Elaine Goad named NOPI's new head chef
Raised in Hong Kong, Goad studied at culinary school in the Philippines before moving to the UK in 2015.
She began within the Ottolenghi group eight years ago as a kitchen porter and rose through the ranks to eventually take up a permanent position in Ottolenghi Chelsea as head chef from 2021 until early 2024, before moving to NOPI earlier in the year.
The chef will usher in a new era for NOPI, with a menu that will introduce modern and diverse flavours from across Southeast Asia, taking influence from her Filipino heritage, the communal dim sum dinners and the umami-filled food served within her family by her mother and grandfather.
Dishes on her menu include roasted rump cap with gochujang and coffee butter; runner beans with coconut brittle and a pineapple sambal; chickpea tofu with coconut chutney and chilli oil; and black tea chocolate ganache with whisky caramel.
"Elaine has undergone a meteoric rise at Ottolenghi, from kitchen porter to commis chef, salad chef to head chef," says Ottolenghi.
"It’s fair to assume that all of her years of work have given her an incredible drive that, combined with great talent, has made her the extraordinary chef she is today.
"We’re so excited to see what she does at NOPI - I’m confident that the menu will thrive under her guidance."
NOPI opened in 2011 as a small and larger plate format serving Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Asian flavours.
