Chef Sally Abé has announced a spectacular, month-long female chef series at her signature restaurant, The Pem at Conrad London St. James, in celebration of International Women’s Day.
Chef Sally Abé has created a stellar lineup of female chefs for her month-long series at her signature restaurant, The Pem at Conrad London St. James, in celebration of International Women’s Day.
‘The Pem Presents’ is supported by Sera, a social platform for individuals passionate about food and drink, culinary experiences, and connecting with like-minded food lovers. The series promises unparalleled dining experiences, uniting renowned female culinary talent under one roof.
Renowned for her annual International Women’s Day events, which have consistently sold out within a matter of days, this year Sally has curated a stellar line-up of leading female figures in hospitality for a four week series of exclusive dinners.
Throughout March, guests will indulge in exclusive dinners crafted in collaboration with acclaimed chefs Romy Gill MBE, Candice Brown, Poppy O’Toole, and Chantelle Nicholson.
For each of the events, hosted in March, Sally will be collaborating with each chef to create an exclusive four-course menu featuring brand-new dishes, showcasing innovative creations and culinary mastery.
Throughout the month, Sally has also invited select students from Westminster Kingsway College into the kitchen, providing them with an invaluable opportunity to immerse themselves in hands-on learning alongside both Sally and the collaborating chefs.
Sally said: “I’m always looking to highlight the amazing women in hospitality and I thought a month-long series with all of these incredible chefs would be a great way to cook together, learn from each other, promote each other, and open the doors to the public to enjoy what will undoubtedly be some fantastic evenings.
“In the spirit of bringing people together, the events will feature sharing tables and some sharing dishes, it’s all about socialising and networking, and ultimately, just having a great time. Each of the chefs taking part in the series has different specialities and areas of expertise so there’s going to be a real range of menus on offer; we’re not taking turns doing a dish each, we’re collaborating on every course to create brand-new dishes so these menus will be completely unique.”
1ST MARCH – ROMY GILL MBE Chef Romy Gill MBE is a celebrity Indian chef and food and travel writer, and was the owner and head chef at Romy’s Kitchen. Alongside regularly contributing to national and international publications, Romy is a familiar face on our TV screens, having been one of the regular and much-loved chefs on BBC1’s Ready Steady Cook and has appeared on many other programmes, including BBC’s The One Show, James Martin’s Saturday Morning, The Hairy Bikers’ Comfort Food, and Sunday Brunch. Bringing her unparalleled expertise to The Pem, Romy promises a dining experience that tantalises the taste buds
and delights the senses.
7TH MARCH – CANDICE BROWN Candice Brown is the winner of The Great British Bake Off 2016. Since her GBBO victory, she has been extremely busy with a diverse range of projects. Candice is a regular columnist for The Sunday Times, has baked on This Morning and Ainsley’s World Cup Flavours, and has appeared as a panellist on Loose Women. In 2019, Candice and her brother Ben opened The Greenman Pub in Eversholt to great reviews and excitement of the local community. From her North London roots to her culinary triumphs on national television, Candice’s culinary prowess promises an unforgettable evening of gastronomic
delights.
15TH MARCH -POPPY O’TOOLE Internet sensation, self-crowned Potato Queen, Michelin-trained chef, TV presenter and author, Poppy Cooks has been working in professional kitchens for over a decade. Poppy has gained widespread recognition on TikTok, where she rose to fame and now boasts over 4.3 million followers on the platform, and over 800k followers on Instagram. Poppy is the author of two best-selling books and the co-host of BBC Threes Young MasterChef, which launched its second series in January 2024. Poppy’s innovative approach to cooking promises to captivate both the palate and the imagination.
22ND MARCH – CHANTELLE NICHOLSON Chantelle Nicholson is a multi-award winning chef, restaurateur, and author. She is the founder of Apricity, in London’s Mayfair, which celebrates conscious cooking and joyful dining, receiving a Michelin Green Star in 2023. Chantelle is an advocate for seasonality, circularity and regenerative restaurants, and will present her conscious cuisine philosophy at The Pem. Originally from New Zealand, Chantelle is committed to creating a more sustainable and holistic future across her operations and activities, whilst also being an independent board member for ReLondon, an ambassador for Chefs in Schools, a
member of City Harvest’s Food Council, and an advocate for many other charitable organisations.
Throughout the series, Sally will fuse The Pem’s acclaimed modern British cuisine, renowned for its exquisite renditions of nostalgic flavors and traditional British culinary heritage, with the unique expertise of each collaborating chef. The inaugural menu, curated alongside Romy Gill MBE, epitomises the fusion of British and Indian gastronomy, featuring the likes of ‘Mangolorian Spiced Crab on English Crumpets with Tamarind Chutney’, ‘Roast Chops and Braised Shoulder of Cotswold Fallow Deer with Roasted Celeriac Puree, Kulcha Bread, and Chilli Turnip Tops’, and ‘Blood Orange Savarin, Cardamom Syrup and Clotted Cream Ice Cream’. The menus for the rest of the events are soon to be revealed via The Pem’s channels and on the Sera platform.
Tickets for each of the events, which all have an arrival time of 6.30pm with guests seated at 7.00pm, are priced at £85pp, and include a glass of Champagne and canapés on arrival alongside the menu itself plus service, all set to the backdrop of live DJ beats.
Sally is well-known as an advocate for women in hospitality and her vision is supported by Conrad London St. James’s General Manager, Bernadette Gilligan. Her restaurant, The Pem, is located in the hotel and is inspired by suffragette Emily Wilding Davison, whose family used the pet name ‘Pem’ for her, and celebrates generations of pioneering women leading from the front. Alongside being in the heart of Westminster, one of London’s most symbolic boroughs, the building itself has its own rich history – Emmeline Pankhurst, leader of the Suffragettes, chained herself to the railings outside of the hotel in protest.
‘The Pem Presents’ is being supported by Sera, a social platform that curates an ever-evolving programme of unique, one-off events and activations that champion the globe’s greatest culinary talent. Tickets for all events are available on the Sera platform.
For more information and to reserve your seat at ‘The Pem Presents’, visit: eatwithsera.com
