Meet Graeme Cheevers: The Glasgow chef behind two of Scotland's best restaurants
Graeme Cheevers is part of a cadre of chefs redefining expectations for Scottish cooking and creating a buzz around Glasgow hospitality.
Born and raised in Glasgow, Graeme Cheevers’ passion for cooking ignited during his early teenage years, leading him to pursue a career in the culinary arts. At 15, Graeme enrolled in a catering college, adding to his studies with part-time roles in local restaurants. His dedication and talent took him on a rapid progression through various esteemed kitchens, including The Peat Inn under Geoffrey Smeddle.
Graeme spent time in kitchens outside of Scotland, learning from international chefs and developing his craft further. He travelled to Singapore to work in Michelin standard restaurants, Belgium, Holland, and to New York, where he staged with renowned chef Paul Liebrandt and with three-star Michelin restaurants Per Se and Eleven Madison Park.
A key moment came when he joined Michelin-starred chef Martin Wishart’s Loch Lomond restaurant, initially as a commis chef. Graeme was appointed head chef within two years, successfully retaining the restaurant's Michelin star for five consecutive years. He built a reputation on dishes created with the best of Scotland’s larder.
In 2018, Graeme took on the role of head chef at the Isle of Eriska Hotel, where he won a Michelin star in the 2020 guide. He opened his own venture, Unalome in June 2021, named after the Buddhist symbol representing the path to enlightenment. The restaurant was awarded a Michelin star within eight months of opening.
On the day that the One Michelin Star award was announced, Graeme told me: “If you put your mind to it you can do anything. It’s my name above the door this time so that makes it special to me. We were building the restaurant and launching during different times. It brought more complications with running the business and staffing levels, the way the industry was when we opened.
“What I learned about myself is that if you focus and put your mind to it then you can achieve anything you want.”
When I first met Graeme, he was straightforward in setting out his plans for Unalome and establishing his reputation in Glasgow: “People are always scared of stating their mission. I’m quite the opposite. I think that people who have ambition should be encouraged and ultimately they will be rewarded.
“I’ve spent most of my working life at the level where it is important to say what you want. I wanted to be back at a Michelin rated level and that is what the restaurant was designed around.”
Graeme's culinary style is a blend of modern European cuisine, influenced by Japanese techniques and classic French foundations, with a strong emphasis on Scottish produce. His cooking blueprint has made Unalome at Kelvingrove one of the best restaurants in the city.
In April last year, Cheevers and the team behind Unalome launched a second restaurant, Loma, at the prestigious five-star Cameron House Resort.
“I am thrilled to return to Cameron House to create Loma,” Graeme Cheevers said when announcing the venture. “This is an incredible opportunity to showcase Scotland’s finest produce in a destination that truly embodies our country’s elegance and spirit. Our goal is to offer guests an unforgettable dining experience - one that combines precision, creativity, and warm Scottish hospitality.”
The busy Glasgow chef remains actively involved in the kitchens of both Loma and Unalome, dividing his time between the two to ensure each restaurant maintains its high standards, distinctive identity, and commitment to culinary excellence.
His menus read like a culinary map of Scotland - Orkney scallops, Loch Fyne langoustine, North Sea cod, roe deer from the Borders. There are carefully calibrated contrasts, poetry and precision. There can be playful elements and unexpected international additions. The hospitality is warm and welcoming.
At the start of the year, Graeme Cheevers brought the Loma team to Glasgow for a special dinner event, cooking for 200 guests across two sittings at Oro restaurant. Graeme’s wife, Cristina, grew up in a hospitality family, the Crollas, who own that respected neighbourhood restaurant in Shawlands. The night was a success, an opportunity to reimagine the Loch Lomond dining room’s menu with a Glasgow Italian aspect - North Sea squid linguine carbonara, tortellini of Highland deer, Ayrshire pork cheek osso bucco.
The event also reinforced the strong connection to the Glasgow food scene that Loma has built up over the last year. Graeme Cheevers is widely respected by his peers in Glasgow. Michelin recognition for what his team are doing at Loma feels like only a matter of time.
Last month Loma was awarded a Three Rosette distinction by the AA Guide, signifying an outstanding restaurant achieving standards which demand national recognition well beyond their local area. Inspectors say: “On the shores of Loch Lomond, a mere 30-minute drive from Glasgow, Loma by Graeme Cheevers occupies an intimate space hemmed with banquettes, touches of marble and a gold and cappuccino colour scheme within Cameron House resort. The charming front of house team are naturally engaging, proactive and unscripted in their approach.
“The food is all about seasonality, honest flavours and intelligent use of prime Scottish materials – superlative hand-dived Orkney scallops working in harmony with Muscade pumpkin, sea buckthorn and finger lime to bring out the best in their flavour, while game is represented by roasted saddle of Borders venison alongside beetroot purée, Japanese quince, salsify and Kampot pepper sauce.”
Both Loma and Unalome show that Scotland’s future in creating world-class dining destination lies in confident, ingredient-led expression.
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