Two Birmingham chefs from two very different city restaurants have been shortlisted for the Best Chef prize at the British Restaurant Awards alongside Gordon Ramsay and eight other top cooks.<\/p>\n
Ash Valenzuela-Heeger and Kiran Suvarna are in the running to be named best in the UK in recognition of their outstanding culinary achievements.<\/p>\n
Ash is the chef at Riverine Rabbit, a tiny neighbourhood restaurant in Stirchley<\/a> while Kiran creates special dishes in the glamorous rooftop restaurant Orelle at 103 Colmore Row in the city centre.<\/p>\n Read more: New restaurant with outside terrace and iconic view opens at Birmingham New Street<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n Subscribe to the Brum Food Club<\/a> for a weekly food and drink newsletter, in your inbox, every Thursday. It’s free.<\/b><\/p>\n This is the seventh year that the British Restaurant Awards have been held and there are 11 chefs in the running.<\/p>\n Four of the other chefs up for the gong have MBEs, including Isle of Wight star Robert Thompson, Great British Menu chef Kenny Atkinson, Scottish cook Adam Handling and the multiple award-winning Jason Atherton.<\/p>\n The other four in the running are Adejok\u00e9 ‘Jok\u00e9’ Bakare, Angelo Sato, Kirk Haworth and Paul Ainsworth.<\/p>\n Both Birmingham<\/a> competitiors have impressive culinary backgrounds with Ash being named Michelin’s Young Chef of the Year<\/a> at the 2025 ceremony after impressing around the world with exquisite dishes that hearken back to her South African roots.<\/p>\n