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Launching his career at age 17, Luke Selby’s impressive show of natural talent in the Rotary Young Chef of the Year competition put him in touch with Raymond Blanc, who happened to be judging the final. Blanc credited Luke’s raspberry souffle as ‘technically perfect’. This clearly left a lasting impression as Blanc went on to fill the role of mentor to Luke as he began his upward journey from commis chef at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in 2009, only to return as executive head chef fourteen years later.
Born in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Luke’s love of cooking grew from his early experiences walking through markets, absorbing the arrays of spices and herbs on display, as well as foraging and hunting in the South Downs near his childhood home in West Sussex.
Following his start as a chef in 2009, Luke went on to win the Young National Chef of the Year in 2014, the Roux Scholarship in 2017 and National Chef of the Year in 2018, becoming the only chef to have won all three awards. Having proven himself a chef to be reckoned with, his interest in Asian cuisine, stemming from his childhood, led Luke to work in Tokyo’s three Michelin-starred restaurant Nihonryori Ryugin. Most likely a product of this immersion in Japanese culture and experience of the respect for nature characteristic of the traditional Japanese approach to cooking, Luke’s inspiration from nature and attentive appreciation toward each ingredient he uses is clearly reflected in the dishes he produces.
Working at a string of impressive restaurants in the course of his career so far - Dabbous, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay and HIDE, to name a few - in 2020, alongside brothers Theo and Nat, Luke took over what is now Evelyn’s Table earning them a Michelin star in 2022.
Recently returning to his roots, Luke Selby has left Evelyn’s Table to become the current executive head chef for Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons alongside his mentor Raymond Blanc— founder, creator and chef patron of this reputable gastronomic establishment.
From a young boy with an affinity for cooking to Raymond Blanc’s Protégé and now recent Michelin star winner, Luke has carved out an impressive name for himself within the culinary industry.