Cirencester’s Téatro Bar and Restaurant has welcomed new head chef – TJ Case. Cycling mad chef TJ comes to Téatro and Ingleside House hotel via a stint at The Swan, Southrop and Thyme, also in the Cotswolds. TJ, 35, has already changed the menus and put his own stamp on it, with dishes like pan fried chicken breast, fondant potato, sweetcorn and chilli with a pop corn sauce.
He also boasts that his entire menu can be done gluten and dairy free, allergens and the changing diets of the nation is something important to TJ. “We have to do what we can, dining rooms and eating habits are constantly changing and we have to move with the times. It is a real pleasure to join the team here. They have a similar ethos to me, in using the best of local, we have some great produce in the region from your local butchers to vegetables and fruit, I am a big fan of Evesham strawberries at the moment.”
The awards and plaudits are already coming in, with the kitchen team recently receiving five stars from the EHO (Environmental Health Officer).
TJ was inspired into the kitchen watching a young Jamie Oliver and his TV show and restaurant – 15. Raymond Blanc was also an influence as he climbed the ladder to his first head chef job. His earliest food memory was olives in France with his father. “I remember dad giving me olives, thinking I would not like them, he was very much mistaken, I loved them,” he reminisced.
When he is not leading the kitchen brigade at Téatro, he can be found cycling the hills and valleys of the region. Originally from Dursley, he is familiar with the area and its cycling routes.
New elements have been added to the restaurant’s diary. “One of the things we have introduced to Téatro is the Chill Grill on a Sunday,” TJ explained. “Fresh salads and great grilled food, like poussin and gilt-head bream.”
For more information, please visit the Téatro or Ingleside websites or call 01285 648238.
