Cook, who has worked at Le Gavroche, The Capital Hotel, and was head chef at the now-closed Tom Aikens Restaurant in Chelsea, will oversee a brigade of 18 ahead of ‘significant growth’ of the brand.
Smith & Wollensky was created by restaurateur Alan Stillman, the founder of T.G.I Friday’s, in New York in 1977. It now runs nine US restaurants and opened its first London site on The Strand in 2015.
“I am extremely excited to join Smith & Wollensky and be involved in the continued development of the much-loved steak brand,” says Cook.
“Over the next few months we will be recruiting and training in preparation for the significant growth being experienced at Smith & Wollensky. I look forward to being a part of the team”.
Smith & Wollensky’s UK menu includes a 1kg Irish tomahawk steak (£82); 700g T-Bone (£74) and a 4-6 person shellfish platter for £125.
It also offers a £16 burger and a £14 club sandwich for lunch.
Nathan Evans, Smith & Wollensky’s European operations director, told BigHospitality in 2015 that the group was considering opening a second, smaller London site, in either the City or Canary Wharf.