Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland 2021's Young Chef of the Year Award has been given to Kray Treadwell of 670 Grams in Birmingham.
The 28-year-old, who is one to watch according to the Michelin Inspectors, opened 670 Grams in August 2020 with a three month waiting list.
Treadwell hails from Solihull and began his culinary journey working for fellow Solihullian, Glynn Purnell; first at The Asquith in Edgbaston and later at Michelin-Starred Purnell’s in Birmingham.
Treadwell also spent time at Michael O’Hare’s Michelin-Starred Man Behind the Curtain in Leeds; working his way up to the position of Head Chef, where he remained for two years.
O'Hare’s influence was clear to see in Treadwell’s dishes for the Great British Menu, which he took part in in 2019. The theme was fifty years of British Music and Treadwell’s imaginative dishes included a dehydrated ray wing styled to look like a punk’s mohican and a Sunday Roast which paid tribute to Brummie legend Ozzy Osbourne.
Treadwell returned to Solihull in 2019, taking part in various pop-ups, and in 2020 he took the plunge and launched his own restaurant, 670 Grams, in the Custard Factory in Digbeth. This intimate eatery is named after the weight of Treadwell;s daughter when she was born prematurely, and comes with an urban, take-us-as-you-find-us vibe, pumping rap music and graffitied walls.
The sign outside labels the restaurant 'Modern Abstract Fine Dining' and there’s no doubt that Treadwell’s cooking is highly original, playful and creative. The daily changing 10 course tasting menu delivers some intriguing flavour combinations, and contrasts of texture and temperature are a recurrent theme.
Dishes enjoyed by the Michelin Inspectors include ‘lamb + dressed + mutton’, which featured rich tasting, crispy lamb neck on a bed of pickled cabbage; and ‘lemon curd + burnt white chocolate + bacon’, an intriguing dessert in which the bacon added some crunch and a welcome salinity.
Opening a restaurant is difficult enough; doing so during a pandemic throws up all sorts of unexpected challenges. The Michelin Inspectors look forward to following Treadwell's progress once restaurants reopen.
