Manchester restaurant Skof was awarded its first Michelin star in a ceremony on Monday night.
Skof – owned by Cumbrian born chef Tom Barnes – is the second restaurant in the city to have achieved the coveted star, following Mana in Ancoats.
Tom, who has worked in Michelin starred kitchens for the majority of his career, said: “I opened Skof to share my own take on fine dining with Manchester and beyond, so to be recognised by the Michelin Guide for what we do, means everything.
“The idea of building something that people love and that celebrates this industry was the fire inside that pushed me to try again when something didn’t work or to tweak a dish to see if an even better version could be achieved.”
The restaurant, which opened on Hanover Street in May 2024, won ‘Best New Restaurant’ at the Good Food Guide awards earlier this month.
It has also won two awards at the Manchester Food and Drink Awards – Best Newcomer for the restaurant and Chef of the Year for Tom.
Tom began his career as an apprentice under Duncan Collinge at The Lakeside Hotel and then joined Simon Rogan’s team at L’Enclume, which won its second Michelin star during his time there. In 2014, Tom was awarded the Roux Scholarship which led him to Belgium and Copenhagen.
In 2020, he competed in the 15th series of BBC2’s Great British Menu, winning the main course at the final banquet. He then went on to become executive chef overseeing multi Michelin starred restaurants.
Skof, Tom’s first restaurant of his own, was named among local publication Manchester’s Finest ‘Openings of the year’ and was listed as The Telegraph’s William Sitwell’s pick of the year.
Featured image: Cristian Barnett
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