StrEATFood Awards interview
We speak to Tom Warford, hospitality sous chef for Restaurant Associates, about how his love of barbecue got him to last year’s finals.
What's your everyday role?
As a hospitality sous chef at Restaurant Associates, I work closely with one of their largest international finance clients. As a member of the senior hospitality team, I oversee daily operations for private client dining, our stunning Roof Terrace venue, and all our conferencing and events spaces. I manage the delivery of all conferences throughout the year, and during the summer months, when our Roof Terrace is open, I run a modern and sustainably sourced smokehouse barbecue offer, catering to up to 250 people per event.
Does street food feature a lot on your menus?
With my barbecue menu, I aim to capture the essence of street food – bursting with flavour, textures and a wow factor – and incorporate it into our offerings. I use authentic yet modern smoking methods, utilising low and slow coals with added applewood flavours, which pair beautifully with dishes like Iberico pork belly. Our summer favourite is the 36-hour beef short-rib, served with house-made hot sauce, dill pickles and buttermilk potato salad.
What was your signature dish and how did you come up with it?
My signature dish was tahini caramel smoked pork belly with pineapple salsa and pistachio crackling crumb, served taco-style in a flatbread with carrot and coriander slaw. The idea came to me while developing last year’s barbecue menu. Inspired by a mezze Middle Eastern grazing table I created for a conference, I experimented with combining different flavours. After a few trials, the final dish came together perfectly.
And your technical dish?
For this, we were given three items by suppliers: a marinade/glaze, a protein and fries. I chose to create a Korean glazed rib-eye steak, accompanied by gochujang mayonnaise and pickled chili.
How do you stay calm when competing?
Preparation is key! Continuous practice and refining the dishes I serve builds my confidence in both me and the ingredients I use, which helps reduce nerves. Kind of...
Did you enjoy the event?
It was great! Watching other competitors and how they handle pressure was fascinating. The atmosphere was fantastic, with people cheering on the contestants, and the hype man [host DJ BBQ] added to the fun. I would encourage anyone to give it a go – you never know what you’re capable of until you try!
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