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Sally Abé was born in Nottingham and lived there for most of her life before moving to Sheffield at 18. As part of her hospitality and business management degree at Sheffield Hallam University, she came to London in 2007 to undertake a year-long placement at The Savoy, and never left. Within six months, she fell in love with the kitchen and discovered her true passion for cooking. That same year, she joined Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s.

Two years later, she joined The Ledbury in Notting Hill, where she spent five formative years honing her craft under the guidance of two-Michelin-starred chef Brett Graham. Working across all sections of the kitchen, she gained deep insight into the workings of high-end restaurants and refined her own approach to flavour and precision.

After stepping back from the kitchen to explore writing, Sally worked as Technical Food Editor at Great British Chefs, where she styled, edited, and wrote recipes, combining her culinary skill with her love of storytelling.

In 2016, she returned to the stove, first as Sous Chef at Elystan Street under Phil Howard, and shortly after was invited by Brett Graham to take over as Head Chef at The Harwood Arms, London’s only Michelin-starred pub. During her four-year tenure, she retained the star and helped elevate the gastropub’s profile, leading it to be named the UK’s number one gastropub in the Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs list.

In 2021, Sally became Consultant Chef for Conrad London St James, launching four concepts including Blue Boar Pub and The Pem, a fine dining restaurant focused on refined British cooking and championing women in hospitality.

In 2024, she was appointed Head of Food at The Bull in Charlbury, part of the Public House Group and in Spring 2026 opened her own restaurant Teal by Sally Abé in Hackney, London.

In her words: “I’d rather have three incredible ingredients on a plate than 10 superfluous things. I want to make food that makes people happy and makes people full.”

In 2024, Sally released her first book, A Woman’s Place is in the Kitchen, part memoir, part manifesto, exploring her experiences as a woman in the professional kitchen and calling for change in a still male-dominated industry. The book is now available in paperback and has been widely praised for its honesty, strength, and inspiration to women across hospitality.

Sally is also a three-time competitor on Great British Menu, with her most recent return in 2025 culminating in a huge personal win, her starter was selected to be served at the banquet.

Sally continues to use her platform to advocate for equity in kitchens, championing the next generation of female chefs, and calling out gender inequality.