Ollie Dabbous – Ollie is one of London’s most exciting chefs. He opened Dabbous in 2012 to great acclaim only to close it in 2017 to open Hide, in Mayfair, which holds one Michelin star. Ollie’s clean presentation and focussed flavours creates an unforgettable menu, and the aesthetic is also second to none. Ollie has authored two cookery books and is a regular on BBC’s Saturday Kitchen.
Paul Ainsworth – Paul is based in Cornwall where he runs Paul Ainsworth at No 6, a Michelin starred restaurant and the more casual Café Rojano. Paul worked for Gary Rhodes, Gordon Ramsay and Marcus Wareing before starting his own restaurants. He has written a cookbook and he’s a regular face on BBC’s Saturday Kitchen.
Spencer Metzger – Spencer wowed the judges on BBC’s Great British Menu and won the series in 2023. He was Head Chef at The Ritz in London for 13 years and is now working on a top-secret new restaurant. Spencer will be on our screens again as a guest chef judge on Great British Menu, soon.
Kate Austen – Kate is an exceptional chef who trained under Michelin chefs to become the youngest female head chef of a two Michelin-starred restaurant in the world. She has also worked in three Michelin starred kitchens in Europe. In the UK she was the Senior Development Chef for Gordon Ramsay, and her exceptional talent stood out when she made headlines competing on BBC’s Great British Menu, where she became the first female in the show’s 19-year history to win the main course category. Currently, she’s cooking as a private chef to a London based family, loving the opportunity to broaden her culinary knowledge even further.
Alex Dilling – Alex uses classical French references to create modern dishes using the finest seasonal ingredients in the world. He worked at Caviar Russe in New York, and caviar features in his dishes to this day. Back in the UK, he was the Executive Chef at Helene Darroze at The Connaught and then at The Greenhouse, maintaining two Michelin stars for both restaurants. His namesake restaurant opened in September 2022 in the five star Hotel Café Royal in London which broke records by achieving two Michelin stars just six months after opening. In 2024, the restaurant was on “The 50 Best” Discovery list.
Tom Sellers – Tom is a winner of BBC’s Great British Menu and holds two Michelin stars at his restaurant, Restaurant Story, which he opened at age 26. He has since opened a second restaurant in Covent Garden, Story Cellar, in 2023 as well as Dovetale, a fine dining bistro in 1 Hotel Mayfair.
Claude Bosi – Claude Bosi at Bibendum is one of London’s finest restaurants, holding two Michelin stars and Claude also has two stars at Brooklands in the brand new five-star Peninsula Hotel. Claude also runs Socca in Mayfair and the instant hit, Josephine Bouchon, in Chelsea.
Phil Howard – Phil is one of the UK’s most respected chefs, having held two Michelin stars at The Square for over 20 years. His current restaurant, Elystan Street, holds one Michelin star and he has a number of additional restaurant venues under his leadership including Notto Pasta at Piccadilly Circus.
Tom Booton – Tom is the Executive Chef at The Grill by Tom Booton at the Dorchester Hotel in London. Tom is often referred to as one of London’s most exciting chef talents and he was awarded the 2019 Acorn Award by The Caterer Magazine. Tom’s extraordinary talent and cheeky personality shines through within the menu, with his modern twists on British home cooking classics.
Anthony Demetre – Anthony Demetre is the Executive Chef and owner of the one Michelin-starred Wild Honey St James. Anthony’s culinary style can be described as modern European with a generous nod to gluten free food and critics admire Anthony for his dedication to flavour and non-pompous approach to cooking.
Lorna McNee – Judge on BBC’s Great British Menu and renowned Scottish chef, Lorna is celebrated for her exceptional culinary expertise and championing of seasonal Scottish produce. She holds one Michelin Star at her restaurant, Cail Bruich, earned after just five months, and she was named Game Chef of the Year, plus Scottish Chef of the Year in 2017. In 2019 Lorna featured on BBC2’s Great British Menu as a contestant and won the Great British Menu Champion of Champions title. In 2023, her restaurant was awarded Scottish Restaurant of the Year by the AA Guide.
Tommy Banks – Tommy owns a Michelin starred pub, The Black Swan, where he cooks produce from his 3-acre kitchen garden. He also owns Roots restaurant in York which, like the pub, utilises produce from the farm. His cookbook ‘Roots’ was the UK winner of the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in the Chef category 2018. Tommy and his business partner also have a successful premium food box delivery service.
Adam Handling – Adam Handling is a Michelin-starred chef and restaurateur known for his creative, sustainable take on modern British food. Born in Dundee, Adam runs the acclaimed Frog by Adam Handling in Covent Garden and several other restaurants and bars. He’s won major awards, including Great British Menu Champion of Champions 2023 and Restaurateur of the Year at the 2024 Cateys. Adam is celebrated for his bold flavours, commitment to zero-waste cooking, and championing of British produce.
Jun Tanaka – Jun is the Executive Chef at one Michelin starred The Ninth, a contemporary restaurant in the heart of London. The warm and inviting restaurant serves up simple but refined French-Mediterranean style dishes which are all made for sharing. Having opened in November 2015, Jun and his team were extremely proud to have been awarded a Michelin Star in October 2016 and have kept the star ever since.
Freddy Money – Freddy has a rich culinary background and a passion for innovative food presentation, creating memorable dining experiences. He believes in storytelling through food, crafting menus that emphasize ingredients and their origin. Freddy trained with the Alain Ducasse Group, and he is Executive chef at the Michelin starred Atlas in Atlanta Georgia, USA.
Cherish Finden – Cherish is one of the two judges on Bake Off: The Professionals and Celebrity Bake Off where her and her precision ruler take no prisoners! Cherish has held several Executive Pastry Chef roles at five-star hotels, the most recent being the Pan Pacific where she oversaw the opening of their bespoke pastry shop, Shiok.
Jack Stein – Jack is a regular mentor chef on ITV’s Cooking with the Stars, and he has presented several series for the Discovery Network. Jack is the Executive Chef for the Stein Restaurant Group in Cornwall.
Cyrus Todiwala – Cyrus has appeared many times on BBC’s Saturday Kitchen and presented his own BBC series on Indian food as well. He owns café Spice Namaste in East London where he has a cookery school. The restaurant serves small plates with a focus on Parsi cuisine.
Levi Roots – Founder of Reggae Reggae Sauce, Levi first hit our screens on Dragon’s Den then later presented his own Caribbean cookery series on BBC. Levi is a professional musician and is just as comfortable strumming on his guitar and singing as he is whipping up a Caribbean feast!
Ollie Dabbous – Ollie is one of London’s most exciting chefs. He opened Dabbous in 2012 to great acclaim only to close it in 2017 to open Hide, in Mayfair, which holds one Michelin star. Ollie’s clean presentation and focussed flavours creates an unforgettable menu, and the aesthetic is also second to none. Ollie has authored two cookery books and is a regular on BBC’s Saturday Kitchen.
Sami Tamimi – Sami is the business partner to Yotam Ottolenghi’s empire – the Palestinian foil to Yotam’s Israeli heritage. Sami consults to a number of reputable Middle Eastern restaurants and does regular pop ups that always sell out.
Andrew Clarke – Andrew is one of the UK’s leading authorities on American Barbecue, holidaying for many years touring the deep southern states watching BBQ championships. Andrew has also showcased his recipes recently on Sunday Brunch. His East London restaurant, Acme Fire Cult opened in 2021.
Neil Rankin – Neil ‘s CV has a lot of variety – from being a meat expert opening Soho’s Temper in 2016 and now running a vegan food products company Simplicity Burger, Neil has experience as a fine dining chef as well as deep knowledge of BBQ. He has also written a cookery book, Low and Slow.
Classic French – Chez Roux – Michel Roux Jnr and his team can create a Gavroche experience in your home. London’s iconic Le Gavroche, which has now closed its doors forever, will always be remembered as one of London’s top gastronomic experiences. You can book their catering team, and if you want Michel Roux or his daughter Emily (who owns and operates her own restaurant, Caractere, in Notting Hill) to attend, we can arrange that too!
Spanish – Jose Pizarro – Jose is one of the UK’s leading Spanish chefs. He has his flagship restaurant and a tapas bar in Bermondsey, another restaurant in the City, one in the Royal Academy, plus a pub in Sussex. Jose has recently appeared on Jamie Oliver’s Mediterranean in 5 TV series, plus he showed James Martin around Cadiz on his latest series, and makes regular appearances on his Saturday morning show, James Martin’s Saturday Morning.
Italian Tapas – Jacob Kenedy – Jacob owns one of London’s most successful Italian restaurants, Bocca di Lupo, in Soho as well as a pub in North London that serves creole cuisine. Jacob is also a successful cookery book author now working on his fourth book.
Modern Indian – Chetan Sharma – Chet Sharma is the founder of Michelin starred Bibi, one of London’s most innovative Indian restaurants. Chet holds a PhD in Physics from Oxford University, but the hospitality industry is where his heart lies. He worked in Spain at the two Michelin starred restaurant Mugaritz before returning to the UK where he worked with Simon Rogan and played a hugely important role in the launch of Fera at Claridges. He was then offered his own restaurant with the JKS Group which now holds one Michelin star.
British High Tea – Cherish Finden – TV’s Bake Off judge Cherish is a world class pastry chef and can provide and host an Afternoon Tea featuring her famous scones, and an optional chocolate and champagne tasting.
IndianTapas – Will Bowlby – Executive Chef of the much praised Kricket, this business now has four restaurants and is a leader in creating innovative modern Indian dishes. Served in an “Indian Tapas” style, this restaurant has a Bib Gourmand highlighting its delicious food at affordable prices.
West African – Head chef at Akoko, a Michelin starred restaurant specialising in refined West African cuisine, where Chef draws inspiration from the African roots and here you will find touches of cuisines from Ghana, Senegal and Nigeria.
Mexican – Santiago Lastra – He worked at Spain’s Mugaritz and with Rene Redzepi at Noma and turned his experience into a hugely successful Michelin starred restaurant in London called Kol. Kol is currently in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants List and utilises British ingredients to create innovative Mexican inspired dishes that are unique to Santiago’s repertoire.
Italian – Francesco Mattana – Francesco is an Italian chef and Influencer who was born and raised on the island of Sardinia. He had a small Italian restaurant and pizzeria in Brisbane called Ajó. then moved to the UK and became the Head Teaching Chef at Jamie Oliver’s Cookery School in London. Francesco has also built up a loyal social media following and his videos often reach viral engagement @our_cookingjourney. Francesco can host authentic Italian dinners as well as interactive masterclass sessions with small groups.
Wine Tastings – Tom Surgey – Tom is one of “The Three Wine Men” alongside Oz Clarke, Tim Atkin, Olly Smith and Susy Atkins. Tom has been nominated by his peers as “Best Wine Communicator” this year and is working on his first book. Very experienced in wine matching and hosting tastings, Tom is a fun add-on to a catered dinner event.
Chocolatier and Pastries – Paul A. Young – Paul makes regular appearance on Saturday Kitchen where he shows his mastery of pastry making and as a chocolatier. Paul is one of the finest chocolatiers in the UK but originally trained as a fine dining chef. He has written four books. Paul can lead a chocolate tasting which creates a different concept for dessert.
The Sea The Sea – London’s premium fishmonger and seafood bar in Chelsea. How would like an oyster bar at your event? Or perhaps a seafood platter and the highest quality sashimi? TSTS opened in 2019 sourcing day boat fish directly from Cornwall with sustainable methods and 100% traceability. They can provide Oyster and Caviar tastings too!
