THE AUTUMN CALENDAR AT CAROUSEL

From the team behind award winning culinary hub, Carousel, comes a carefully curated autumn line-up of guest chefs taking the helm in their residency space throughout August, September and October. With a calendar of bona fide chef legends, and superstars of tomorrow, the next few months at Charlotte Street continue to cement Carousel’s place as a destination for culinary excellence and innovation.

CURATING THE CHEFS

When approaching to book chefs for their rotating chef residency concept, brothers Ollie and Ed Templeton have a round-the-world approach. Searching for chef talent, they seek out trailblazers from around the globe, ensuring that over the shared dining experience, these chefs can not only showcase their skills but their cultures, too. The brothers’ one rule is that guests won’t be able to find the same experience anywhere else in London.

As they enter their 9th year, with over 350 residencies under their belt, their autumn series demonstrates exactly why Carousel provides a platform for discovery like no other. With chefs hailing from Patagonia to Tokyo, Ollie and Ed’s curation aims to spotlight under-represented cuisines, giving a platform to chefs who don’t often have their own bricks and mortar site.

Speaking of the upcoming residencies, Ed says:

“The next few months are looking great. There’s a really lovely mix of familiar faces like Tom, Lee, Daniel and Rimpei, alongside some very exciting new chefs like Lucho Martínez and Debora Fadul, who have been on our radar for a while. We can’t wait to welcome them to London. As ever, there are some curve balls thrown in that you’re not going to find anywhere else, but that’s how we like it. With new talent emerging all the time, we hope the idea of Carousel feels as fresh now to our guests as it did when we opened in 2014”.

THE NEW MEXICAN

Having hosted residencies from Santiago Lastra, Adriana Cavita and Oswaldo Oliva to name a few, Carousel’s guest chef programme has been a springboard to more than a dozen Mexican chefs over the years. Utilising the traditional flavours of their home country, each chef brings an individual flair to their menu, paying homage to the indigenous dishes of Mexico whilst incorporating modern influences and techniques.

Get ready for Lucho Martínez Burelo, whose Mexico City restaurant Em is the perfect example of Mexico’s thrilling food scene this September. Merging Meso American ingredients with Japanese technique, Lucho’s residency from 6th - 12th September is sure to be one for the books, particularly if he brings with him his iconic mole.

BASQUE-ING IN IT

This fascinating pocket of northern Spain is home to more than its fair share of the world’s greatest chefs. Having previously hosted rising star Iñaki Bolumburu (ex- Mugaritz and Noma), Carousel is once again embracing the bounties of the Basque Country. From 9th to 13th August, Zac Inwald (ex BRAT) will be showcasing a live-fire menu inspired by the sagardotegi (cider houses) of the region, while at the end of September, the kitchen welcomes Javier Rivero Yarza of Tolosa’s Ama Taberna, whose ‘best of Basque’ cooking earned him a spot in this year’s 50 Next list by World’s 50 Best Restaurants.

A SOFT LAUNCH OF SORTS

Ed and Ollie’s open kitchen has also proved an excellent platform for up and coming chefs looking to road test a new menu. Over the years, dishes from the likes of Jeremy Chan, Tom Brown, Ravinder Bhogal, Rafael Cagali, Jack Croft & Will Murray and Selin Kiazim have been served in the residency space, only to appear on the menus of their new openings worldwide.

Coming in August, chef-of-the-moment, Thomas Straker will be exclusively previewing dishes from his upcoming Notting Hill opening Straker’s, featuring his Italian-accented greatest hits. Then, in September, comes a highly anticipated sneak peek of Lee Westcott’s brand new London venture, Ember, following his acclaimed run at Pensons and The Typing Room.

For further information and images, please contact Jess on jess@gemmabellandcompany.com.