Thomas Straker, whose wife ‘kicked him out’ after learning of his affair with Princess Olympia of Greece – and who was criticized for the white male team at his posh Notting Hill eatery – has been named the ‘most in demand’ restaurant of the year

A Notting Hill restaurant – owned by a TikTok chef who was criticized for having a white male team earlier this year – has been named the ‘most in-demand’ restaurant of the year.

Thomas Straker’s London location topped the list, compiled by booking app Resy, Curly tails reports.

The foodie celebrity was also embroiled in a scandal earlier this year when his wife kicked him out of their marital home after being told he was romantically involved with Princess Maria Olympia of Greece.

His restaurant – called Straker’s – promises to offer “a hub of cultures and culinary delights.”

The joint is the chef’s first location and also exudes a “neighborhood vibe with great music, cocktails and food that you and Thomas will love.”

Thomas went viral during the COVID lockdown when he demonstrated cooking classes on social media – and has 2.1 million followers on Instagram.

Menu items include everything from grilled sole, gnocchi with duck ragout, roasted hispi cabbage and baked bread and butter pudding.

This summer, Thomas faced fierce criticism after posting photos of his team of all-white male chefs.

Critics questioned why the setup of the owner and his seven other chefs outside his trendy restaurant did not include kitchen staff from women or ethnic minorities.

The influencer, known for his colorful food and cooking videos, was accused of perpetuating the idea that top restaurants were “a white boys’ club.”

Others claimed the line-up was ‘completely unrepresentative’ of multicultural Britain and ‘failed to take women into account’.

Thomas, who has a huge social media presence, posed for two photos with his seven kitchen staff in July.

His Instagram photos, captioned “Chief Team Assembled,” sparked protests from people who wondered why the lineup didn’t include any women or non-white faces.

Thomas Straker’s London location topped the list compiled by booking app Resy, Curlytails reports

Some critics claimed the photos were particularly out of place as Thomas’ restaurant is located in the diverse Golborne Road area of ​​Notting Hill, west London.

Baking fanatic Melissa Martin, known as melissamartinbakes, wrote: “Hey, I don’t begrudge this guy for the staff he hired. You hire friends, good people you know and impressive resumes.

“But I think this post shows a blatant example of how much fine dining is still a white boys’ club. The fact that he doesn’t have people of color (sic) or women on the team is a huge extension of the larger cultural problem we STILL have, and not necessarily an individual failure.

“I would love it if he would take it upon himself to look for diversity in his team, but it clearly doesn’t seem important to the values ​​of him and his restaurant.”

Another Instagram user named tcblu commented: ‘The main problem is that in the most diverse city in the world, in the poorest part of the richest neighborhood in the country, you have not only managed to hire female chefs take, but also not a single POC.

‘Golborne Road is historically a black/Moroccan/Spanish/Portuguese community with an incredible history of culture and rebellion in the face of adversity.

‘It became home to the largest Moroccan population in England and home to Windrush families. How incredible would it be if you searched that community for young, up-and-coming stars who might not have the opportunity to flourish in the hospitality industry in any other way than hiring friends?

His restaurant, called Straker’s, in Notting Hill, promises to offer ‘a hub of cultures and culinary delights’

‘Give them training and a safe place to grow as chefs. In turn, you would be putting something into the community that gentrifies you – intentionally or not. Just something to think about.’

Tom apologized on Instagram at the time, saying: ‘On Friday night I made a post from my chef team and many rightly pointed out the lack of diversity in it. I am very sorry for my initial response, which caused some to question whether I am taking this issue seriously.

‘I am absolutely committed to ensuring diversity in my restaurants, unfortunately we are not currently achieving this in my kitchens and this is an area I know I need to improve, to ensure it is seen as a welcoming and approachable environment for everyone. Tom x.’

And just months later, Thomas seemed to have trouble in his marriage after his wife learned about an affair he was having with King Charles’ goddaughter known as Olympia.

Friends of Thomas and his wife Davina – who have two daughters aged four and two – said she was ‘devastated’ when she heard about his infidelity in October.

The chef was photographed outside her home with the royal family last month.

The pair were spotted together just days after Olympia’s aristocratic ex-boyfriend Peregrine Pearson was pictured kissing A-lister and Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner in Paris.

Tousled Thomas, 33, who is famous for posting 15- to 30-second videos of his culinary creations, particularly his butter recipes, married actress Davina Pownall in a church ceremony in Wiltshire in 2015.