A MASTERCHEF finalist is closing his legendary restaurant in Edinburgh.
Dan Ashmore announced over the weekend that he is closing the iconic ASKR in Leith, Edinburgh, after being open for just seven months.
Masterchef finalist Dan Ashmore is closing his Edinburgh restaurant[/caption]
ASKR has been open for just seven months[/caption]
Ashmore said ‘all good things must come to an end’[/caption]
Dan was the head chef at Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant Bread Street Kitchen and reached the finals of Masterchef: The Professionals in 2018.
The closure comes as Dan stepped down from his role as executive chef of the Dean Banks Group, which backed ASKR.
In an Instagram post he said: “All good thing must come to an end.
“After an incredible 3ish years with Dean Banks, the time has come for me to move on to my next adventure.”
The restaurant, located in Edinburgh’s port area Leith, opened in March and specialised in fire pit-style barbecue cooking.
Dan told his followers: “My proudest moment over the past few years has been to watch the young chefs in the group grow to be leaders in their respective kitchens and have the autonomy to make decisions and create wonderful dishes”.
Full list of celeb TV chefs’ restaurants that have closed this year
- Purnell’s – Glynn Purnell
- Copper and Ink – MasterChef finalist Tony Rodd’s restaurant:
- Mere restaurant – Masterchef judge Monica Galetti
- Le Gavroche – Michelin-starred chef Michel Roux Jr
- Greens – Simon Rimmer
- Cornerstone – Tom Brown
- Snack Bar – Freddie Janssen
- The Fox’s Revenge, and Onda – Ben Ambridge
- Mr White’s – Marco Pierre White
“We’ve cooked for some incredible guests and in some wonderful places together,” he said.
“I look forward to seeing the group continue to grow and will be a keen supporter of them from afar,” he continued.
The chef also mentioned some of his biggest achievements throughout his culinary career.
“Opened 6 restaurants in 3 years and achieved 9 rosettes and 4 of those restaurants a space in the Michelin guide as well as many other awards.”
Despite remaining tight-lipped on his future plans, he insisted he was “very excited” for starting the next chapter and he was taking a few weeks off first.
“Stay tuned and I’ll keep you posted,” he said.
This comes as multiple other UK-based restaurants shut their doors for business this years.
The Cornwall Street restaurant Purnell’s shut up shop earlier this month – led by another Gordon Ramsay trained chef, Glynn Purnell.
After serving guests for 17 years, Purnell’s will no longer be open for business.
Chef Glynn Purnell described the flagship restaurant as his “proudest moment”.
Having opened the site in 2007, Chef Glynn had previously trained with Gordon Ramsay, Claude Bosi and Gary Rhodes.
The chef suggested that the closure comes as “things have moved on” and the pressures faced by the hospitality industry have contributed to the decision.
Just before this, TV star Simon Rimmer’s last remaining Greens restaurant announced its closure on September 17 – just months after the original shut its doors.
For celebrity chef Michael Caines it was a double blow as he announced he was selling not just one but two of his popular restaurants last month, in Exmouth.
