Gareth Bowen joins The Shard's Shangri-La Hotel as executive chef
The chef will oversee a team of 70 working across the LANG artisan deli and patisserie on the ground floor, TING Restaurant and Lounge on level 35 and ‘London’s highest bar’ GONG on the 52nd floor.
He replaces Bulgarian-born chef Emil Minev, who has run the kitchens at the hotel since it opened in May 2014.
Bowen joins the hotel from a role as executive chef at London Marriott County Hall where he oversaw the restaurants and openings of twelve Marriott London hotels including St Pancras Renaissance Hotel London and London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square.
Bowen said: “I’m very honoured to be joining such an esteemed brand, associated with high standards of service and quality.
“The dedication and commitment to local produce are very inspirational and akin to my own philosophies and I can’t wait to make my mark."
Bowen’s new role sees the launch of a ‘Chefs Market Table’ at TING, offering a seasonal four course menu cooked with fresh produce chosen daily from Borough Market.
The New Forest-born chef moved to Bermuda aged 21 to work at the Southampton Princess hotel, before returning to London in 1999 to earn three AA rosesttes at the Hennessey Fine Dining Restaurant.
Bowen’s career also included stints at the De-Vere Dormy Hotel and his own restaurant Brookleys in the New Forest, before he joined Marriott as executive head chef in 2007.
The 202-room Shangri-La Hotel is spread across 18 levels of the 72-storey Shard building.
