otherwise, I wouldn't have took this role on.

Luke's chat was so impressive that Mark omitted an important

part of any chef's job interview.

When I offered Luke the job and we started talking contracts,

he talked so eloquently about the food

and had such understanding about food I instantly knew

I was talking to somebody who knew what the fuck he was talking about.

So I didn't actually check his food.

When we came to talking about it and employing the PRs, someone simply said to me,

"What is his food like?" I just went, "Ah."

If it wasn't the food that had Mark biting Luke's

hand off to sign, what was it?

I would be a liar if I said that I didn't think

he was good for business and a great PR angle.

Everyone needs a PR angle. The restaurant trade's always looking for the next big thing.

Maybe we have found it.

Luke also knows that his age is a great story,

so to capitalise on his great PR power he pursued top chef agent

Borra Garson who represented Jamie Oliver at the start of his career.

In one word, persistence.

Luke is a very ambitious young man.

He contacted me numerous times

'until I had to take notice.

'He just looked so young, I wanted to look after him.'

Is it a secret that Mark hired Luke pretty much before he'd ever

tasted Luke's cooking? And in fact I'm guilty as charged.

I signed up Luke before I'd tasted his cooking.

In terms of the PR value of signing up the UK's youngest chef,

yes, there is that. I never felt cynical about it.

I didn't think Mark was cynical about it.

He obviously saw an opportunity for a story.

I do think, on the downside, a PR stunt very quickly can

turn from glory to disaster if we get it wrong.

The restaurant hasn't been making money recently so to help

Luke turn it around, Mark has put in place some highly experienced staff.

In the kitchen, sous chefs Terry and Joe,

and front of house, Mark's mother, hotel manager, Mrs Lawson.

She wanders into the restaurant in a fur coat. It's challenging.

I don't want Mark in a cowboy shirt walking around the restaurant showing his hairy chest thinking

he's 22 again. It's like a modern-day Fawlty Towers with less rooms.

'But when Mark gets here that is when the chaos starts. That for me'

is now, should I say, a fear.

Enjoy. I love the bread in this, don't you?

When Mark is here things change.

I do have to question to myself, "Do they change for the better?"

I'd say if someone said to me, "If you mark tonight out of ten..." I'd probably say it was seven.

We're nearly there.

I was really happy with the food, I was happy with the service, but

it's not just about one night, we've got to deliver 365 days of the year.

The food is excellent so far.

It's classical things with very subtle twists.

A consistent service all year round is vital if Luke is to realise

his dream of becoming the youngest ever chef to win a Michelin star.

-Did you enjoy it?

-Really good.

-Fantastic.

-Remarkable.

-Two desserts. Fantastic.

-Yes?

-Yes. The rhubarb was lovely.

That is when that does make your name in the industry,

and that is what will give you that reputation to carry you through

years and years of being in this industry and having restaurants.

He wants that star. Whether it's achievable or not, that's what gets him up every morning.

Of course, if you become the world's youngest Michelin-starred chef

-you then get fame and fortune.

-Fame and fortune is right.

Winning a Michelin star can make you so famous you only need one name.

Heston. Gordon. Luke?

And with fame comes money. Last year, Gordon earned over £20 million.

I'd like to achieve a star within a few years. It's a goal.

I like to achieve certain things by a certain age

and that's just how it is. I wanted a restaurant by the age I was 20.

It happened when I was 18.

I want a Michelin star by the time I'm probably 21. If I do that,

that'll make me the world's youngest Michelin-starred chef.

Hopefully it'll come soon.

This is last year's Michelin book, Michelin guide.

Sanctum On The Green is actually mentioned.

It says, "Contemporary furnishings contrast with the old beams.

"Classic dishes arrive in a modern style." No mention of

Luke's Dining Room.

In an ideal world for me it's got to be next year.

It's got to be Luke's Dining Room in here as well.

To see what his dining room has to live up to,

Luke heads to the Westbury Hotel in London where Michelin-starred

chef Alyn Williams has his restaurant.

Thank you.

Wow. This food here, this is Michelin-starred food in front of me.

Look, for example, on this crisp, the way they've piped the puree,

the way that they've put the little pieces of cauliflower,

the way this is spread out with the little sprigs of dill,

the coriander, the way it's been placed.

This is fine dining at the top of its level.

It's stunning, isn't it, when you look at the setting?

I think the tablecloths work perfectly in here,

the way they are all perfectly starched. Look at this.

The distance between the plate on the edge of the table is

identical there to there. The side plates are identical.

The knife, the way it is sat,

the same distance either side, the napkin rings, they're identical.

That's it. It's that level of detail.

It's partly my job to get them to do this.

That is probably what is going to be a bit of a challenge.

Not everybody will share that same goal or that same

dream as what I do.

One day, I will have a restaurant like this.

This is what I've always wanted.

For now, Luke has to make do with the status quo.

More Mark's dream restaurant than his.

I cannot stand these tables.

They are complete shit. I think we need linen tablecloths.

That wall looks cheap.

But Mark I don't think quite gets that, as you will see with what he dresses.

He hasn't got much style. There's two different side

plates on a table. There is a mark on the wall.

There is a big cobweb there.

The bulbs are too bright, the side plates don't look right.

That glass isn't polished.

The fireplace, there is half-burned candles in there.

Is it only me who notices the dust?

When you let things like that go that's

when things like Michelin stars, rosettes, will slip,

because it's not acceptable, because it's not eye for detail.

-This I don't like.

-Don't tell me that.

I designed that bit. It's the only bit I like in this room.

-White tablecloths(!)

-Yes.

-All right, OK.

On a personal basis, I don't really care about a Michelin star.

I absolutely don't care.

It's very important to Luke. It is totally unimportant to me.

I've always worked on the fact I've had a few places with Michelin

stars and the cost of maintaining them

often outweighs the price of getting them.

-Where are you off to?

-Off to, I don't know, I should call it home really.

It's not I suppose. It's where I live with Mrs Lawson, Mark's mum.

-Is it handy living so close?

-It's great. Pros and cons.

The cons are that they know when someone doesn't turn up

for work, they just pick up the phone and call me.

That's nice, isn't it? I've now got an in and out sign on my room. Please(!)

This is meant to be my bedroom at home.

I wouldn't say it's very teenager to have this in your bedroom.

Or this style of chair. That's my drawer I got told. This is my clothes rail.

I have my suitcase full of all my old crap that I just live out of.

My toiletries and that's it. I wouldn't really call it home so to speak.

The cupboard space here is pretty limited due to the fur coat collection.

They're not my coats,

but they're all Mrs Lawson's and I'm a bit scared to touch them.

I thought it best that I just leave mine on the rail and in the suitcase.

-Do you think they might bite?

-I don't think they might bite.

Mrs Lawson might bite if I try and move her fur coats!

Oh, God.

The restaurant is shut on Mondays and Tuesdays,

so Luke takes the opportunity to go home to Wales to see his family.

Just a rib-eye, please, if that's OK.

Food has been my thing since the age of three.

When I was at my grandmother's house, I'd go to the garden

and pick vegetables. I'd scrub them in the sink and I'd cook them.

It's always been more than just eating every day.

Luke was brought up by his mum and gran,

following his parents' separation when he was three.

I grew up in a place in North Wales called Connah's Quay, which is

quite a small town just on the border to England and I grew

up with my mum and I've lived in this house for 14 years of my life.

My gran overcooks everything but pretends she doesn't hear it.

She stews things for too long like all of the vegetables.

I always say you have to cook things quickly to get the flavour.

Yeah, then I don't like it.

-I know.

-They're not cooked properly.

He always liked playing with pans when he was younger.

He always wanted stock pots for Christmas.

Always playing with veg, always washing-up, not like now.

My dad actually lives in Liverpool with my three stepbrothers

and my stepmum.

I've known from probably early teens that he had something,

that he had this drive in him, that is not common.

What are you going to be if you're not going to be a chef and a footballer?

-I wasn't going to be a chef and a footballer.

-No?

-Might become a chef.

-Or I might become a waiter.

Will you give any of them jobs in your restaurant?

Definitely Joel because he's a good front man.

I'm sure he'd entertain all the guests.

THEY LAUGH

Me and Luke's mum split up when he was about three.

It's something I've never really spoke to Luke about,

because if there was anything in his mind as a kid where it was

affecting him, I probably wasn't strong enough to hear it, you know what I mean?

One Christmas he had this, like, the microwave and the sink

and all that, when he was three, and I was like, "Aye, aye." You know what I mean?

Where's the football? You know what I mean?

That's what I mean. There was nothing there.

There was nothing in the family to say, "Yes, because he's going to

"be like uncle so-and-so." It was like, "Sooner he gets the ball, the better."

-Are you proud of Luke?

-Yes, I'm proud of all of you.

-But, yes, I'm proud of Luke. He's doing good, isn't he?

-Yes.

Following his dreams. That's what he's always wanted.

Three months in and business is quiet.

Mark has commissioned a radio ad to try

and drum up customers for the hotel and Luke's Dining Room.

That's it.

RADIO: 'Less than an hour from London, nine exquisite bedrooms,

'a stunning outdoor pool, and Luke's Dining Room,

'run by the extraordinary young chef, Luke Thomas. It's a hideaway.'

So we've just had the most amazing radio advert go out on a big

-radio station in London.

-Do you actually think it's amazing?

-No, it's shit.

Really shit and cheesy and completely wrong for here

and the advert's wank.

Despite the empty tables, Luke's boundless belief in his own

PR power remains intact.

It will change over time what people think of me

and especially when we get well-respected critics in.

As soon as we star, fingers crossed, get in some good reviews

in the national media,

then that will also change people's perception of what we do.

As word of Britain's youngest head chef spreads,

so does media interest in Luke.

The first major critic to review the restaurant is

Jay Rayner of the Observer.

He sat in the restaurant and had a meal. He booked under a different name.

He did the whole critic's thing, as they do.

Luke's too media savvy to let a false name fool him.

He knew exactly who Jay was and what his presence meant.

Getting a review from Jay Rayner was massive.

Many of the chefs I've worked with, even in restaurants like the

Le Gavroche and Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley, those guys get reviewed by Jay Rayner.

All of us can't stop reading it. He put, "The boy's done well."

One of the desserts he said. "It's just about as good as it gets."

For any chef in the world, if Jay Rayner says that, it is just

about as good as it gets for a chef.

Jay did criticise that the trout was overcooked and that

-Luke was too fond of pepper.

-He put, "Luke Thomas is fallible."

I had to Google the word fallible.

I did ask my grandmother, but I don't think

she got any further than the opening paragraph to be honest.

Jay concluded by saying he hoped Luke would take

a break from running his own kitchen to go

and work under a more experienced mentor.

I think people in the catering industry, there are

so many people who are going to say, "He's too young," but I expect it.

Today, Luke is heading home to Connah's Quay, North Wales to celebrate

with his old school friends at their leavers' ball.

I think they almost thought I wasn't taking it seriously,

it was just a slightly weird hobby,

but then I think when they recognised that I was being pitched with

the likes of Jamie Oliver and winning all these awards,

that's when they thought, "He is taking this quite seriously."

He is the big time from Connah's Quay.

But he won't throw it in your face.

You just can't believe it, how far he's come in such little time.

We're proud of him. It's just nice to know someone like that.

The way he speaks, the way he... It's just like...

I feel like I'm talking to an adult.

To have his own restaurant at this age - we're all so...

We've had to move on to uni.

Some of us going to college, gone travelling.

We are all starting on our life, really. Luke's...

They all have jobs as well. They have moments when it's stressful.

So if they balance out their moments of stress, you know,

taking money behind the till in a clothes store to actually

running a restaurant and a £3.5 million business, I'm sure

they can imagine the difference in stress and pressure I've got.

Haven't you seen Gordon Ramsay dance?

He's going to see the world, experience the world.

There are things he'll do that we'll never do in our life.

-Don't make me dance.

-Gordon Ramsay dance.

-Are you coming to dance?

MUSIC: "La Macarena" by Los Del Rio

This is my office.

I can't even put my feet under the desk because there are plates

and ramekins, but never mind.

So this is where I tend to do a bit of work, write some menus

and when I come home every week, this is where I throw all my paperwork.

So, basically, I just decided, you know, that I wanted to travel

and I wanted to work in all these restaurants

but when I thought, "How am I actually going to afford to do it?

"How can it afford to pay for flights to Dubai

"and live in Dubai for a month and eat and drink?"

It was just impossible, so I had to go out and almost pitch myself

as a product, as a brand, to these individuals, to various companies.

And say, "Look, you know, this is my plan,

"I want to open a restaurant in the next few years.

"I want to be a Michelin-starred chef."

I've got all these plans and goals and aspirations

and I literally had to sit there and sell myself to them.

And I raised a fair amount of sponsorship money to go and travel around the world.

One of the places I was very lucky to go and...

Sandy Lane in Barbados.

They have, like, an owner's estate.

I was very lucky that I got asked to cook for some private clients.

Barbados. This is the beach.

-What is it like being in Barbados?

-Amazing. Some of the people...

At the same time, Simon Cowell was there, Rihanna, Philip Green,

The Wanted, Michelle Keegan off Corrie. Obviously.

Who were you most excited about seeing?

Probably Michelle Keegan in her bikini, actually.

It's July, and the first day of the Wireless Festival in London's Hyde Park.

Mark Fuller's company is doing the catering and Luke has been roped in to help.

Over the last 30 years working in the industry,

Mark has built up an international business that encompasses clubs,

restaurants and bars.

And he's banking on Luke Thomas being his next success.

I don't think Luke has ever been to a festival.

I don't think he likes music.

All those people that say an 18-year-old cannot have enough experience

and can't make it... well, I'm going to make sure that he gets that experience,

he gets a crash course in learning how the catering industry works,

from nuts to bolts, from A to Zee.

He's got to learn it, and he's got to learn it fast.

You have got, give or take, 1,000 people per day here.

That is a VVIP - 300 to 500 every day.

Give or take 500 people per day here, give or take 500 there,

and about 6,000 there. So really silly, 10,000 people.

Lunch, dinner, from a hamburger to a full gourmet meal.

-Today?

-Dealing with everybody from Rihanna to your mum.

Nathan, I've brought you someone to help.

Get yourself in there.

Get sweaty.

-Yes. Yes. Need it all doing?

-ASAP.

It's great having a boutique hotel.

It's great having a 40-cover Luke's Dining Room restaurant.

But the bread and butter to get through

when times are hard is things like this on festivals,

catering for thousands and thousands of people, which make you serious money.

The wetness, the hassle, the whole thing.

It's got to be good for a kid to see that.

I've never worked anywhere like this before.

Backstage at one of the biggest festivals in the world in Hyde Park.

I think they are really in the shit now.

They've got guests coming in, and needing food.

Already a dozen chefs in this kitchen so it's busy, busy now.

Yes, loads of guests turning up and the food is not ready

so I'm going to be late. I'll get out as quick as I can, OK?

Are you OK for service?

OK, bye. That was Terry.

He's the sous chef at Sanctum On The Green. He's getting ready for service now.

We're about an hour away from serving the first table

and I am still in the fucking field in London.

So, yes, the pressure is on now. I want to get back.

It's important I'm there for every service.

Guests are coming to my restaurant for my food and I'm cutting up pork belly

for some VIP with, you know, a fucking vodka and Coke in a field.

So I need to get back, I need to crack on.

Holding the fort back at Luke's restaurant is sous chef Terry.

Check on. One soup, one salad.

This is what I love. I get a real buzz out of it. Being chaotic.

This morning, I was doing breakfast at 7am.

This afternoon, Mark said, "Can you come and help me out at Hyde Park?"

Getting back in the car to go back

and make the restaurant work tonight, busy day tomorrow, busy day Sunday.

That's what it's all about.

Unfortunately, I can't be in two places at once

so I do have to go there tonight.

But since it's my first ever festival,

I should probably go and look at some of the bands as well.

I'm going to check out some of the bands.

Hi.

Cheers.

It's Monday night, Luke's day off and he's back up north

for a night out in Chester at his favourite club.

It is quite funny because I can never predict my diary,

but I block out every Monday night throughout the year,

near enough, unless it is something pretty important.

I won't miss a Monday night at Cruise.

Being a local celeb regular has its perks.

Luke and his mates get ushered past the queue

and straight up to the VIP area.

There are no real nightclubs that I like in London.

-Chester is nearer home.

-How many have you been to in London?

Like, four.

-Your room's very tidy.

-That's because I've got OCD.

It has to always be tidy.

-Is that enough?

-Yes.

-Are you sure?

I normally put more on, as well.

So Louis Vuitton polo shirt, Hugo Boss jeans, D&G belt,

Cruyff white trainers.

-I am whitening my teeth.

-Why does it matter what your teeth look like?

Cos everyone looks better when they've got nicer teeth, I think.

It's good to have a bit of colour because I'm always quite pale.

So sometimes I go on the sunbed, maybe.

And if you're not going on the sunbed,

how do you get yourself a bit of colour?

I just tend to sit out in the sun

because it's always sunny in North Wales, you see.

-So that's how I get a good colour.

-Spray tan?

I would never have a spray tan, no. I am not admitting to out. Imagine if chefs are watching this.

I can't admit to that.

I always watch The Apprentice

and you watch Lord Sugar come into the boardroom.

And he looks, like, sharp, his suit's perfect. His tie's perfect.

His hair's perfect.

And you just look well-groomed and I always think it's a good first impression

that if you're meeting somebody who is wanting to be successful, that is a success,

that your first impression is that

they look good, they look clean, they look really smart.

-Would you like to be like Lord Sugar one day?

-Of course.

The Lord Sugar of the cooking world, maybe.

So, what...

I don't know why I'm doing this with these in. Do they look really white?

I'll wear it for the rest of the film.

Fucking hell, my teeth are hurting. Oh, you mother.

Fuck it.

-It's late July and Luke is in Italy.

-We're in the hills of Tuscany.

I am off to my first-ever vineyard

to have a look at the process of wine being made and to have some wine tastings.

I am extremely excited.

I have never, ever done this before, so it's a real first for me.

A prestigious wine supplier has invited him

on an all-expenses-paid tasting tour of Tuscany.

Luke's being shown around estates belonging to the closest thing

that Italian wine has to royalty, the Frescobaldi family.

And given that Luke's only been old enough to buy alcohol

legally for nine months, he's on a very steep learning curve.

Having boxes of wine being delivered, to reading the label

and reading about it on the internet, to actually being here where they

make it, it's a bit of a jump, really, so I'm trying to pick it up.

When you first start,

everybody blasts you with all this information and it takes time.

But when they talk about wine like that,

I feel I can talk just as passionately about food in the same way.

So, Luke, which kind of foods, in your opinion,

-would best suit this type of wine?

-I don't know. I wouldn't say it's...

I wouldn't say the flavours are very bold, really. That's my opinion.

With this wine, it is quite dry in the mouth.

-Are a lot of red wines like that?

-Yes.

-All red wines, would you just say?

-Most.

I don't learn from reading books.

I learn from seeing things and to be here in Tuscany,

in one of the, sort of, best cellars in the world, you know,

looking at wines, looking at the barrels that they age in,

it's got to be one of the best things, you know,

for anybody who wants to be a restaurateur,

or one of the best chefs or sommeliers in the world.

So you want to be a top chef, top sommelier, top restaurateur...

Yes. I do.

The minor celeb status Luke's gained by being Britain's

youngest head chef has opened doors for him.

Some, anyway.

-It doesn't open until ten.

-Doesn't open till ten?

-No.

That is a bit of a shame. You want do some shopping whilst you're here.

I do want to do some shopping.

Maybe time tomorrow.

The more Luke is tempted away on extravagant trips,

or to promote himself in the press, the more his small team

back at the restaurant are left to cope on their own.

I've come all the way to Florence and they text me to say

the waitress didn't turn up for breakfast. What am I meant to do?

It's all part of being chef patron.

It is part of it, but it does make you wonder why can't these things be dealt with?

If a waitress doesn't turn up, somebody is there, just fill in

until they get another one. You know, the music, if it's not working,

go on to the internet and download some more until it starts working again.

Luke spending time away from the kitchen is a worry for Mark.

He's got to realise that he has come with a certain talent

and he needs to develop that talent.

And if you don't do that hard work and you don't, you know, get your credibility,

then you can be shot down in flames really, really badly.

He wheedles his way out of the kitchen

because he is coerced by the fame and publicity,

so he'd rather do an interview than cooking a piece of chicken.

Being a chef is not about being famous.

Being a chef is about making a restaurant work and make money.

Mark is also concerned because since Luke took over the restaurant,

it still hasn't made a consistent profit, even though turnover is up.

-Luke and manager James are going through the figures.

-Turnover is up.

Same time as last year, it is double what it was.

-Average spend per head has gone from £20 to £60 a head in seven weeks.

-Amazing.

Tonight we've got 12, two fours and it says 24 but that's a cock-up,

so it's 20 tonight.

PHONE BEEPS

-We're going to have a problem with customers at some point.

-Mr Fuller.

What's he said?

"Luke, as I said on the phone, when you stick your head above..." What?

"If you stick your head above the water, the snipers come out.

"There is a very thin line between lauded as the next big thing

"and too painful to handle."

-Mark just sent you that?

-Mark Fuller.

What a complete arse.

What a prick.

The business is growing, the owner is a prick,

and everything is going well.

But, yeah, we're on target for the month. So I'm happy.

What a complete arse. Too painful to handle?

Why do the work for him again? Why do we make him money?

Why do we make this successful? Oh, do you know what, that is ridiculous.

He hasn't put you in, has he?

He won't copy me in because it is a direct attack on you.

Does he mean I'm too painful to handle?

Yes, I'm too painful to handle.

So the snipers are out and you're a pain in the arse.

-That is a ridiculous message.

-Let's just reply and say, "Thanks.

-"You're too painful to handle too."

-Don't bother replying.

Seriously, he's not worth the time. He won't pay any attention anyway.

It hasn't exactly gone according to plan. I think Luke...

thought that he is so fucking amazing that the doors would open

and people would flock to see this prodigy cook.

His food's good.

But the takings aren't.

Mark's about to give Luke a baptism of fire.

So far, he has been covering the shortfall between what the restaurant

is taking and what Luke and James are spending on ingredients and staff.

But that is about to change.

I want Luke to work it out.

If you buy too much steak at the beginning of the week

and you throw it away at the end of it because the customers haven't

come through, immaterial to press, PR and everything else,

it doesn't really work, does it?

Now that Mark's no longer bailing out the restaurant, there's

not enough money in the business account to pay the suppliers.

Several have refused to deliver any more ingredients

until bills are settled.

Vicky has not been paid either.

Therefore, we have nobody to supply meat for tomorrow.

James hasn't been paid either.

Luke heads into nearby Marlow for a breather

but it's not long before James is back on the phone.

OK. Yes.

All right. Well, just try and calm down anyway.

I will call you back when I can. OK. Bye.

What was that all about?

That was James.

He has just said that it is now three weeks late

since he's been paid.

So, basically, he has just said that unless he gets paid today or,

if not, tomorrow morning, he is about to walk out the door.

He'll be the third manager in three months of the restaurant

so I have just said if he goes, I'm going as well. So that's it.

I don't know. That's it.

-Luke phones his agent, Borra, to talk it through.

-'Hello.'

-Hey, Borra, it's Luke. How are you?

-'Good. Are you?'

-Yes, good.

Basically, I have just had a phone call from James,

the manager at the hotel, to say he has just got to the train station to go home for the day

and he said that he hasn't been paid

and he said that, basically, he's ready to leave and he's going to walk out.

'Do you think he's going to come back, because you can appeal to his better nature, as your friend,

'or do you think he's being serious and he just can't take any more?'

To be honest, I think the last three weeks he's been coming back

just because I'm his friend. I think that's it now.

I'd be very surprised if I see him at Sanctum On The Green again.

The bills aren't paid. We need 240 bottles of wine for Saturday.

We haven't had a delivery of wine for one month. The supplier is on stop.

Mark has basically suspended any payments to them because he said

that until we have got enough money in the account, he won't pay them.

You know the reason why bills aren't being paid?

The reason why bills aren't being paid is because you don't make money.

If you don't make money, it's a very simple... Life is very simple.

If you spend more than you take, you cannot pay your bills.

And it doesn't matter whether you're 18 or 45.

Mark's stance might seem tough on his inexperienced chef, but Luke's role

as chef patron involves running the business as well as the kitchen.

'This does fall under your jurisdiction, Luke.

'You need to come up with a plan B in case James doesn't show up and

'we need to be ready and prepared.

'You think it's not working and you're having your doubts,

'but there's so much other stuff going on, Luke, that we

'have to tough it out and figure out a way forward,

'with or without James, and I know you don't want to hear that.'

-Cheers, thanks.

-'OK, bye.'

What was Borra's advice?

She said stick it out, just go with it, but I don't know.

That's her advice.

So...I think the problem is,

if I speak to any of the managers or any of the people

that worked at Sanctum On The Green,

they all say, "Oh, yeah, you've got to get out of there.

"Completely, go, go, go. It's pointless, you're wasting your time.

"You could be enjoying your time somewhere else,"

but I think it's like, you know, if she came here for a week

and worked here, she'd understand exactly what I mean.

So...

So I don't know. I don't know. We'll just have to see.

But I'm not going to quit today, that's all I'll say.

I'm waiting for the moment that he gets it.

When he gets it, we're good. At the moment, this is all bollocks.

Luke wants to walk away from it, it's his prerogative.

It'll be the most stupidest thing he's ever done in his life

for his career, because he will say several things... You know what?

Ultimately, it'll be a little embarrassing for me,

but we'll regroup and suddenly somebody new will be in there,

because it's not going to kill me.

It will kill Luke.

Back at the restaurant, James and Luke have decided to stay,

and they scrape together enough money to secure a meat delivery.

-Four of lamb.

-Yeah.

-But there is little relief for Luke.

He knows that now the Bank of Mark is closed,

he has to start making a profit

if his restaurant is going to stay in business

and give him that invaluable step up

to help him achieve his Michelin star.

-See you later. Thank you.

-Take care.

-Bye-bye.

This order is...

..171.48.

Now, I have to make 70% GP, gross profit, on every dish.

So if I sell you that dish with some meat on it or whatever,

for ten quid, it has to only cost me £3.

To add to the cash flow problems, there is unrest in the kitchen too.

Sous chef and old friend Joe has handed in his notice.

I'm just leaving because I just don't like people

taking credit for my work or for other people's work.

Me and Terry worked really hard in the kitchen,

and it gets to me when we have,

a critic comes in and praises the hot dishes

and some of the owners are just, like, thinking he's...

Do they really know who Luke is?

Do they really know what he does in the kitchen?

Luke and Joe have known each other for years.

When Luke was still at school,

working weekends at a Michelin-starred hotel,

Joe was his mentor.

Luke's a lovely guy.

That's why I came to work for him,

because me and Luke got on really well

when I was working with him in The Grosvenor,

but here he's a different person.

You know, he's definitely changed, and he's....

His ego has got bigger.

-Nice to meet you.

-I've heard a lot about you.

-Good.

Yeah, we just wanted to meet you, really.

Is it weird working for someone who used to work under you?

Not really.

I'm not that kind of person. I don't...

You know, he could be....

If Luke's in the kitchen all the time,

I would have been happy for him to be younger

and I would have been happy for him to succeed.

If you're in the big kitchen, right, you've got 30 staff underneath you,

you're not going to be doing any cooking,

you'll be doing more of the managerial side.

You're making sure things are done properly.

But when there's only three of you in the kitchen,

I think you need to be hands-on.

But Luke, I don't think he understands that,

which he needs to understand, that when there's only three of you,

you need to be in the kitchen, you know?

Let someone else deal with what's happening at front of house.

Talk to me, big boy, as Marco would say.

I'm still getting some fairly big vibes

-that you're not spending a lot of time in the kitchen.

-Right.

-OK?

Joe's going. I mean, you've had two really, really good support chefs.

-Yeah, yeah.

-In Joe and Terry.

I've told you this once and I'll tell you again.

It's my position as the senior partner and the big boss,

and also really as I feel, as my mentor,

and equally as my friend and someone that believes in you. Right, OK?

You've got to stay in the kitchen, right, OK?

Otherwise, you will fail. Right, OK?

Because people will just see you as a blown up...

you know, celebrity chef.

You see these celebrity chefs, like, you know,

your Novellis and all the people and everything else -

they've got some provenance.

-They've done their time.

-Yeah.

-They don't have to be in the kitchen.

-Yeah.

-Right, OK? You've got to do your time.

Even when Luke is in the kitchen, he focuses on starters and desserts,

leaving the sauce section,

where they cook the meat and fish, to Joe.

Some head chefs just spend every hour of every day in the kitchen,

and I do that, but on the same hand,

I like to be very hands on front of house as well,

so writing the menus, tasting the wines, composing the wine list,

selecting teas, selecting coffees, the service elements,

and it's really important to do that

when your name does go above the door,

so they really feel that every touch in the restaurant is from you.

Why don't you do sauce?

Well, we just don't. We just divide it up. I just do starters...

Starters, desserts, and then communicate with James.

-All the great chefs do the cooking of the meat and fish.

-Yeah.

Right? All the great chefs get themselves involved, right?

They do everything in the kitchen.

But they concentrate on the sauce.

-Yeah.

-You know, you really, really need to be the cook.

You've got to do the sauce. Got to.

-Come on, then.

-Yeah.

-Round two.

-Let's go.

-Let's go.

There was a real gap between Luke's expectations of the job

and then the reality of what that job was,

so Luke had been working around the world

in very high-end restaurants

where there's an awful lot of staff and kitchen staff and support

and there's bookings, so there's income,

and, you know, it flows very smoothly.

These are very well-oiled machines.

Then he goes in and it's pretty much starting from scratch.

The job of head chef, he thought,

was going to be all about the food and his staff,

with some coordination between the front of house staff,

but actually, there was a lot more multitasking

put on his plate, or so he perceived,

so that this became a much more challenging job for him.

Main course is new seasoned lamb with parsley puree underneath,

fricassee of summer vegetables,

pea mousse and a light red wine lamb sauce.

-Lovely.

-Thank you.

-OK. Enjoy.

I've referred to him jokingly as my third child,

because he has needed a lot of hand-holding.

Luke does have a long way to go, just because of his age.

Today, Luke is in London to meet Tom Aikens.

Tom became famous at 26

for being the youngest ever chef with two Michelin stars,

but he was fired three years later

when he was accused of branding someone with a hot knife.

You know, the pressure of being that young,

the pressure of keeping the consistency,

keeping that level of food was a lot for a 26, 27-year-old.

And it definitely got to me over time and, you know,

I also left there under quite a shroud of publicity as well.

I learnt my lesson from that.

I thought, you know, at one point I was not dispensable.

Everyone is dispensable.

What is that?

Are you jesting?

I started my career when I was 16,

went straight into catering college,

and then I came to London when I was 19 and a half.

Crazy, isn't it?

At The Grosvenor, it used to be quite this.

Lots of chefs, very busy, very focused.

So tell me, how do you split the work up?

Normally, myself, I would do starters and desserts.

One guy would do the sauce section, the meat section,

and that's just how we work, you know.

I still work in my kitchen.

-I work doing the meat, I do the sauce.

-OK.

Cos then I can control the whole of the kitchen.

Obviously, I direct them,

I tell them what's going on, what's happening.

You know, there's a lot of pressure sometimes to deal with,

and you won't be able to handle that because you're too young.

-So I understand that your sous chef is handing his notice in?

-Yeah.

And that's probably a big blow, yeah?

Yeah, yeah, it's a challenge.

Why was that, do you know?

Well, I think where he's probably got annoyed

or slightly pissed off at the start is

that he probably felt that I wasn't spending enough time in the kitchen.

I can understand the guy wanting to leave, you know?

I mean, I wouldn't take orders from an 18-year-old if I was 25.

I wouldn't.

If you do want to reach, you know, the top of your game,

then I think, you really have to look at what you're doing and...

Because I don't think you'll do it being a head chef at 18. You won't.

Do you want to be a head chef of a gastro-pub, a hotel,

or do you want to go into Michelin cooking?

I aspire to be a Michelin-starred chef, because I want to be

at the top of my game and I want to achieve, really, perfection.

The only way that you can learn that is through working with other people.

Every kitchen you work in, you pick up a certain amount of techniques.

That's kind of like a journey, and you put all those

little bits and bobs that you picked up into your food.

And as I said, you're not going to learn that

through being a head chef at 18.

It was quite interesting because

he was saying that I'm far too young,

and that's fine, cos a lot of people have.

Maybe he's right and maybe he's wrong.

But he also then said that he thought HE was far too young.

But when I look at what he's achieved and how successful he is,

I just think, well, I could follow in that same footstep as well,

and be just as successful

through starting at a young age.

He's 18.

There's a certain amount of respect that has to be accorded, right, OK?

If he gets with the team, he asks for help, he talks to us

and he does everything, then we will be there 100% behind him

and push him through this.

There is a massive possibility that he can get this right.

There is also a huge possibility his career will be sunk before it starts.

We had one month where we made money, right?

We've had seven months before where we lost money

and we lost a lot of money, right?

And you showed me something was going on and it was happening, right?

And now we've gone back to square one again.

Maybe you've concentrated too much in the front of house

and the food's suffered and the whole thing... Maybe it's too much for you,

I don't know, but the bottom line is we've got to do something and now.

-If you can't do it you've got to tell me.

-Yeah.

If you can't make it, tell me and we'll work it out.

But the bottom line is that we can't overspend,

because you can't lose money for ever

because then you go bust. And you just need to be in the kitchen.

What I need your support with is that you need to stand there

and say, "It's Luke's restaurant, you listen to him and that's it."

-Then prove it to me.

-No, no, I will.

That's what I'm saying, because I think that...you know...

I almost wonder if they think, "He's just 18. It's..."

-Yeah, they probably do, but you've got to prove it.

-Yeah.

I can't do that for you. I can't come and sit with you every single day on service

and make sure it works, OK? You've got to do it.

You've got to take the proverbial bull by the horns

-and fucking ram it through that door.

-Yeah.

-Right? Time now, right?

Enough time learning.

The learning curve for anybody - 18, 24, 30, whatever, right?

We're blaming too many people. It's OUR fault.

We need to get the fuck on with it and show people what we can do.

-Yeah.

-Bollocks to everybody else, yeah?

-Yeah.

-Let's do it.

-OK.

-Come on.

-Tonight, yeah?

-Yeah.

I think he's still kind of half blaming other people.

But I've got to see some colours, I really have.

I've got to see that exuberance, that youth, that belief

and that doggedness that he had that he can succeed.

I've got to see that come back

and I've got to see it come out on a plate.

And I've got to see the cash in the till afterwards.

Otherwise, it's nothing, cos it's just another closed restaurant.

Luke has now been at the restaurant for seven months.

Today, the 2013 Michelin Guide is released

and Luke hopes that his dining room will have been noticed,

bringing him a little closer to his dream of becoming the youngest

ever chef to win that star.

So I've got the guide, so it's the moment of truth now to see...

..whether we get a nice little mention or not.

Here we go. Great Britain...

"A la carte...

"Booking essential..."

They've reviewed it as Sanctum On The Green, basically.

It should be Luke's Dining Room, not Sanctum On The Green.

This is a restaurant guide for Michelin, and it's bloody...

You know, you'd think that...

I've put a lot of hard work in so far and we've got a lot more

to go until we get that little star next to our name,

but the fact that it's Sanctum On The Green and not Luke's Dining Room

is really a real disappointment.

With no Michelin star and the new name of the restaurant not

being recognised, it's a double blow for Luke.

They've put it in the guide as Sanctum On The Green.

Why isn't it Luke's Dining Room?

I don't know. I think it's the same. Let's get last year's guide.

One fork.

It's the same as...

-I just don't know why it's exactly the same.

-No, I know.

I...

Cos it mentions, er...

I mean, let me have a look.

-Just carry on.

-We'll have to work harder and...

Just carry on and work harder. The menu gets better.

We'll just have to keep changing the menu to make it to the right level.

The service needs to be tweaked slightly...

I think he expected to open the book

and he was going to be there cos he's a great chef.

Not how it works.

When I return to the restaurant a week later,

I find Luke in the kitchen preparing a new lamb dish with what

seems to be fresh enthusiasm and determination.

This is what I'm good at, you know.

This is where I can be creative and, you know,

this is what I've trained to do for years.

It's what I spent the whole time of being in high school doing,

you know. It's what I spent my childhood doing.

And I think that, you know, that's what I'm here for.

There was only a realisation actually, probably even a month

or two ago that I was unhappy, Mark was unhappy, the staff were unhappy.

Where I went wrong was that I didn't structure my time enough

in between where I was balancing being in the kitchen

to working with the team front of house.

You know, the reason I was there is to simply put amazing

food on the plate.

And I let that go and I let it go out of control.

I think I've probably learnt more in the last six months than

I have in the last six years.

It's still borderline,

because he's just getting his feet under the table.

But I see an assurance and a confidence and it's coming out in

the cooking - he's going faster, he's quicker, he's getting more inventive.

There's a real breakthrough here.

I almost feel, I'm 18 years old,

should I be pointing the finger saying, "You do this, you do that"?

Then you'll come back and get the final two, OK?

When Gordon Ramsay opened his first restaurant,

he'd already won two Michelin stars for somebody else.

He was already a respected chef before he even had the chance

to put his name above his own door.

And I think that, for me,

I'd not run a kitchen before, I'd not run a business before.

I'd just come in, put the sign up

and went in and ran the kitchen.

But it's only now that it's just started working

because they've now just started to respect me and start taking

instructions without thinking, "Who does he think he's talking to?"

Where's it coming, Colin?

-Sauce?

-Yeah, sauce it, lovely.

He's confident, he's sitting there talking to people

and they're listening to him.

But they're not listening to him cos I've put him there,

he's now there because there's a growing respect.

Yeah, right. First job, Colin, one there... Thank you, commis.

-MAN:

-Sorry, I didn't want to lose the thought.

LAUGHTER

Write it down quickly.

We've got scallops with mussel curry and almond cream.

I think what we're seeing is a really great chef and it's very

early, early times.

I'm happy.

My goal since entering this industry at the age of 12 has been to

be the youngest Michelin-starred chef ever. I still want it.

I'm still going to make it happen.

I'm much closer than I was six months ago.

Maybe not quite close enough,

but it just makes me even more determined to get there.

I think he thought he was on fast-track.

Wham, bam, give me the Ferrari.

And he's suddenly realised there's no Ferrari without hard work.

He'll get a Ferrari,

-but not right now.

-Not if he doesn't get off his phone!

HE LAUGHS

Is he on his mobile phone again, the little bugger? You see?

Every now and again...

The point is that we've started, we haven't finished.

Still a bloody teenager!

Get off your phone!

HE LAUGHS

-Good service.

-Yeah, it was.

-Really good.

FAWLTY TOWERS THEME

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