People on the move: July 2022

Retreat East

Adam Spicer (pictured above) has been appointed head chef at Suffolk-based Retreat East. He will oversee the food at Retreat East’s restaurant The Great Barn with a menu that focuses on sustainability using produce picked from its kitchen garden. “My aim is to produce local and sustainable food focusing on seasonal produce that works with local farmers, producers, and suppliers. As a team, we plan to focus our efforts primarily around the incredible kitchen garden,” he says. Spicer’s CV includes sous chef at The Tackroom and The Jockey Club Rooms in Newmarket and head chef at All Saints Hotel which was awarded two rosettes by the AA food guide under his tenure. He was also winner of Cambridge Chef of the Year in 2017 and reached the final 16 on MasterChef: The Professionals in 2019.

Ugly Butterfly

Adam Handling has appointed Connor Blades as head chef at Ugly Butterfly in St. Ives, Cornwall. Ugly Butterfly is Adam’s sustainable, zero-waste focused restaurant that launched at the luxurious Carbis Bay Estate last August, offering British food, inspired by Cornwall. Blades, 23, joined the Ugly Butterfly team from the opening of the restaurant as sous chef and is now taking the reins from previous head chef Jamie Park, who is taking on an exciting new role within the wider Adam Handling Restaurant Group, to be announced at a later date. Blades has spent the majority of his career within the Adam Handling Restaurant Group, joining back in 2014 as a college student when he first moved to London. He worked part-time whilst he was studying, and loved it so much that he decided to leave college to join the group's apprenticeship programme to become a qualified chef. He was part of the team that launched Handling's first independent restaurant, The Frog E1, and stayed there for over a year before leaving to gain experience at other restaurants, both in London and abroad, including Simon Rogan's Roganic and Aulis.

American Bar at The Savoy

Chelsie Bailey is joining the American Bar at The Savoy as its head bartender. The general manager of from Happiness Forgets will join the hotel on 19 July having worked at the bar London bar since January 2020. Bailey began her career in the south west of England, managing Bristol bars including Red Light and Filthy 13. In 2019, she won the Bacardi Legacy Competition. “The Savoy has always had a reputation for innovation and quality; so the role carries with it a sense of responsibility and challenge, but that is what’s so exciting about this iconic position within the bar industry,” she says. Bailey will be working alongside Andrea di Chiara, acting bar manager.

The Marksman

Lyle’s co-founder and former general manager John Ogier has joined The Marksman. Ogier joins the east London pub and restaurant after stepping away from the Shoreditch restaurant he ran with chef James Lowe in early 2021. “I’m incredibly excited to be joining the team at the Marksman later this summer and to help build on the amazing work that has been happening for years,” he says. “The opportunity to work with Tom and Jon again was a huge draw and the future looks bright as we get to work together to develop the current business and further expand it. I want to work shoulder to shoulder with the best people and lift them up as we strive to create a special place which will always start with the people we work with.”

The Montagu Arms

New Forest boutique hotel The Montagu Arms has appointed Andrew Berridge as general manager. Berridge joins the hotel from Stanbrook Abbey Hotel in Worcester, where he held the position of deputy general manager. Prior to that, he held senior positions at hotels including five star The Manor House Hotel, The Peppermill and The Stag & Huntsman. “Having wanted to work at The Montagu Arms for almost a decade, I am thrilled to take on the role of general manager,” he says.

Messums Wiltshire

Chris Warwick has joined Messums Wiltshire's team. Following the successful relaunch of the cafe and deli, Warwick has been appointed head chef of The Mess charged with launching an evening concept ​at Messums from next month. Warwick has worked in Michelin starred kitchens with the likes of Marco Pierre White, Jason Atherton and Philip Howard.

Exton Park

Robin McMillan has been named chief executive of Hampshire based Vineyard Exton Park. McMillan was most recently the managing director at Decanter and prior to that was chief executive at The Wine Society for six years and chief operating officer at Berry Bros & Rudd.

St. Ermin’s Hotel

Paolo Sanapo has joined St. Ermin’s Hotel in Westminster as its new executive chef where he oversees the food at the hotel’s signature Caxton restaurant. Sanapo has opened restaurants for properties across the globe including the W London, the Westin Abu Dhabi Golf Resort and Spa, Galeries Lafayette in Dubai, and Elements of Byron Resort and Spa in Australia. “As we enter our busy summer period, I am excited to share my colourful new menu that blends the diverse flavour combinations and techniques garnered from culinary hotspots around the world, with the traditional skills I learnt from a very young age at home in Italy,” he says.

Corinthia London

Yago Arias Doamo has been named as the new executive pastry chef at Corinthia London hotel. Doamo will work closely with Corinthia London’s executive chef André Garrett, overseeing afternoon tea in the hotel’s Crystal Moon Lounge, as well as pastry across the hotel’s restaurants and bars, including The Northall restaurant and bar, in-room dining, and private dining and events. The position marks a return to Corinthia London for the chef who spent three years there, joining the pastry team in 2012 as demi chef de partie, before rising through the ranks to junior sous chef.

The Lakes by YOO

Cotswolds estate The Lakes by YOO has expanded its leadership team with the appointment of former Chewton Glen general manager Andrew Cook as its new general manager. Cook steps into the newly created role ahead of the launch of a new collection of waterside cabins and apartments. He has worked at Chewton Glen for the past four years and has also spent time in managerial roles at Belmond, formerly Orient-Express, at The Westcliff Hotel and The Mount Nelson Hotel in South Africa. His appointment follows the launch of a collection of new waterside cabins and apartments surrounding Marley Lake at the 850-acre estate.