Great British Menu: Ahmed Abdalla on his journey to head chef at Legacy at The Grand, York and aiming for a Michelin Star

Abdalla, the head chef at Legacy fine dining restaurant, at The Grand hotel in York, recently appeared on the BBC Two programme, competing in the North East and Yorkshire heat. The 20th anniversary series is airing at present, seeing chefs in each region of the UK competing for a chance to represent their area and serve their dishes at a banquet celebrating great Britons of the past.

Day-to-day, Abdalla heads up the kitchen brigade at Legacy, creating dishes that celebrate local and traditional Yorkshire produce, inspired by the region’s history and pioneers. Since its opening in 2022, the restaurant has been awarded 3 AA Rosettes recognising culinary excellence and has been included in the Michelin Guide.

Abdalla’s sights are now set on a coveted Michelin Star, with executive head chef Kevin Bonello, who previously worked as head chef at the Michelin-starred restaurant De Mondion in Malta. “I had it in my head that I wanted three rosettes and a busy restaurant,” Abdalla says. “Kevin came in and he is from Malta and is one of (few) Maltese Michelin star chefs. He’s got tattoos of a Michelin star and I’m standing there like I’ve never thought about one before.

"I just wanted my three rosettes and I would have been content. He’s pushed us in the right direction and made us aware that we aren’t too far from that (Michelin) goal. We would love eventually to be recognised. The shiny red star on the wall and to continue to showcase the city and be part of the amazing culinary scene here.”

Abdalla has called York home for a decade now but he hails from London and his childhood in the capital gave him the drive to pursue a career in hospitality immediately after finishing school. He grew up in a female-led household watching his mum and three sisters cook together. “She’d set them little tasks like who can cook and clean, who can be the most efficient. I’d pick up on that, very curious about how the kitchen operated really. We’d often have family come over for big meals…It was my environment, what I was exposed to.”

If Sky Sports wasn’t on the television, the Food Network was, and Abdalla would watch the likes of Nigella Lawson and the Hairy Bikers at work in the kitchen. Then it was onto college for a hospitality and catering NVQ, but still Abdalla rarely cooked at home.

“I wasn’t allowed,” he says. “When I started college, I remember making leek and potato soup with croutons. I couldn’t take that back home and say mum, can I make this? I think I cooked maybe one meal for my mum. I cooked for my mates a lot at house parties and stuff getting food ready. But the style of food I was learning how to cook and the style of food I was brought up on were two separate things, two different cuisines. My mum had no interest in that, I’d show her and my sisters lovely photos but nobody really wanted any of it.

“My background is East African so (at home) it was very much curries, heavy stews, fragrant food, colourful. What I was learning at the time was modern British classic or French things. Unless I was bringing home croquembouche or profiteroles, they weren’t really interested.”

In the years during and shortly after college, Abdalla worked part-time with an agency, contract catering at big football stadiums and creating high end food for private boxes. In 2012, he was part of the catering staff for athletes and their teams in the at the London Olympic Games village. All the while, he was applying for jobs and “getting nowhere”. “I was starting to lose my motivation. Out of the blue I applied for a job in York, not knowing where it was but I thought I have nothing to lose.”

He soon found himself working at The Parsonage Hotel in Escrick and has since had roles at Yorebridge House and Swinton Park in the Yorkshire Dales, as well as York restaurant Skosh. He moved to The Grand, initially in The Rise restaurant before working to open Legacy. "Individuals in my journey up here (in Yorkshire) took me in and gave me a sense of hope and belonging,” Abdalla reflects. “I thought right I can really make a proper career out of this.”

For the past few years, he has been working to shape Legacy. The restaurant’s dishes are a tribute to Yorkshire’s heritage including its farmlands and artisans and the defining eras in York’s history.

Soon, there’ll be another addition to the menu, Abdalla’s fish dish from Great British Menu, inspired by Arthur Wharton, the first black professional footballer. Proceeds from the food will go to the Arthur Wharton Foundation.

"My take away from the Great British Menu was that I had the opportunity to celebrate an amazing individual,” Abdalla says. “People to this day are continuing his work and showcasing how he changed things. We’re going to be celebrating his heritage and his life.”

Abdalla narrowly missed out on a place at the national finals, but he’s proud to have had the experience on the show. “I describe it to friends as the Champions League of food - where all these amazing regions are represented by individuals showcasing the best of what they have to offer. I’d do it over and over again.”

Abdalla’s Great British Menu episodes are available on BBC iPlayer.