Besides the whole tax evasion thing, taking Martha Stewart’s advice is always pertinent - the ol’ gal tends to know a thing or two in the kitchen. But if you still don’t trust her maybe take the word of mega chef Roy Choi, Momofuku’s David Chang or Nobu Matsuhisa of, well, Nobu; each of whom are fans of a custom apron or more specifically, 29 year old Ellen Bennet’s aprons.
When working as a line chef at two Michelin starred LA restaurant, Providence, Bennet noticed that the restaurants aprons were often plagued with ripped pockets and that most of the old school kitchen uniforms she had encountered were made out of a cheap, seat-inducing poly-cotton blend with plastic buttons prone to melt in the kitchen flames. She saw a gap in the market and after hustling an order to make 40 aprons for a chef at Bäco Mercat, she took $300 from her savings account and the first collection of Hedley & Bennett aprons were born. Three years later she is the CEO of her own multimillion-dollar company and outfits 4000 restaurants across the US.
Kitchen bites: pimp your apron
Throw out your “Kiss the Cook” staple and upgrade your kitchen wear with the celebrity chefs favourite new accessory: the custom luxury apron
Image: Supplied
Besides the whole tax evasion thing, taking Martha Stewart’s advice is always pertinent - the ol’ gal tends to know a thing or two in the kitchen. But if you still don’t trust her maybe take the word of mega chef Roy Choi, Momofuku’s David Chang or Nobu Matsuhisa of, well, Nobu; each of whom are fans of a custom apron or more specifically, 29 year old Ellen Bennet’s aprons.
When working as a line chef at two Michelin starred LA restaurant, Providence, Bennet noticed that the restaurants aprons were often plagued with ripped pockets and that most of the old school kitchen uniforms she had encountered were made out of a cheap, seat-inducing poly-cotton blend with plastic buttons prone to melt in the kitchen flames. She saw a gap in the market and after hustling an order to make 40 aprons for a chef at Bäco Mercat, she took $300 from her savings account and the first collection of Hedley & Bennett aprons were born. Three years later she is the CEO of her own multimillion-dollar company and outfits 4000 restaurants across the US.
And it’s easy to see why; their aprons are as gorgeous as they are practical. Hedley & Bennett also sports a multitude of kitchenware lines along with their 9 different cuts of apron – including one for mini one for kids. Each item made from good quality breathable fabrics such Taiwanese stretch denim, chino twill and American canvas complete with brass finishes and, of course, reinforced pockets. What’s more you can even create your own custom design and the team will hand make it for you in LA. Naturally all these pockets come at a price and you are looking anywhere between R650 to R1500 a pop (excluding shipping.)
Image: Supplied
If you are looking for something along similar lines a little closer to home, check out Cult of One, where one man denim show Dominic Murray makes small batch orders of custom denim aprons and other denim goods. You can even pick and choose to have tattoo-esque flash embroidered on if you so wish or stick to clean classic deep blue of the raw denim with accents of tan leather, either way, it’s first come first serve and be warned, they sell out fast.
• To find out more check out hedleyandbennett.com and cult-of-one.com and follow them both on Instagram for updates.