Masterchef: The Professionals 2020 finalist Jono Hawthorne to launch solo restaurant

MasterChef: The Professionals 2020 finalist Jonathan Hawthorne is to relaunch Leeds restaurant Vice and Virtue as his first solo restaurant.

Hawthorne has been head chef at the site since 2019 but is now taking the reins as chef-patron.

Announcing the news on social media, he said: “I am happy to announce I will be taking over Vice and Virtue as chef patron, my first solo venture.

“I will be achieving a dream…I now have a place I can call my own and I couldn’t be more excited for what is to come!”

Hawthorne has been a professional chef for over 16 years and spent time training in restaurants in the UK and internationally, including Noma in Denmark, Quay Restaurant in Sydney and the Box Tree in Ilkley.

His appearance on MasterChef won him praise from judges Monica Galetti and Marcus Wareing, as well as critics Grace Dent and Tom Parker-Bowles. Some of the chef’s signature dishes from the show are set to feature on the restaurant’s menu, including a bone barrow creme brûlée and a mushroom tiramisù.

Chef Jono at Vice and Virtue offers a signature tasting menu Wednesday to Saturday and a lunch tasting menu on Sunday. The restaurant is now taking reservations from 19 May until June and July.