A certain type of ambition doesn’t make a big announcement. It simply keeps appearing year after year in the plate’s quality and in the obstinacy of a man who ought to have been content long ago by most standards. That type of man was Simon Wood, a former MasterChef champion who now owns a restaurant in Manchester. “I want to have a Michelin star restaurant, and I’ll do it,” he once declared with the calm certainty of someone who had already talked himself into harder things. He had won the BBC’s most-watched cooking competition in 2015, opened two restaurants in a matter of months in 2018, accumulated rosettes, received a Michelin Guide recommendation, and yet, almost defiantly, continued to point at the one thing he lacked.
“It might take me ten years, but I will do it.” It’s the kind of claim that, until you hear the background, seems careless. Simon had three children under five by the age of 22. With a weekly salary of £140, he was debating whether it was worth skipping Friday’s beer in favor of diapers. He eventually came to terms with that trade-off and completely changed his life to become a data scientist, which is incredibly practical but not exactly the romantic leap of a future culinary star. The man who would later stand behind a pass in a Manchester dining room, plating food for critics who kept his dreams in their notebooks, was subtly shaped by his numeracy, team management, and contract negotiations.
The Simon Wood chef’s quest for a Michelin star was never motivated by ego, or at least it didn’t appear to be from the outside. After MasterChef, he had a somewhat methodical path through professional kitchens: Marcus Wareing’s at The Berkeley, Theo Randall at the InterContinental, Simon Rimmer’s vegetarian Greens in Didsbury, and finally an executive chef position at Oldham Athletic FC. Instead of feeling like a career, each stop felt more like coursework. He was expanding his vocabulary, learning technique, and discovering the true flavor of two-star cuisine. He talked about a veal sweetbread at Sat Bains’ that almost brought him to tears. That’s the detail that sticks in your memory: a man consuming someone else’s flawless meal and putting it away somewhere—not out of jealousy per se, but rather as guidance.
When WOOD Manchester first opened in 2018, it attracted a crowd right away. The Michelin Guide took note. The restaurant received two rosettes from the AA and maintained them for more than eight years, which is a significant accomplishment in the harsh realities of fine dining. However, the star itself continued to elude us. The difference between receiving a star and being recommended in the Michelin Guide is sometimes overlooked. A star indicates something more rarefied, a standard of consistency and creative force that the inspectors determined WOOD Manchester had not quite met year after year. The Guide will direct diners toward a restaurant worth visiting. It’s another matter entirely whether that verdict was just. For the most part, the food press approved of what Wood was doing. The rosettes continued to return.
Then October 2024 arrived. WOOD Manchester closed—permanently, and with a sense of sincere regret as opposed to staged publicity. Growing expenses, skyrocketing ingredient prices, and the financial strain that has caused far more established businesses than Wood’s to fail. Without the protective language that typically surrounds these moments, he made the announcement of the closure himself. It was striking. Perhaps no one should have been completely shocked, but the Simon Wood chef Michelin star story had reached a point no one wanted. Even for restaurants with stars already on the wall, fine dining in post-pandemic Britain has been brutal.
What the closure truly means for Wood’s longer-term goals is more difficult to quantify. He continues to work in a variety of capacities, including menu development, event hosting, keynote speaking, and private dining. The energy of someone building toward something rather than winding down is still present on his website. The following chapter might feature a restaurant once more, but in a different city, with a different format, and with a different economy. It’s also possible that the quest for a Michelin star finds a completely different vehicle, one that doesn’t require the overhead of a full dining room in a northern city that is experiencing post-COVID cost shocks.
There’s a sense that Simon Wood’s story isn’t really about the star at all after seeing this develop over the past few years. It tells the story of a man who took every detour life had to offer, including becoming a father at a young age, working in data science out of necessity, and becoming a television person by accident. Somehow, he ended up where he wanted to be—cooking serious food and being respected for it. The Michelin star is still unclaimed. However, the career? That is a completely different matter.
FAQs
1. Did Simon Wood ever win a Michelin star?
No — WOOD Manchester received a Michelin Guide recommendation, but never a star.
2. What happened to Simon Wood’s restaurant?
WOOD Manchester permanently closed in October 2024 due to rising costs.
3. What did Simon Wood do before becoming a chef?
He worked as a data scientist after becoming a father at 22.
4. When did Simon Wood win MasterChef?
He won the BBC MasterChef competition in 2015.
5. What awards did WOOD Manchester actually receive?
Two AA Culinary Rosettes, held consistently for over eight years.
