Chef returns to Liverpool to make food for Taylor Swift's 'crew'

A chef who led an acclaimed Liverpool restaurant is now cooking for Taylor Swift’s crew ahead of her gigs at Anfield this week.

Karl Nicholson made his name running the Olive and Grape Bistro on Rose Lane in Mossley Hill. The restaurant offered the likes of mutton ragu, pumpkin and truffle risotto and pigeon breast on its menu, as well as fine wines.

The chef regularly produced themed menus for private diners as well, such as a Magical Mystery Tour based on songs from The Beatles. However, in 2022, he moved to Australia for work opportunities.

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Posting on his Instagram in January that year about selling the Olive and Grape, Karl said: “How I’m going to miss my little 30 seater restaurant in the UK. All closed now, ready for my Australian adventure. Here I come, Perth.”

Speaking later that year about Olive and Grape being awarded the best fine dining restaurant in Liverpool at the Northern Enterprise Awards, he said: “Looking at this award makes me both happy and sad.

“Happy that the hard work paid off, but sad that I let it go, to start a new life in Australia. Time to put pen to paper and make great steps towards achieving great things, here in Oz, too!”

Karl now works for Nomadic Chefs in Australia, bringing a fine dining experience to people’s homes, as well as weddings, corporate meetings and celebrities. He has travelled with the likes of Ed Sheeran, The Weekend, Coldplay, Pink, Sam Smith and Robbie Williams.

Now Karl has returned home to help out another celebrity. He has made several Instagram posts showcasing the food he has made made for the workers, who he labels 'the crew, that are helping set up the Taylor Swift gigs in Australia. Many of these were fish based dishes, including a crispy skin barramundi with escabeche, mango and coriander salsa.

Now, he is returned home to help the crew making the plans for Taylor's gigs at Anfield a reality. Yesterday on Instagram, he posted one meal he had made for them. This consisted of chianti braised short rib, wild garlic pesto and parmesan pomme purée.

Later, he posted a night time picture of Ormond Street, off Old Hall Street in the city centre, close to the Cotton Exchange. It’s likely he will be in Liverpool for all three nights of Taylor's shows, which begin tomorrow.

Karl wouldn’t be the first chef from Merseyside to make food for superstar musicians on tour. Last year, the ECHO spoke to Stacey Leith, from Huyton, while she was cooking meals for American rapper 50 Cent on his American and European tour.

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