Owned and run by Chef Patron, Paul Askew, The Art School is one of Liverpool’s and the UK’s leading fine-dining restaurants.
Calling Sugnal Street home for the last ten years, The Art School offers Pre-fix, Excellence and Tasting Menus inspired by Paul’s time in Singapore, Dubai and Upstate New York all whilst showing off the best of Liverpool City Region’s produce.
We sat down with Paul Askew to find out all about some of his highlights over the last ten years, what's coming up, and why you should visit The Art School.
What have been some of your highlights over the last ten years?
Over the last 10 years that there's been so many highs. I think probably the most significant moment for The Art School was winning the Taste of England award in 2017. It will be a defining moment in our progression and in our journey and I hope to think that we are still Taste of Liverpool in many ways.
Starting to work with the Grand National and the Jockey Club was a huge thing for us as well. We love being at Aintree, we love showing off to the travelling fans of the racing community and we know how important the Grand National is to Liverpool.
I think that the biggest thing about the last ten years of The Art School is that we've stuck to our guns in terms of the menu style that we offer. We also work with local colleges and local people, both in the kitchen and out front, to represent the city and show people that our hospitality and character is absolutely the number one thing about Liverpool. We’re very much flying the Liverpool flag at the forefront of everything that we do
What is next for The Art School over the next ten years?
Well after one decade of running around kitchens and making The Art School tick, and obviously opening our sister restaurant Barnacle, we've got lots of plans ahead for us.
We want to continue to develop the food culture of Liverpool City Region. We want to make sure that we're working with local suppliers and local producers to make sure that they get their produce onto the menus in the restaurants in the city.
Also continuing our relationship working with Bordeaux. We've got an amazing opportunity to now take forward the ‘Taste Liverpool. Drink Bordeaux’ event that has been presented to us over the last few years.
We've also got some very exciting events starting very soon, right through to the new year. We had Linda La Plante do a book signing recently, then we've got Charles Heidsieck Champagne Dinner and then in the autumn we've got the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe races with a special Sunday Roast.
Then of course we’ve got the build up to Christmas and I'm really looking forward to Christmas this year. Then into January we've got some guest chefs coming, our great friends Steven Doherty from Le Gavroche and Simon Rimmer from Sunday Brunch are coming back.
What is your favourite thing about Liverpool’s food and drink scene?
When you look back over the last 10-15 years on how the food and drink offer has developed in the city, we've gone from being what some people used to say to me back in the day as a ‘culinary desert’ to all these amazing offerings and accolades for the scene.
Like the most recent one from Time Out claiming Liverpool as 11th in the world for foodie cities, this is just beyond our wildest dreams. You look back on things like Eurovision and Turner Prize and all these amazing things that have happened in Liverpool that have made us realise that we are being positioned as we should and have rightly been for many years.
I think, for me, that's probably the most satisfying thing in the last 10 years, that we've tried to be at the forefront of driving that agenda to really put Liverpool on the map and show people that, yes, The Art School is there, but it's about Liverpool and the City Region and we've got so many things that we can shout about together.
Why should people visit The Art School on a trip to Liverpool?
I think people should come to The Art School because it's a snapshot of what the best of Liverpool City Region can offer. Whether it's the best meats, the best fish or the best vegetables, but it's done in a way that shows the characteristics of Liverpool, shows the quality and the class that Liverpool has.
It's just probably one of the most relaxing dining experiences that you'll ever have so come and enjoy and we'll see you very soon.