Seven years ago chef Cris Cohen was unemployed and recovering from illness. Today he has a thriving food and education business run from two North Staffordshire venues where he employs 16 staff and has plans to create jobs for 30 more.
He was recently featured on Andi Oliver’s Fabulous Feasts TV show making an Arnold Bennett Omelette, delivered a TEDx talk at Staffordshire University and cooked for World Craft Council judges assessing Stoke-on-Trent’s bid to become a World Craft City.
Cris and his team aim to tell Stoke-on-Trent stories with their food, offering a cultural experience alongside a gastronomic one.
Feasted Chef’s Table opened its doors at the former Spode works in Stoke in 2022 where Cris and his team serve tasting menus in an intimate setting where diners eat in the kitchen as their food is cooked.
In March this year Cris opened a second venue, S T O C K, in Newcastle-under-Lyme where he serves his own take on the likes of oatcakes and lobby. He’s been working on a herb garden that’s now part of the town’s Heart of England in Bloom submission.
Cris said: “Since Chef’s Table opened its doors we have set out to rewrite the fortunes of the city through connecting with the culture, history and heritage of the past and embracing narratives of the future.
“Chef’s table is dining beyond eating. It’s a visitor experience, a catalyst for change and a way of galvanising peoples belief that a city can be more. It’s a place where chefs and guests experience the experience.”
Cris Cohen has entered the Entrepreneur of the Year category of the Staffordshire University Business Awards and has entered Feasted into the Small Business of the Year and Innovation categories.