A Michelin-trained chef, whose two Nottingham restaurants closed this year, compared business to being in the ring with Mike Tyson. James Crossman, who has been in the industry for 25 years, said: "It felt like we were one of Mike Tyson's early opponents - you haven't got a leg to stand on but you're going to try and finish the fight."
Mr Crossman was the executive chef at Petit Paris in Kings Walk, which closed down in April, and Paris Bar & Restaurant in High Pavement, which shut suddenly at the end of June. He said he was heartbroken for the 40 staff who were made redundant at the two restaurants.
The closures came during "a hell of year," in which his wife Beck was diagnosed with cancer. The 41-year-old said the two restaurants never fully recovered from Covid and combined with his wife's illness, he had no choice but to take a step back from the business in April. "It felt like my mind was going to explode with pressure," he said.
