A chef, a restaurateur, an internet sensation, a crowdfunding superstar. Over the last five years Gary Usher has created a special place for himself in the UK’s dining scene through sheer hard work and the force of his unique personality. His four-strong restaurant group that includes Sticky Walnut, Burnt Truffle, Hispi and Wreckfish spans the North West from Hoole to Didsbury and is self-deprecatingly called Elite Bistros of the World. That wicked sense of humour (and sometimes brutal honesty about the restaurant business) have won Usher a fiercely loyal following online and one that has helped him Crowdfund over £350k to open his restaurants.

Usher honed his culinary skills with Angela Hartnett (York and Albany), Bruce Poole (Chez Bruce) and Andrew McLeish (Chapter One) before opening Sticky Walnut in the Chester suburb of Hoole in 2011. Usher’s public request that London-based critics not make the journey to review the restaurant because: “It’s just a bistro, we are not worth the 400-mile trip,” fell on deaf ears. The Guardian’s critic raved, ‘If I could clone Sticky Walnut, I would. I’d plonk its like the length of the land’.

Usher’s growing reputation is based on the assured cooking of high quality ingredients in dishes that deliver bags of flavour and exceptional value. Familiar menu items include a classic and silky-smooth chicken liver parfait, meltingly tender braised featherblade of beef and Chateaubriand served with truffle and parmesan chips. The signature roast beetroot salad, sticky walnuts, spiced pumpkin seeds and ricotta has been on his menu since day one and exemplifies his ability to create something truly memorable from ingredients that in other hands might seem ordinary.

Sticky Walnut (Hoole in Chester) Burnt truffle (Heswell on the Wirral) and Hispi (Didsbury, Manchester) all have a charming, welcoming bistro neighbourhood feel but are underpinned by the sort of polished professionalism you’d expect in a swanky metropolitan destination. Wreckfish, opened in Liverpool in October 2017, is a departure from the formula and took Usher and his team into a city centre for the first time.

Usher is a Catey Award winner (the catering industry’s equivalent of an Oscar) and was invited to cater the prestigious Cateys awards ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel in 2013. He received the Northern Restaurant and Bar Top 50 Special Achievement Award in 2017 and is a judge of the Observer Food Monthly Awards. His restaurants regularly eature in best restaurants lists including Square Meal Top 100 Restaurants and the National Restaurant Awards Top 100.