Steve Drake

Coming Up

A kitchen career can start at the pass or the prep bench; for Steve Drake, it started making bacon sandwiches in a café. That early work sits at one end of a line that runs through some of British dining’s most demanding rooms, where repetition, pace, and standards were part of the daily brief. In 1990, Drake joined the culinary staff under Keith Stanley at The Ritz London Hotel in London, entering a kitchen where exacting procedure was part of the job. What followed was a sequence of roles that built technical range through pressure and repetition. He worked as chef under Nico Ladenis at Nico Ladenis' restaurant, then as chef under Tom Aikens at Pied à Terre, before continuing as chef under Marco Pierre White at The Oak Room. Each move added another layer to a way of cooking shaped by control: knowing when to push intensity, when to pull it back, and how to use texture to change the effect of a plate. He went on to serve as sous chef under William Drabbel at Aubergine, extending that formation in the vocabulary of modern British fine dining. The move into leadership came through direct responsibility for the kitchen. Drake became head chef at Drake's on the Pond in Abinger Hammer, Surrey, before taking on the more personal brief of chef proprietor at Drake's in Ripley, Surrey, a role he held until 2016. By then, the progression from apprentice to owner had been established. Since 2017, he has continued as Chef Patron at Sorrel Restaurant by Steve Drake in Dorking, Surrey.

Where They Are Now

Since 2017, Dorking has been the base of Steve Drake’s current work as Chef Patron at Sorrel Restaurant by Steve Drake. The title carries ownership of tone as much as responsibility for service, and the cooking there is described in the language of balance: flavour-led, measured, and built around the way flavour, texture, and temperature work together. It is a style that reads as disciplined rather than ornamental.

Signature

Steve's signature dishes include hand-dived scallop and ponzu and langoustine sauce. The plate points to the kind of cooking associated with him: tightly focused, layered in effect, and built around contrast between sea-sweetness, brightness, and depth.

In Their Words “I have been very lucky and worked with some amazing chefs, however, the place that always sticks in my mind is the time I spent at Chez Nico At Ninety Park Lane. I did every section and really enjoyed the teamwork.” “I would say my food is flavour focused and my style is to balance flavours with texture and temperature.”

Honors

Steve's honors include Michelin star and Roux Scholarship.