Rob Howell

Coming Up

Root-led cooking at Root has been defined by produce first, not by ornament. Since 2017, Rob Howell has held the Head Chef role there, while also serving as chef/director of Root Wells, and that pairing has kept the work anchored to a clear brief: build menus from what is best, available, and local. The result is a modern, veg-led style made for sharing, with the South West carried through local growers and producers rather than through abstraction.

Where They Are Now

At Root Wells on Sadler Street in Wells, Somerset, the kitchen works to the same discipline: use the day’s best and let the region set the terms. Rob Howell’s chef/director role gives the restaurant its direction, while the food stays focused on generosity, balance and a plain-spoken respect for ingredients. Veg-led dishes designed for sharing suit that register well, and the cooking relies on the work of South West growers and producers to supply its structure and depth. “We cook with what is best and available to us.”

In Their Words “I would say Nathan Outlaw’s cooking was always something I really took a lot from, the simplicity of it, the produce driven cooking.” Simplicity and produce-driven cooking are not add-ons in this line of work; they are a method. In Howell’s case, the value lies in restraint, in keeping the plate open enough for the ingredient to read clearly and for technique to stay in service of that clarity. “It took a while until it all clicked and became more than just a job.” That kind of turning point often marks the difference between service and authorship. For Howell, the work settled into place over time, and the line suggests a kitchen identity built through repetition, discipline and a better understanding of what the cooking was asking for.

Honors

Rob's honors include Michelin Bib Gourmand.