Fresh from his appearance at Hotelympia in March, Roux will follow last year’s special Restaurant Show guest Ferran Adria, kicking off the three-day event.
Packed with over 300 local, national and international food, drink and equipment producers and suppliers, the show will see the return of the Centre Stage where a number of well-known chefs will demonstrate their cooking skills.
Chef line-up
Featuring this year will be Ashley Palmer-Watts of Dinner by Heston Blumenthal; Chris and Jeff Galvin of Galvin Restaurants; Claude Bosi of Hibiscus; Massimo Bottura of Osteria Francescana; Jun Tanaka of Pearl Restaurant; Anna Hansen of The Modern Pantry; and Vivek Singh of The Cinnamon Club.
Clair Bowman, features manager for the Restaurant Show, said: “We are honoured to have Albert Roux open this year’s Restaurant Show. We’re also really excited about our line-up on the Centre Stage and are confident that our visitors will be treated to many inspirational demonstrations from some of the world’s leading chefs. It’s going to be hard to come for just one day with all the opportunities and entertainment we have lined up for our visitors.”
Culinary competitions
The Restaurant Show will also once more host the final of the National Chef of the Year competition, where 11 chefs will compete to take the title from current holder Simon Hulstone. Also being held in the Competition Theatre will be the Compass Group Chef of the Year and the Indian Restaurant and Gastro Pub Challenges.
The show will also see the return of the Barry Callebaut World Chocolate Masters competition, where the UK’s entry to the World Final held in Paris in 2011 will be decided.
Visitor attractions
Visitors to the show can once again tap into a host of expert advice from those discussing the latest industry news and issues facing the restaurant trade in the Business Briefing Theatre. Bar managers and sommeliers will be able to discover all they need to know about stocking the right wines and spirits in The Drinks Quarter.
Leading the on-site restaurant this year will be a team of student chefs from Westminster Kingsway College, who will be working with some of the country's top chefs like Angela Hartnett.
Registrations for both visiting and exhibiting at the show are now open. For more information and to register, visit www.therestaurantshow.co.uk