i. Biography
Calum Franklin is head of the kitchen at Public House in Paris, a role that sits on top of work shaped at Chapter One in Kent and Holborn Dining Room in London, and by pastry that pushed British pies into the same conversation as more heavily prized kitchen forms. The work is exacting, but it is also direct: a familiar dish handled with the sort of attention usually reserved for more formal craft.
Coming Up
At Chapter One, Calum Franklin trained in the habits that matter to this kind of work: discipline, consistency, and control. That early stage established the measured style that would later define his name in pastry and pie-making.
Where They Are Now
At Public House in Paris, Franklin leads the kitchen from a position that keeps pastry and structure in the same frame. The move places a chef associated with British pie-making into a new capital, while keeping the same craft logic intact: pastry can carry weight, precision, and generosity at once. He also oversees the menu at The Georgian in London. Public House in Paris and The Georgian in London show the split of his current work without changing the terms of it: one job at the head of a kitchen, the other at the level of menu direction. The through-line is control of the idea, even when the address shifts. Holborn Dining Room remains the London reference point for understanding Franklin’s public profile in pastry. The Pie Room gave the work a visible setting, and made technique part of the room’s identity rather than a hidden support act. His own public introduction has stayed plainspoken: “Hi, I'm Calum Franklin, Chef, Pie Maker and Author, and I'm here at Guinness Open Gate Brewery.”
Signature
Calum's signature dishes include Curried Mutton Pie, Ultimate Cauliflower Cheese, and The Pie Room Cookbook. Read together, they place Franklin in a lane where comfort food is treated as serious technical work, and where pastry is used as a framework for both familiarity and precision.
In Their Words “People just wanted something different, it happened that that different was brown food.” “I rate British pie-making as the best in the world.”
Honors
Franklin was named Olive Best Pastry Chef in 2018. The award marked pastry as the core of his public standing, with The Pie Room acting as the clearest expression of that work. In 2019, he received Best Hotel Chef. That recognition widened the frame from pastry alone to the broader kitchen leadership he had shown in London.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Calum
What is Calum Franklin's current role?
As of 2026, Calum Franklin is Head of the kitchen.
Where did Calum Franklin train or study?
Calum Franklin trained at Chapter One.
