‘End of an era’ as Spencer Metzger moves on from The Ritz
In a statement posted to Instagram, Metzger, who first worked in The Ritz kitchen when he was just 15 and rose through the ranks to eventually become head chef, described it as the ‘end of an era’ and hinted that he would be sharing news of his next role very soon.
He said: “After 13 years of working The Ritz my time has come to move on from the amazing establishment I’ve been privileged to call home for so long.
“A journey which I will never forget, a journey which has taught me so much not only about cooking, but about true hospitality.
“As one door closes, another opens, and I look forward to sharing my next move very soon.”
Metzger also paid tribute to his colleagues including John Williams, who has led The Ritz kitchen as executive chef since 2004.
“John Williams is not only an inspiration as a chef, but a true gentleman and mentor,” he continued.
“Thank you to everyone past and present who I have had the privilege of working with, especially to Deepak Mallya [premier sous chef], Ian Musgrave [premier sous chef] and Lewis Wilson [pastry chef].”
Born in Essex, Metzger’s first experience working at The Ritz came when he completed a two-week work experience placement there when he was 15. He later joined the restaurant as an apprentice, eventually rising through the ranks to sous chef.
In 2016, after five years behind the stoves of The Ritz, Metzger left to spend a year working at L’Enclume in Cartmel as chef de partie, but returned to the London hotel in the summer 2017 as premier sous chef.
He was promoted to head chef in July 2021.
Metzger’s career is one that has been one marked by success. In 2019 he won the Roux Scholarship, which led him to complete a three-month internship at the three-Michelin starred Frantzen restaurant in Stockholm.
Then, early last year, Metzger was crowned the Great British Menu Champion of Champions having successfully taken both his fish course and his main course to the banquet, which celebrated '100 years of British broadcasting'.
Last summer, he was also named Chef to Watch at the Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards.
Speaking to Restaurant at the time, Metzger hinted that he did eventually want to open his own restaurant.
He said: “Absolutely I want to open my own place, but I don’t know what the end picture looks like yet. Everything I do is building to that moment.”
