Smoke, Soul and Spirit: A conversation with Chef Owner Jake Finn, Cinder

Since opening his first Cinder restaurant in Belsize Park in 2021, chef-owner Jake Finn has carved out a unique corner of London’s dining scene with his obsession for live-fire cooking. Every dish passes through the flames, from his now-iconic cedar plank salmon with pickled cucumber and shallots to comforting signatures like braised sticky beef rib and burnt leeks with pecorino and hazelnut. With a second outpost in St John’s Wood – complete with its own rooftop kitchen garden – Cinder blends the warmth of a neighbourhood restaurant with the sophistication of Mediterranean-inspired, fire-driven cooking. Here, Finn talks to The Knife about balancing boldness with finesse, the role of flame in shaping flavour, and where he sees Cinder heading next.

Chef Jake Finn / Image: Nic Crilly Hargrave

• Cinder was born out of lockdown, yet it’s now a neighbourhood fixture. Looking back, how much of that early "scrappy beginnings" energy still shapes the way you cook and run your kitchens today?

When we opened things were very chaotic. We got off to a fantastic start, there was a pent up demand for people to eat out. With everyone only allowed to dine outside at the beginning we would look forward to rainy days to allow us to catch up, but quickly found people turning up with umbrellas, trench coats and hats to eat outside. I'm still very involved in both restaurants, making an effort to connect with all team members and guests alike. I am also very blessed with an incredibly loyal and talented team behind me, which allows me a little more freedom. We are a lot more organised with the management of the business now than when we started, we certainly operate a lot more professionally, but I think it's really important to nurture the fun spirit of the 'scrappy' beginnings.

• Every dish touches flame at Cinder. How do you decide when an ingredient needs a gentle kiss of smoke versus the intensity of full-on char?

That’s usually not that difficult, I guess it depends of what you want to achieve with your end product. Our burnt leeks for example is cooked over the coals until it is completely charred on the outside and really soft, sweet, and smokey on the inside. We discard the burnt outer layer and use the middle to create the dish. Other dishes are a little more playful and require a little more thought. For a long time we had on the menu a sea bass ceviche. Now, I knew I wanted a ceviche but unsure how to introduce some 'fire', which led me to create our burnt jalapeño paste, which is a key ingredient in the cucumber and burnt jalapeño tigre de leche that we also make use of in our signature Cinder Margarita.

• The cedar plank salmon has been on since day one. What makes that dish untouchable, and have you ever been tempted to retire it to push yourself creatively?

Honestly when I created it I never expected it to receive the response that it did, but so, so happy people go mad for it. To put two ingredients only on a plate is not easy, but it's really very special. It's a very difficult line to bridge trying to keep all your regulars who come for certain dishes and those who want to taste new things. We have recently made a large change to our St John's Wood menu, keeping just a handful of our most recognisable dishes including the salmon, with Belsize Park to follow suit soon.

Cinder's signature salmon / Image: Blake Ezra

• From burnt leeks with pecorino to sticky beef rib with gremolata, your dishes often balance comfort with refinement. How do you find that line between bold, hearty cooking and the finesse your diners now expect?

Selecting what does and doesn’t go on the menu, selfishly, is really about what we want to eat and how we want to eat it.

• You trained at places like The Ritz and La Petite Maison, yet Cinder feels more relaxed and soulful. How have those early fine-dining experiences shaped the way you approach a "neighbourhood restaurant"?

So typically in very traditional kitchens where I learnt my craft – and this would always be my advice for anyone starting out – you have to know your basics! LPM taught me to be hyper critical of every detail and to treat every ingredient with the utmost respect, whether it's a basil leaf or the freshest turbot, it's all going on a plate and it's all going to the guest. How have those experiences shaped Cinder? Massively! We make everything in-house, and it's really important to be able to get the team excited about the food they’re cooking. For example, I think when you apply the same respect to making our bread for the restaurant to breaking down the most beautiful beef roasting joints, it automatically creates a shared appreciation for everything we’re trying to achieve. Although some things can look quite simple on the plate there is lots of work before that point, which makes everything so tasty.

• The kitchen garden in St John’s Wood feels like a very personal project. Which ingredients coming off that rooftop excite you the most, and how are they changing your menus?

So it turns out I'm a very impulsive person. Within a week of planting just a few herbs into the planters surrounding the extraction on the roof, I then spent lots of money covering the roof, building new planters and growing more produce. Whilst it was never going to solely supply the restaurant it was a very cool thing to be able to plant a seed, pick a fruit or vegetable, and then put it on a plate for a guest. I know very little about planting and I'm learning as I go along, but I am very excited to continue growing new things. We had some incredible varieties of tomato growing this year and I never thought Cinder would be the kind of restaurant to put flowers on a plate but when your herbs (basil, mint, marjoram, oregano, thyme) are flowering, it's rude not to.

Cinder interiors / Image: Amy Heycock

• Mediterranean flavours are clearly central to your cooking. Are there particular regions or ingredients you keep coming back to for inspiration?

It's more of the philosophy behind the food rather than specific regions or ingredients. I like to keep things clean, light and not too heavy, using lots of great olive oil and punchy acids like yummy vinegars, and lemon or lime juice. Every now and then I go rogue and put something on like a spicy crab doughnut with prawn glaze and kombu crack seasoning just because it's fucking delicious!

• Diners rave about the Cinder Margarita with grilled jalapeños. How important is it to you that the drinks menu reflects the same fire-driven philosophy as the food?

Super important that there’s a synergy between the food and beverage offering otherwise it just doesn’t make sense and can be confusing. Equally there’s a very conscious effort for things to be not overly smokey and overwhelming. I don’t want guests to leave feeling like they just walked out of an ashtray, so often it can be quite subtle and thought provoking touches.

• Your menus are designed for sharing, yet also work as standalone plates. How do you write dishes that feel satisfying both ways?

Often the larger plates are a single protein or vegetable with a sauce or two and a small garnish, so guests are encouraged to order a side. Personally I love ordering loads of things to try and taste, but I think diners are getting a bit bored of that story, so we offer both.

Cinder Margarita / Image: Blake Ezra

• Both sites have their own character: Belsize Park is intimate and tight, while St John’s Wood is larger and more polished. Do you tweak the menus differently depending on the space and clientele?

Belsize Park is a very cosy restaurant in the very beautiful Belsize 'Riviera' village. When we ripped out the remains of an abandoned pizza takeaway site it unveiled tonnes of character before we had even done any work putting it right. Because it's so small it has a very special atmosphere, one that’s very hard to recreate. The menu is limited by the amount of space we have. When I got into the St John's Wood site I wanted to create little pockets of atmosphere around the restaurant to try and recreate the Belsize Park vibe. We also stuck in an awesome speakeasy bar downstairs, which is an incredible PDR space. We have a lot more fun with the space in SJW; we make our own ice cream, break down our own beef roasting joint carcass and have a larger, more refined cocktail and wine offering.

• Cinder has already landed on the Good Food Guide’s Best Local Restaurants list. What do you think sets it apart from London’s wider live-fire trend?

I'm so happy and grateful to start receiving the recognition Cinder deserves, really for the team and how much hard work everyone puts in on a daily basis to make it happen. I don’t know what sets us apart. Although I like to keep my finger on the pulse (which is increasingly more difficult with two young kids at home) and see what others are doing, I think it's really important for us not to focus too much on what everyone else is doing, but to continually look to improve on what we're doing in-house.

• Looking ahead, you’ve spoken about expanding further. Do you see Cinder becoming a group, or do you want to keep that hands-on neighbourhood feel no matter how many doors you open?

Both! I would love to see Cinder grow into other parts of London and hit a wider demographic, but I also recognise and appreciate how important it is to keep each site independent of each other in order to retain the quality and standards we have built. Additionally, I’ve done the best I can with the finances I have to get where I am, but I would be looking to grow seeking outside investment for the first time, which is a little scary.

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