People on the Move: February 2017
Simon Addison is now head chef at the Dining Room restaurant at five-star, 70-bedroom Hampshire hotel Chewton Glen. This will see executive chef Luke Matthews step back to focus more on new projects such as cookery school The Kitchen, set to open with ex-Chewton Glen chef James Martin in March. Addison was previously head chef at Homewood Park Hotel & Spa in Bath.
Kim Woodward has been appointed executive chef at D&D London’s modern European restaurant Skylon. She joins the restaurant, which is within the Royal Festival Hotel, after a career including roles at Gordon Ramsay’s Plane Food, York & Albany, and the Boxwood Café. She was also the first ever head chef at the Savoy Grill in its 126-year history. Woodward replaces Helena Puolakka, who has moved on to open D&D London’s Aster.
Lawrence Keogh is now executive chef at D&D London’s Old Bengal Warehouse near Liverpool Street. He oversees the New Street Grill, Fish Market, New Street Wine, and the Old Bengal Bar, adding new dishes and menus across the different spaces. He was most recently head chef at The Wolseley, and has also worked at London sites Roast, Kensington Place, and as head chef for Marco Pierre White at Quo Vadis.
James Sherrington has been promoted to chief financial officer at restaurant and bar group Drake & Morgan. The Bowmark Capital-backed group is set to expand this year, with Sherrington’s appointment key to developing the group’s renovation of the Corney & Barrow wine bar collection it bought last year, as well as the opening of three new London sites and one in Manchester. Sherrington was previously at Caprice Holdings and the Birley Group, where he reported directly to Richard Caring.
Restaurant group D&D London has appointed three new directors as it looks to expand into 2017 and beyond, including a new people director, operations director, and purchasing director.
- Sarah Jackson is now people director, and will lead the group’s global HR strategy. She was previously at the Maybourne Hotel Group where she was group HR director. Prior to that, Jackson held HR director roles within luxury retail including de Beers and Links of London.
- Michael Farquhar joins as operations director, a new role within D&D. He was previously global operations director at the Cé La Vi Group in Singapore, and has also worked within food and beverage at hotels including the Four Seasons group and InterContinental Hotels.
- Paul O’Shaughnessy is now purchasing director.
He joins from the same role at Harrods, where he led the buying for its restaurants and retail business. Previously, he held a number of senior purchasing roles within various major retail and restaurant groups including Safeway, Whitbread and BHS.
Michelin-starred Birmingham restaurant Simpsons has promoted Natasha Shorthouse as restaurant manager. She has worked at the restaurant for over two years, and was previously head waitress at Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant at Claridge’s, and previously worked at D&D London’s Launceston Place as assistant restaurant manager. Natasha grew up in Birmingham and studied at University College Birmingham where she graduated from the-then College of Food.
Christopher Wayne-Wills is now general manager at The Midland hotel in Manchester. With over 20 years’ industry experience, he was most recently general manager at QHotels’ resort Slaley Hall in Northumberland, and was also regional managing director for Macdonald Hotels. The Midland also houses the historic restaurant The French, which has just been relaunched under Adam Reid following the departure of Simon Rogan.
Angus Agnew is now maitre d’ at Aquavit London. The Nordic-style restaurant opened in St James’s Market in November and is overseen by Emma Bengtsson, executive chef of the two Michelin-starred Aquavit New York, and executed by Henrik Ritzen, executive chef of Aquavit London. He brings over two decades’ experience at some of the city’s most prestigious restaurants, including at The Square, Sketch, The Ledbury, Franco’s, and Villandry St. James.
Tam Storrar has been appointed shareholder and chef director at London-based family restaurant group Blanchette. The French sharing plates group is from brothers Maxime, Yannis and Malik Alary and is named after their mother. Storrar has been head chef since the first Blanchette, which opened in Soho in 2013, and also became executive chef across both sites when East opened in 2016.
Jan Konetzki is now wine director at soon-to-open private members’ club Ten Trinity Square. He will oversee the wine programme at the club – including a selection of Chateau Latour wines ‒ and will also create wines lists for the restaurants at the Four Seasons Hotel London. Konetzki joins from Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea.
Nieves Barragán Mohacho is to leave her role as head chef at Barrafina to launch her own restaurant. Officially leaving at the end of February, Mohacho will join with Barrafina group general manager José Etura to open a Spanish restaurant in the capital later in the year. Mohacho first worked for Sam and Eddie Hart as a sous chef at Fino in 2003, and was promoted to head chef four years later. She joins Barrafina as executive head chef when it first launched in Soho in 2008.
