- Following Harvey Trollope's departure, Ashley Tinoco (pictured) has been promoted from senior sous chef to head chef at west London restaurant Sam's Riverside. Born in India, Tinoco's career kicked off as a trainee cook for Taj Hotels in his home state of Goa. In 2010, he joined the US-based Carnival Cruise Lines, initially working onboard various cruise ships before being appointed as a development chef and working at the company’s bases in both Florida and Alaska. In 2016, Tinoco moved to the UK and joined the team at The Rib Room at Jumeirah Carlton Tower Hotel in Knightsbridge. He spent two years as a chef de partie under Ian Rudge, before being promoted to sous chef. In February 2019, Tinoco moved to the Belmond Cadogan Hotel in nearby Sloane Street, where he spent eight months as sous chef at Adam Handling Chelsea.
- Zoltan Szabo has returned to Cameron House Resort on Loch Lomond to become its executive chef. Szabo now leads the luxury five-star resort’s existing portfolio as well as three new additions to its collection of restaurants and bars that will soon be introduced as the hotel prepares to reopen next year. He has more than 15 years’ experience in senior roles in hotels across Scotland, and previously held the position of senior head Chef at Cameron House from 2014 to 2015.
- Ricki Weston has been appointed head chef at Whatley Manor near Malmesbury, Wiltshire. Working directly under executive chef Niall Keating, Ricki has been part of the team at Whatley Manor for over two years, having previously worked at Restaurant Sat Bains. In his new role, he will help oversee all food and beverage offerings at the hotel including at the two Michelin-starred The Dining Room; Grey’s Brasserie; room service; afternoon tea; and private dining.
-Rowen Babe has been appointed head chef at Chelsea restaurant Hans’ Bar & Grill. Babe has joined Hans’ Bar & Grill from The Oslo Bar & Restaurant in Hackney. He replaces Luke Phillips, who has rejoined the kitchen brigade at Chewton Glen hotel in Hampshire. Babe’s CV includes time working as head chef at The Henry Root Bistro and Wine Bar in Chelsea from 2012 to 2015, and roles at The Market Café & Les Nénettes in Hackney, and Eat17 Restaurant in Walthamstow from 2017 to 2019.
- The Harwood Arms head chef Sally Abé is to oversee the food and drink offer at four new venues located in the Conrad London St. James hotel. As consultant chef, Abé will consult on the food and drink offer at a new signature restaurant being opened in the hotel as well as at a contemporary take on the traditional London pub; an afternoon tea lounge, as well as the hotel’s first cocktail bar. The opening of the four new venues follows a £1.75m investment in the Hilton hotel, located next to St. James's Park tube station. The first new refurbished concept, the Blue Boar Pub, is set to open this December and is said to be a modern take on a classic London Pub. The other concepts are scheduled to open in spring 2021.
- Puttshack has restructured its executive team to help it continue its global expansion. Group CFO Logan Powell has been named as its UK President while Hugh Knowles has been appointed UK managing director. Knowles will continue to focus on Puttshack’s UK growth as well as help to facilitate the group’s global expansion.
- Henry Harris has left his role as chef director of London-based pub group Harcourt Inns. In an statement, the former Racine chef patron said he was no longer involved in the group and was currently working on a new project that he hopes to be able to announce in the near future. Harris partnered with Harcourt Inns, which is backed by private equity company Ducalian Capital, in 2017, initially to oversee the return of The Truscott Arms in Maida Vale. However, as chef director he went on to take charge of the food offer across Harcourt's growing portfolio of pubs, which also includes The Three Cranes in the City of London; the Coach & Horses in Clerkenwell; and The Crown in Chiswick.
- East Anglian restaurant and pub group Chestnut has appointed Henry Fairbanks as its chief operating Officer. Starting this month, Fairbanks joins from the Bermondsey Pub Company, where he was operations director since 2016 and oversaw its 68-strong estate as well as the opening and pipeline of new acquisitions. Prior to that he held a variety of managerial and operational roles at RealPubs, the Metropolitan Pub Co, Heineken UK, Adnams and Lord’s Cricket Ground.
- Paulo De Tarso has stepped away from Margot, the London restaurant he launched with Nicolas Jaouën back in 2016. In a statement the restaurateur, and former senior maitre D' at Bar Boulud at London’s Mandarin Oriental Hotel, said that he was moving on to start a new project that he will announce in the coming months. De Tarso and Jaouën, the former manager at La Petite Maison in London, opened Italian restaurant Margot in Covent Garden in the summer of 2016 after six years at Bar Boulud.
- Former professional rugby player Chris Wyles has joined Incipio Group as a culture and performance consultant. Wyles joins the The Pergola Paddington, The Prince and W12 Studios operator following a 10 year career playing professional rugby for Saracens Rugby Club. He is also co-founder of Wolfpack Lager.
- Former Pennyhill Park chef Matt Worswick has joined the Savoy Grill as its executive head chef. Worswick left the Michelin-starred The Latymer at Pennyhill Park, where he worked for a month under four years, at the end of last year to join The Shanghai EDITION hotel as its executive chef. He left the role during the Coronavirus pandemic to set up previous take out delivery concept Cook + Thief, where he was chef director. His CV also includes time as executive head chef at Thornton Hall Hotel and Spa in the Wirral and as head chef at Michelin-stared Glenapp Castle in Ballantrae, Girvan.