Hasn’t this been going on for ages?
Chefs with profile have been being parachuted in to create dishes for some time - the first example we know of is Theo Randall and Francesco Mazzei designing pizzas for Pizza Express in the late noughties - but non-chef celebs getting in on the act is a newer phenomenon.
Like whom?
Male model and fashion designer David Gandy is the most recent example. Gandy has designed a limited edition dog for Jason Atherton’s upcoming Harrods-based Hot Dogs by Three Darlings. His Battersea Banger tells the story of his journey from the mean streets of south London to the Paris catwalks via the medium of a beef-based sausage (70% beef shoulder, 15% beef brisket and 15% aged beef fat - it seems Gandy was very specific about this) adorned with truffle mayonnaise and Comté cheese. There’s also the option to add Australian truffle, which takes the price from £22 to £52 (plus service). But £2 from each sale does go to Battersea Dogs & Cats Home.
Woof. Is this sort of thing always so enthusiastically priced?
Gandy’s offering is at the more extreme end - it is in Harrods after all - but celeb-designed dishes usually do command a bit of a premium. Other recent collaborations include Tom Kerridge teaming up with sports personalities including British weightlifting champion Emily Campbell and Paralympian Naomi Riches to design burgers for his The Butcher’s Tap and Grill restaurants. And it’s not just food, largely Instagram and TikTok-based comedian Gstaad Guy recently designed a range of cocktails for spendy Mayfair restaurant LPM.
What’s in it for the restaurants?
It’s something to talk to customers about and a good way of extending social reach. In most cases, the celebs in question will post about the collaboration on their own social channels which has the potential to bag restaurants both followers and business.
Does money change hands then?
Sometimes, yes. Influencers in particular will usually charge restaurants for exposure. But it’s often partly for charity (as is the case with both Atherton and Kerridge’s partnerships) or simply for fun. Pretty much since its launch FOWL - the central London chicken shop from the team behind Fallow and Roe - has offered limited edition menu items created by high profile-people, including Pierre Koffmann, Professor Green and James Blunt.
How do restaurants go about recruiting famous people with whom to collaborate?
Fallow co-founder Will Murray, who takes the lead on the limited-edition menu items at FOWL, says all his collaborations have so far happened organically. “We’re not that well connected really as we spend so much time in our own restaurants,” he says. Typically, according to Murray, the teams gets talking to famous people who come into Fallow to eat, which was the case with both Professor Green and James Blunt.
How does the dish development process work when restaurants are dealing with people who aren’t chefs?
James Blunt might not be a chef, but he does own The Fox & Pheasant pub in Chelsea. The dish - a bucket of assorted chicken and guinea fowl pieces drenched in a honey-Szechuan glaze - was developed by Murray, Blunt and his head chef Lewis Johnson over three or four sessions.
Sounds beautiful. What about Professor Green?
Murray says that the rapper - who is also a food influencer of sorts and, along with Gizzi Erskine, helped create virtual food delivery brand GIZ ’N’ GREEN - threw himself into the project and spent a lot of time with Murray in the kitchen, eventually creating a TacoBell-inspired Crunch-Rap Supreme with his own face emblazoned on it. Served alongside a birria-style dipping sauce, the tortilla was filled with triple crisp tender bites, cheddar, sour cream and a spicy sweetcorn salsa. “He came in to eat it seven times,” adds Murray. “For FOWL, these collaborations are just a bit of fun and help our teams stay engaged. Whether they make sense financially is debatable, especially as we throw a party to launch each one. But it ensures the brand stays fresh and keeps me busy.”
