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Career Profile
Find out how some of the most accomplished people in the industry got to where they are now with our series of career-focused interviews.
Career Profile: Sudha Saha
10-Feb-2012 - Chef Sudha Saha has an impressive culinary career. At 17, he was given a place to train hotel management at Chennai. He then joined the Ambassador hotel and trained with the Taj Group. A few years later, Saha moved to Dubai to take up his first executive chef role aged just 23. Over his career, he has also worked in Spain, heading up the Tamarind restaurant, and in 2003 he moved to England to take on the role as a Development Chef. Today, Saha is the executive head chef for Saffron Group, which consists of Saffron Restaurant in Birmingham and Saffron Blue in Ashby de la Zouch.
Career Profile: Will Oakley
27-Jan-2012 - Will Oakley has over 14 years’ experience working in the luxury hospitality sector. Prior to his new role as general manager of The Cadogan hotel in Knightsbridge, Oakley was the manager at Bespoke Hotels, launching other London properties including The Bermondsey Square and Ten Manchester Street. This year will see Oakley open a pop-up restaurant at The Cadogan, and next year he will be overseeing the hotels refurbishment.
Career Profile: Will Torrent
13-Jan-2012 - Pastry chef Will Torrent scored a week's work experience with Heston Blumenthal at the tender age of 15. Ten years on he is working alongside Blumenthal again as a pastry chef consultant for Waitrose. He was the first British pastry chef to win at WorldSkills and will be working with Barry Callebaut for a masterclass that will be streamed live on BigHospitality on 23 March 2012.
Career Profile: Peter Borg-Neal
23-Dec-2011 - Gastropub entrepreneur Peter Borg-Neal is the brains behind the six-strong Oakman Inns & Restaurants, which was last month nominated for Best Pub Company at Restaurant magazine's R200 Awards . Having started his career as a cellar boy and also trained to be a chef, Borg-Neal has been involved in hospitality for almost 35 years.
Career Profile: Byron Lang
09-Dec-2011 - Byron Lang has been head maitre d' at Gordon Ramsay Holdings' The Savoy Grill since it re-opened for business in 2010. He started his hospitality career at The Ivy before going on to work for Jeremy Corbin and Chris King at The Wolseley and St Alban.
Career Profile: Laura Marlow
25-Nov-2011 - Laura Marlow was last month appointed Christmas co-ordinator at the London Marriott hotel County Hall. Handling everything from festive family lunches to bespoke packages, corporate events and private parties, her new role marks a return to the events circuit for Marlow, who began her career in hospitality as events manager at sky bar Cloud 23. Prior to joining County Hall, Marlow was an executive at Marriott’s Pennines office, responsible for overseeing events at nine hotels across the region.
Career Profile: Alan Stewart
11-Nov-2011 - Alan Stewart’s passion for cooking started with a part-time job at Hammersmith gastropub The Anglesea Arms. He worked in support roles at Chez Bruce and Launceston Place in London before taking up his current position of head chef at Manson in London.
Career Profile: Azad Miah
28-Oct-2011 - Azad Miah has worked in fine dining for more than 15 years. Having graduated in business management in 2008, Miah immediately opened his first restaurant, Amani, in Sanderstead. Following the Indian restaurant’s success, a second venue was opened in nearby Epsom last year. Miah earned the title of Young Restaurateur of the Year, presented at the 2011 Asian Curry Awards earlier this month.
Career Profile: Phil Davison
19-Oct-2011 - Phil Davison began his career as a chef, running restaurants and pubs before finally buying his own pub - the Sun in the Wood, near Newbury - which he has run with his wife Lauren for the past 15 years.
Career Profile: James Hatswell
03-Oct-2011 - Chef James Hatswell trained at HMS Raleigh’s Cookery School after joining the Navy at 16. During his eight years in the forces he visited 36 countries, developing a love of global cuisine. He currently runs a tight ship as head chef at the Heron Restaurant at Denham Court Mansion in Buckinghamshire.
Career Profile: Vince Johnson
16-Sep-2011 - Vince Johnson started out as a waiter before deciding that hotel management was where he wanted to be. After returning to college to focus his skills he worked in HR and operations for a number of hotel chains before landing his first general manager job with Corus and Regal Hotels in Cumbria. For the past seven years he’s been general manager at the Majestic Hotel in Harrogate.
Career Profile: James Nathan
02-Sep-2011 - Former MasterChef winner James Nathan threw in his job as a barrister to pursue his passion for cooking and since appearing on the TV series in 2008, the 38-year-old has worked in some of the UK’s top professional kitchens and appeared at a number of food events. He is currently chef de partie at Rick Stein’s Seafood Restaurant in Padstow.
Career Profile: Darin Campbell
19-Aug-2011 - After learning part of his trade under 'mentor' Andrew Fairlie at Hotel du Vin's Glasgow restaurant One Devonshire Gardens, chef Darin Campbell went off to London to work with Marcus Wareing and Eric Chavot. He's now back at the Glasgow venue, but with an elevated position - as executive head chef.
Career Profile: Neil Millington
05-Aug-2011 - The Royal Horseguard hotel’s new bar manager Neil Millington didn’t start out in the hospitality industry following three years at college, neither did he undertake an apprenticeship. At the age of 29 he was approached to leave his job as a cigar retailer to run a new cigar lounge at Che in St. James’s Street, and aside from a brief stint as a lift engineer, he hasn’t looked back since.
Career Profile: Mark Wood
22-Jul-2011 - Restaurateur Mark Wood spent three years working his way around the globe before returning to the UK to work in a number of London's top restaurants. He worked at several of Alan Yau's restaurants and studied for an MBA before landing the job of restaurant director at London restaurant Grand Imperial six months ago.
Career Profile: Peter Wardley
08-Jul-2011 - Peter Wardley started out as a luggage porter before working his way through the ranks to become a hotel manager. He will open the Radisson Edwardian's latest hotel in Guildford in September as general manager.
Career Profile: James Partridge
24-Jun-2011 - The Dorchester's new Director of Group Sales and Events' 20-year career in hospitality has taken him from a country house hotel nestled in the Cotswolds to the luxury hotel sector in London. He was responsible for launching Gordon Ramsay Holdings' York & Albany and Swire Hotels' first UK property and has overseen a number of high-profile functions.
Career profile: Michele Caggianese
10-Jun-2011 - Despite arriving in the UK seven and a half years ago from Italy with no knowledge of the English language and no formal training, Michele Caggianese has managed to carve a successful career front-of- house in some of London’s top restaurants and hotels. Currently restaurant and bar manager at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower in London, the 32-year-old became the envy of his peers when he picked up the Restaurant Manager of the Year 2011 award last month.
Career Profile: Anna-Marie Dowling
27-May-2011 - Hotel manager Anna-Marie Dowling tells BigHospitality how her endless energy drove her from the lowest to the highest positions in the hotel sector. Throughout her career she has managed hotels including Le Meridien Piccadilly and London’s Marriott County Hall. Currently head of the five-star Guoman hotel, Royal Horseguards, Dowling has also recently launched the Leading Ladies of London group, to inspire women to reach top positions in the hospitality sector.
Career Profile: Hannah Bass
13-May-2011 - Despite excelling in academics, Hannah Bass, the operations director for burgeoning gastropub group ETM, always knew somehow that she’d end up working in hospitality. The group is now on the verge of launching two venues and a food and beverage offer at Montcalm Hotel's London property.
Career Profile: Julien Maisonneuve
28-Apr-2011 - Formerly head chef at Restaurant Tom Aikens, Julien Maisonneuve is now the new executive chef of the Booking Office bar and restaurant in Marriott’s latest London hotel opening, the St Pancras Renaissance, where he will work alongside Marcus Wareing’s second restaurant, The Gilbert Scott.
Career Profile: Adam Simmonds
18-Apr-2011 - It took Adam Simmonds 16 years before he accepted his first head chef position, but the now Michelin-starred executive chef of Danesfield House in Marlow claims his slow and steady approach has ultimately culminated in his success.
Career Profile: Allan Pickett
01-Apr-2011 - Once divided between cooking or gardening for a career, Allan Pickett, head chef of Plateau in Canary Wharf, has since retained a Michelin star, competed in international competitions and worked with the likes of Michel Roux, Chris and Jeff Galvin.
Career Profile: Zack Saghir
18-Mar-2011 - The head sommelier of Roux at the Landau is best known for his 27-year service at The Savoy with restaurant manager Franco Becci, but after a 38-year career in hospitality is set to retire next year.
Career Profile: Ashraf Saleh
04-Mar-2011 - Ashraf Saleh’s career began at eight years old stock taking for his family’s restaurant in Egypt. He is now head sommelier at Galvin at Windows and has aspirations of leading his own restaurant and hotel empire.
