Chef Dom Taylor, Champion of Caribbean Cuisine, Dies

Award-winning British-Jamaican chef Dom Taylor died on July 13, 2026. The founder of The Good Front Room and winner of Channel 4's Five Star Kitchen: Britain's Next Great Chef was widely recognised for promoting authentic Caribbean cuisine in the United Kingdom while celebrating his Jamaican and Saint Lucian heritage through food.

Personalities from across the hospitality industry paid him tribute and described him as a pioneering chef. They said that his work helped in elevating Caribbean fine dining and inspired a new generation of chefs.

Taylor was born to a Jamaican mother and a Saint Lucian father. He began his culinary training at Lewisham College in London. In college, he studied classical French cuisine, before he continued his education at Thames Valley University. He later spent a year working in South Carolina in the United States and returned to London. There he served as head chef at the Belgraves Hotel, now The Hari, in Belgravia, and the Courthouse Hotel in Shoreditch.

Taylor said in an interview that he was initially hesitant to focus on Caribbean cuisine because he felt there were people leading the way professionally. He then changed his direction after seeing that other chefs were showcasing Caribbean food successfully, saying they inspired him to embrace his heritage. Before making his appearance on television, he opened the Chef Dom Taylor Kitchen private chef business. He also held a restaurant residency at Fourteen87 in Catford, specialising in Caribbean cuisine.

Taylor gained national recognition after winning Five Star Kitchen: Britain’s Next Great Chef in 2023. The victory led to a 10-month residency at the Langham in London with The Good Front Room. It was reported to be the first Caribbean restaurant inside a luxury London hotel. He then opened Marvee’s Food Shop in Ladbroke Grove in 2025. Although the restaurant closed after three months from opening, he returned earlier this year with a permanent Good Front Room restaurant in Dalston. Taylor said that the restaurant was a tribute to his great-aunt Myrtle and the welcoming front rooms found in many Caribbean homes.

The Good Front Room confirmed that the restaurant will remain open to honour Taylor’s legacy and continue the work he was passionate about. Hospitality leaders, fellow chefs and colleagues praised him as a visionary who transformed perceptions of Caribbean cuisine through creativity, generosity and a deep commitment to preserving the stories, recipes and traditions of his heritage.