Chef Patron Gus and Kate Ashenford run Michelin Starred Restaurant 5 North Street with pride. An integral part of Winchcombe’s tight-knit community, they provide memorable dining in an uncluttered 26-cover dining room.
Gus’s dedication to gastronomy was evident from day one. A man with a redoubtable work ethic, he completed his training under Michel Roux Snr at the three-star Waterside Inn, at Bray-on-Thames. Monsieur Roux was so impressed by his youthful protégé that he once flew him out to the Kremlin, where he’d been asked to cook for then-President Boris Yeltsin.
He met his wife, Kate, while working at The Waterside. He opened Restaurant 5 North Street early in 2003.
Within three weeks, he’d been visited by a Michelin inspector and one of the UK’s best-respected food critics, Matthew Fort. Both gave him starry ratings and the reputation of Restaurant 5 North Street took off.
Gus is a man with a huge talent and a great history. Described by David Everitt-Matthias as ‘an unsung hero’, Gus cooks straight from his heart. He is not a slave to fashionable food and opts for classic dishes where flavour is king.
He was inspired as a boy, taking great delight in his mother’s exceptional home-cooked food. A college course in catering led to an apprenticeship at Calcot Manor, in Tetbury, where he met another mentor, the Michelin-starred Ray Farthing, now of 36 On The Quay.
He developed his style in a number of restaurants in the region before going it alone. And the long-term success of Restaurant 5 North Street vindicated his decision to lead his own kitchen.
More recently, plaudits have come from the region’s resident two Michelin star chef, David Everitt-Matthias, who adds: ‘He has taken his knowledge and used it to its best advantage by providing a unique take on modern British food’.
His great mentor, Michel Roux Snr, holds him in similar esteem: ‘Gus has shown what is possible if you follow your dream’.
Follow Gus at:
Website : 5 North Street, Cheltenham
