People on the move: March 2022

Stuart Pate​

Ahead of the launch of Outlaw’s Guesthouse,​​ Nathan Outlaw has appointed Stuart Pate as executive pastry chef. Pate led the pastry team at Rick Stein’s restaurants for 19 years, and previously held the head pastry chef position at numerous London hotels, including The Savoy, Dorchester, Lanesborough, and St Martin’s Lane. Pate will oversee the pastry operation at the Cornwall-based group’s upcoming guest house in Port Isaac but will also be tasked with developing the pastry offering at Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen and Outlaw’s New Road. 

Noel Capp​

Taplow House has appointed Noel Capp as executive chef amid a major overhaul that includes a £2m spa development. Capp will be overseeing a more informal yet high-quality dining offering at the Berkshire hotel, including an all-day dining concept for spa guests. Capp, whose CV includes chef positions at Pinewood Studios, McLaren Technology Centre, and Coworth Park, replaces Kostas Kritikos, who has relocated to the Midlands.

Chris Heather​

The Surprise in Chelsea has appointed former The Greyhound and JSW chef Chris Heather as head chef. Recently relaunched by landlord Jack Greenall, the venue is pitched as a country pub in the heart of London and has playful interiors. Heather's approach will be to "not overcomplicate things and focus on clever cooking where the best seasonal produce speaks for itself and each ingredient is there for a reason". New dishes include crispy duck egg, duck fat brioche, wild mushroom, walnut, Stoney Cross and truffle; and Roasted cod, brandade, confit Bombay potato, cauliflower, mango, chilli, sea aster and coriander.  

Iqbal Ahamad​

Iqbal Ahamad has been named head chef at South Woodford Indian restaurant Grand Trunk Road. The chef started his career at the Marriott Hotel in Mumbai some 20 years ago and has worked in a number of other high-profile UK Indian restaurants including Red Fort in Soho and Edgware Road’s Pakhtoon. New dishes at the restaurant include monkfish rubbed with a blend of ground spices and lemon; lamb chops marinated in fennel, star anise, raw papaya and crushed spices; and lobster cooked with black peppercorn, citrus, garlic, and tomato masala.

Leyre Pedrazuela and Paolo Belloni​

Shangri-La The Shard has made two key kitchen appointments. Bake Off: The Professionals contestant Leyre Pedrazuela joins as head pastry chef. Originally from Spain, Pedrazuela has cooked in some of the UK’s best known hotels and restaurants including the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London, Pennyhill Park and ‘Batman restaurant’ Park Row. The chef has been charged with creating a new dessert menu for the London Bridge-based hotel’s TĪNG Restaurant as well as revamping Shangri-La The Shard’s afternoon tea offer. Joining the hotel as executive chef is the Italian-born Paolo Belloni. Having trained under chefs including Marco Garfagnini and Gualtiero Marchesi, Belloni has worked in kitchens across the world and will bring this experience to the hotel’s TĪNG restaurant. 

Daniel Bunce​

German Doner Kebab has appointed Daniel Bunce as its new Global COO to spearhead the brand’s global expansion plans. Bunce is promoted to the role from his current position as managing director for German GDK UK and Europe. Since joining 2018, he has been instrumental in the leadership team, bringing outstanding momentum to the brand and helping position GDK as one of the fastest-growing restaurant chains in the UK. His promotion follows a busy 2021 where the brand opened 39 new restaurants throughout the UK, with plans to open a further 78 restaurants this year.