Kate Austen
Biography and story
Kate has twelve years in hospitality, working at some of the world’s most prestigious kitchens. She was sous chef at Sweden’s three Michelin-starred Restaurant Frantzen, worked alongside Gordon Ramsay, Marcus Wareing and Galton Blackiston, and at twenty-five became the youngest female head chef of a two-starred restaurant anywhere in the world. In 2024 she won Great British Menu on BBC Two – the first woman in nineteen years of the programme to win the main course.
From the founder
I started Austen’s because I saw a gap in the market. The luxury events world is dominated by large companies that began with good intentions but have quietly compromised over time. I watched brilliant ingredients get substituted for cheaper ones, and portion sizes grow and grow as the cost to the client rose. I don’t believe in that. Why couldn’t I take all my knowledge and expertise to create restaurant standard food for these events? The same meticulous detail and care applied to large scale events, never compromising on any detail. Austen’s was born.
Ingredients are the forefront of everything I do. I will always source the best produce I can – that is non-negotiable. I believe in elegant, delicate food that fits the occasion. Large portions don’t reflect thought or care or any real understanding of the guest. Food should be balanced. Guests should feel full and satisfied, but never unable to tackle a dance floor or feel their best.
There is a confidence with the food I put on a plate, and that comes from 12 years of doing this at the highest level.
Kate is in the kitchen, at every event, from the first conversation to the last plate.
