Kate Austen is the first female chef to win the main course on Great British Menu’s 19 year history
Born in London, Kate studied sociology at Newcastle university, but struggled to see what her next step could be. Instead, she followed her passion and with no training asked for a job at Michelin starred Morston Hall, in Norfolk. She credits her trajectory to Galton Blackiston and Greg Anderson who took a chance and gave her an opportunity when others may not have.
After working at Morston Hall, Kate wanted to work in restaurants with the highest accolades and landed a job working for Marcus Wareing at his then 2 * restaurant. She then went on to work at several 1 * and 2 * restaurants in London before moving to Copenhagen to work at AOC (2*) where she became the youngest female head chef. After leaving AOC she went onto work as Sous chef at Frantzén, Stockholm, currently holding 3 Michelin stars and ranked No. 6 in the world and all before Kate turned 30.
Kate worked in Gordon Ramsay’s development team and is now a private chef in London. She loves being experimental in the kitchen and her precision, dedication and attention to detail in everything she does is paramount in the dishes she creates.
Kate takes her michelin training, and precision with food, back into the home, with food to celebrate, and bragg to your friends about. Her simple approach champions British, home grown and easy to find ingredients, turning them into extraordinary dishes. Kate is a social chef, using her food to bring people together, and using inspiration from growing up with her Mother constantly cooking and entertaining. Kate is keen to arm people with skills, tips and tricks that enable them to create memorable dishes for themselves and their friends, without costing time and money.
Kate is a passionate advocate for female chefs, and is determined to make it easier for women to succeed in this male dominated industry.