MasterChef: The Professionals runner-up Tommy Thorn will head the kitchen at the Puro restaurant in Somerset from next month.
Puro, owned by Dom and Alex Lamy, opened in 2017. Dom said: “We are absolutely over the moon to have Tommy join us at Puro. He is an excellent chef with a great business sense and we can’t wait for him to get in the kitchen and start cooking. We have no doubt that Tommy will elevate Puro’s food to the best it has ever been and how lucky the people of Clevedon are to have this right on their doorstep!
Thorn added: “I’m delighted to be taking on a new concept with Puro. I’ve been talking to Dom for a long time now and we both share the same vision and ambitions to provide great food and service, we have some really exciting ideas and we can’t wait to get stuck in and push to deliver the best hospitality for the local area and for avid foodies.
“It feels like it’s time to take something on and I love Puro’s possibilities as an established restaurant. I like to serve my food based on local and seasonal products and influences from different parts of the world, which I think is exciting in cooking.
Thorn has gained experience in several restaurants including Thornbury Castle, Five Fields and Frog by Adam Handling. His most recent role was head chef at the Michelin Green Star restaurant in Bristol, The Ethicurean.
He took part in MasterChef: The Professionals 2023, where he came second to Tom Hamblet, sous chef at the Camellia restaurant at the South Lodge Hotel in Sussex.