Gary Usher documentary The Rebel Chef airs tonight

A documentary following chef Gary Usher’s path to opening Pinon restaurant in Prescot near Liverpool is to air on Channel 4 tonight.

The new programme, The Rebel Chef: My Restaurant Revolution, starts at 10pm and records the highs and lows of launching a new business.

It also features Usher’s bid to crowdfund £50,000 to open the bistro in a former Betfred betting shop, making it Prescot’s first new restaurant in 30 years, as well as his attempts to convert sceptical locals to the delights of deep-fried pig’s head croquettes and steak tartare.

Usher said at the time of Pinion’s opening that he hoped the restaurant would become part of a regeneration of the area, which has seen a drop in footfall since a shopping complex opened nearby.

The chef and restaurateur’s business, Elite Bistros, runs six restaurants in the north of England, mostly using crowdfunding to finance them. The newest of the six are Pinion, which opened in September last year and secured its funding target within 24 hours, and Kala in Manchester, which opened in May this year.

Usher’s original restaurant, Sticky Walnut in Chester, opened in 2011. Since then, he has added Burnt Truffle in Heswall, Wreckfish in Liverpool and Hispi in Chorlton. All six bistros made it into the Good Food Guide this year.