St John set to open in LA
According to Eater, Jonathan Woolway, who was previously head chef of St John’s original restaurant on St John Street in Smithfield, is relocating to Los Angeles to run the kitchen.
Gulliver told the LA Times that he and Henderson chose Los Angeles “perversely, because it’s what you can do with the fresh produce”.
He adds that the LA restaurant will be the same size as the Smithfield site and offer both bar and table seating.
As well as visiting the LA site regularly, Henderson and Gulliver plan to send some of their California-based chefs to work in London to train.
Gulliver also says there has been “a groundswell” of interest in joining the restaurant from St John alumni who now work in restaurants around LA and in the greater US.
The original Smithfield restaurant was opened by Henderson and Gulliver in Clerkenwell in 1994 and has played a big role in redefining British cuisine with its nose-to-tail approach to cooking.
It won a Michelin star in 2009, which it has retained ever since, for traditional dishes such as pressed pig’s ear and chicory, pickled tripe, radishes and watercress; and smoked cod's roe on toast.
The group currently operates three restaurants in total, as well as bakeries, a winery and a wine company.
