Tipperary chef awarded Michelin Star at restaurant in London
Lita opened in Marylebone in March of last year
A restaurant in central London, where the kitchen is run by a Clonmel chef, has been awarded a Michelin Star.
Lita opened in Marylebone almost a year ago and the Michelin Guide praised the restaurant for emanating “the best kind of buzz – that of contented diners having a thoroughly good time”.
The restaurant is popular with A-listers, including Premier League footballers, although the chef, Luke Ahearne, told Evoke.ie, “I like to call us a neighbourhood bistro - although with much higher prices!
“Everyone is coming from everywhere but locals are who we want. That means way more to me than any celebrity”.
32-year-old Luke, the son of Nuala and Eddie Ahearne from Clonmel, often spends 100 hours a week in the kitchen, and sometimes 70 hours on quiet weeks.
READ NEXT: Tipperary pub served with closure order
Three years ago he reached the semi-finals of The Roux Scholarship, a competition to find Britain’s best young chef.
At that time he was head chef at Corrigan’s Mayfair in the heart of London.
Luke has spent much of his relatively young life travelling back and forth to Britain.
He was born in Edgware Community Hospital in London, and lived in New Southgate in the English capital until the age of 3, when he moved home with his family and grew up in Ard Gaoithe, Clonmel.
Having attended St Oliver’s National School and Clonmel High School, his keen interest in catering and cooking saw him spend some time with well-known chef Neven Maguire at MacNean House and Restaurant in Blacklion, Cavan.
From there he went to work at Campagne in Kilkenny, at the age of 21. Shortly after his arrival the fine dining restaurant was awarded a Michelin star.
Luke, who also reached the final of the Euro-Toques Young Chef of the Year competition in 2014, returned to London to work at The Clove Club in Shoreditch, which at the time was ranked as the 27th best restaurant in the world.
He spent a year there before moving to its sister restaurant Luca in Farringdon, London, where he became senior sous chef.