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In the run-up to St Patrick’s Day, we proudly present our ninth annual Murphia List, in association with Bord Bia, showcasing the Irish talent contributing to the creativity of London’s food and drink scene.
Chefs
NEW – Adam Nevin
Head Chef- The Grill at The Dorchester
Hailing from Kildare, Adam trained at the much-vaunted Ballymaloe Cookery School before beginning his career in hospitality. The Shelbourne in Dublin was his first hotel, and from there he moved to Alyn Williams at The Westbury. After time spent working with Tom Kerridge at The Hand and Flowers, he then joined The Grill at The Dorchester as sous chef and was promoted to head chef in January 2023.
Follow Adam on Instagram at @adam.nevin
NEW – Fionnan Flood
Head Chef- The Chelsea Pig
Now heading up this Chelsea gastropub’s kitchens, Fionnan credits his mother and grandmother back in Graystones, County Wicklow for sparking his interest in cooking. Since moving to London in 2007 he learned his craft working for Gordon Ramsay at The Maze Grill and Richard Corrigan at Lindsay House before heading up kitchens at the swanky Arts Club and Riding House Cafe. He has a real passion for food history, which is channelled through his menu at The Chelsea Pig, where classic dishes are reimagined with a modern twist.
NEW – Conor Gadd
Chef Owner- Trullo
At just sixteen, Belfast-born Conor found himself working under Michelin-starred chef Paul Rankin at the city’s Roscoff restaurant and says that this early introduction to fine dining showed him what he needed to work at the highest levels in the restaurant industry. Later, following university, he went to Ballymaloe where he was further inspired by their local produce-driven, ingredient-led cooking. From here it was off to London, working at the newly-opened Terroirs, then moving to Trullo in Islington when he wanted to learn the business side of restaurants too. He’s been head chef here now for over 10 years and as Chef Owner runs every aspect of the business.
Follow Trullo on Instagram at @trullo_restaurant
NEW – Diarmuid Goodwin
Head Chef- Sager + Wilde
Diarmuid grew up just outside Belfast but it was the time he spent on his grandparents’ dairy farm in County Tyrone that really kickstarted his love affair with cooking and produce. After joining the hospitality business at the tender age of 15 working at Nick’s Warehouse in Belfast, he moved to London to apprentice under Angela Hartnett, working for her for seven years before time spent with Bruno Loubet and then at Trullo in Islington. He’s now running Sager + Wilde’s Bethnal Green restaurant serving up food inspired by traditional Italian and Basque regional cooking.
Follow Diarmuid on Instagram at @diarmuidg94
Niamh Larkin
Executive Pastry Chef – 45 Park Lane
Niamh’s first food memories were drinking unpasteurised milk straight from the cows on the dairy farm she grew up on in Limerick, and eating her grandmother’s amazing homemade soda bread. Her first job in hospitality was at the Dunraven Arms in Adare where her weekend duties included covering pastry duty, a job which further inspired her love of baking. Now at the Dorchester Group, she was part of the opening team for their 45 Park Lane hotel where celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck “has given me free rein when it comes to being creative and sharing ideas”.
Follow Niamh on Instagram at @niamhlarkin_pastry
Max Rocha
Chef Owner of Café Cecilia
Max is the chef and owner of Café Cecilia, an East London neighbourhood restaurant serving simple and European-inspired food. Having previously worked at restaurants such as The River Café and St John Bread & Wine, Max’s cooking takes inspiration from what’s in season around him. Dubliner Max’s greatest influence is the cooking of his mum Odette and the food he grew up with in Ireland. Cafe Cecilia has been a runaway success since opening, garnering glowing reviews from the critics.
Follow Max on Instagram at @cafececilialondon.
Kenneth Culhane
Head Chef: The Dysart
Originally from Lisselton, North Kerry, Roux scholar Kenneth has a wealth of experience behind him. He’s worked for Patrick Guilbaud in Ireland, Tetsuya Wakuda in Sydney and Jean Georges Vongerichten in New York. He’s now at the bucolic restaurant The Dysart in Richmond, which has both a Michelin star and three AA rosettes.
Follow him on Twitter @kennethculhane
Nick Fitzgerald
Chef/Patron: Tacos Padre
Originally from Dublin, Nick is also half Spanish – his mother hails from Asturias in the north of Spain. A longtime fan of all things Mexican, his restaurant career eventually took him to Mexico City where he joined the team at Pujol, one of Mexico’s most celebrated restaurants. Now he has his own taqueria in London’s Borough Market. Tacos Padre is a very modern taqueria with a focus on traditional cooking techniques, exploring Mexico through its different regional cuisines. They change the menu on a regular basis and take in the seasonal produce directly from Borough Market.
Follow Nick on Instagram @nicholaspfg
Fiona Hannon
Head Chef: Bentley’s
Born in Bray, Country Wicklow, Fiona came early to the hospitality trade, starting as a kitchen porter in a local hotel during the school holidays when she was 15. She moved to London to work for Richard Corrigan where she took the position as demi-head de partie at Corrigan’s much-lauded Lindsay House. From there she helped open Bentley’s in Dublin, then Corrigan’s Mayfair and is now at Bentley’s in London where she is head chef. Referring to her long-term working relationship with Corrigan as a ‘life sentence’, she says he gives her “the freedom and space to get on with my job.”
Follow Bentley’s on Instagram @bentleysoysterbar
Anna Haugh
Chef Patron: Myrtle Restaurant
Anna Haugh began her career in her home town of Dublin at L’Ecrivain with Derry Clarke. She then moved to London where she worked for Shane Osborne at Pied a Terre, Philip Howard at The Square, and then for the Gordon Ramsay Group. In May 2019, she opened Myrtle Restaurant in Chelsea. The name Myrtle was inspired by the Irish chef Myrtle Allen, founder of Ballymaloe House. Anna takes inspiration from old Irish recipes, culture and stories to create a modern Irish cuisine that still has the heartbeat of home. In Myrtle Restaurant there is a large focus on great Irish produce, music and art.
Last year she returned to Dublin to open a pop-up at The Conrad (which runs until the end of April 2023). She’s also a regular on television, as the resident chef on the breakfast show Morning Live and became the new judge on Masterchef The Professionals last summer.
Follow Anna on Instagram @haughser
Colin Kelly
Head Chef: The Twenty Two
Hailing from Tullamore, Colin began his career at Dublin’s L’Ecrivain before deciding to move to London ‘for one year’. That was 16 years ago. In that time, Kelly spent eight years with Anthony Demetre, where he became Head Chef at Wild Honey. Then, alongside Tom Slegg and Alan Christie, he opened the highly-rated Picture restaurant on Great Portland Street and Picture Marylebone (both now closed) and later, he was Executive Chef at the Corrigan Collection. Colin is now Head Chef of new Mayfair hotel, restaurant and members’ club The Twenty Two where he’s teamed up once again with Alan Christie to run the kitchen.
Follow the Twenty Two on Instagram @the22.london
Marguerite Keogh
Head Chef: The Five Fields
County Clare born and bred Marguerite Keogh apprenticed at Dromoland Castle hotel before heading across the water to London. For five years she worked alongside Marcus Wareing – first at Petrus and then at Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley. She then launched The Five Fields in Chelsea with Taylor Bonnyman and quickly gained a Michelin star.
Follow her on Twitter @magschef
Dave McCarthy
Head Chef: Scott’s
From Midleton, County Cork, Dave caught the restaurant bug working in a family-run restaurant and moved to London when he was 22 to work at The Ivy. He stayed there for two years before moving to Harvey Nichols to work for Henry Harris as Chef de Partie. From here he moved to J Sheekey under Tim Hughes where he worked for nine years. In 2006 he was in the team that helped to relaunch Scott’s and has been Head Chef here since 2009.
Follow Dave on Instagram @maccer73.
Patrick Powell
Head chef: Allegra and Midland Grand Dining Room
Originally from Killala, Co. Mayo, Patrick’s career spans both sides of the Irish Sea and started under the tutorship of acclaimed Irish chef Derry Clarke at L’Ecrivain in Dublin. Following time at Cutler & Co. in Melbourne, Patrick moved to London where he worked firstly with Anthony Demetre at Wild Honey, then as Head Chef of Chiltern Firehouse, under the creative direction of Nuno Mendes. In 2019 and with the support of developer and hotelier Harry Handelsman, Patrick opened his first restaurant, the acclaimed Allegra in Stratford. This year he opens a second restaurant with Handelsman, the Midland Grand Dining Room at St Pancras Renaissance Hotel.
Follow him on Instagram @ppowellchef
Clare Smyth MBE
Chef Patron: Core by Clare Smyth
Born on a farm in Country Antrim, Clare Smyth MBE moved to England at the age of 16, building a career that included working at Alain Ducasse’s Le Louis XV in Monaco and with Gordon Ramsay for 13 years. Clare is the first and only British female chef to hold three Michelin stars and is only the second chef in history to hold three hats at the same time for her restaurant Oncore by Clare Smyth in Sydney, Australia. Her first restaurant, Core opened in August 2017 in Notting Hill. The restaurant is an elegant, fine dining restaurant with an emphasis on natural sustainable food, sourced from the UK’s most dedicated farmers and food producers.
Follow her on Instagram @chefclaresmyth
Restaurateurs
Richard Corrigan
Chef Patron of Corrigan Collection, which operates Bentley’s Oyster Bar and Grill, Corrigan’s Mayfair and Daffodil Mulligan in London, as well as the 100-acre Virginia Park Lodge and Park Cafe in Dublin.
Dublin-born, but raised in Meath, Corrigan is one of the leading forces among the Irish in London’s hospitality industry, running Bentley’s in Piccadilly, the eponymous Corrigan’s in Mayfair and Daffodil Mulligan in Old Street, which saw him partner with John Nugent and Tony Gibney. All three of Corrigan’s restaurants are supplied with vegetables, fruit and salads from his Irish estate, Virginia Park Lodge in Cavan. Most recently he opened The Park Cafe in Dublin’s swanky Ballsbridge district.
Follow him on Instagram @chefcorrigan
Sinead Campbell
Restaurateur: Bong Bong’s Manila Kanteen
“Growing up in Ireland has always been a huge inspiration for me,” says Sinead, who’s from a farming family background in Galway. “However we wouldn’t be where we are today without the support and influence of Lee’s mother Leah. She introduced me to Filipino food 15 years ago and we’ve never looked back.” Sinead and her partner Lee Johnson scored critical success with their restaurant, Bong Bong’s Manila Kanteen when it opened in Bethnal Green before moving to its current home at Seven Dials in Covent Garden where its crispy pork with Lechon sauce is unmissable.
More: Follow them on Instagram @bongbongshackney
John Devitt
Owner: Koya
Former city boy (and Dubliner) John learned his trade in the kitchen with Giorgio Locatelli at Zafferano and front of house at Pengelley’s. He opened Koya in 2010 after being inspired by a Parisian restaurant devoted to the udon noodle, having cunningly spotted that London was undersupplied in decent noodle joints. Koya Bar followed pretty smartly after and both developed an almost fanatical fan base. Koyo Soho was joined by Koya City which opened at the Bloomberg Arcade. Koya have also opened a little sister called Koya KO in Broadway Market in East London, with a fully online menu for takeaway and delivery.
Garrett Fitzgerald
Restaurateur: Butchies
Originally from Bray, Garrett founded Butchies in 2013 with the intention of creating the ultimate fried chicken sandwich for London’s street food scene. In November 2017 he opened his first permanent restaurant, in Shoreditch. Since then, he’s opened further sites all across London. The company’s next opening will be in March 2023 when they open at the new Market Halls Canary Wharf serving up their sandwiches, award-winning buffalo wings and more.
Follow them on Instagram @butchies_london
Robin and Sarah Gill
Restaurateurs and chef: Bermondsey Larder, Sorella, Darby’s and Zebra Riding Club/Birch and Bottle & Rye
Both from Dublin, this powerhouse restaurant couple are now responsible for a boutique group of restaurants across South London. Robin earned his stripes working at La Stampa in Dublin, The Oak Room with Marco Pierre White and under Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons. Their first restaurant, The Dairy in Clapham, was a massive success (it later became the Bermondsey Larder when it moved) and led to the opening of Sorella in the same area. In 2019 they opened Darby’s in Embassy Gardens right beside the American Embassy along with a bakery and grill in Brentford, Rye by the Water. Next, Robin went out of London to the lifestyle hotel Birch, in Hertfordshire where he now has a bakery, two restaurants and three bars. And last year the pair scored again with the opening of their Parisian-inspired wine bar Bottle + Rye in Brixton.
Follow Robin on Instagram @robin.gill.food
Brian Hannon
Restaurateur: Super 8 Restaurants – Smoking Goat, Kiln, Brat, Brat x Climpsons Arch
Dubliner Brian Hannon came to London as a graduate working for Bass where he worked for 18 years, eventually running over 400 sites. He then spent two years as Selfridges Food & Restaurants director before teaming up with Ben Chapman to open Smoking Goat. They now co-own the Super 8 Restaurants group. Super 8’s partnership with Tomos Parry operates the Brat restaurants in Shoreditch and London fields. This summer sees the opening of the group’s next opening with Tomos Parry in Soho. And a future opening with Kiln’s Meedu Saad and Luke Pyper already has Londoners excited. Hannon is also a founding board member of the Soho Business Alliance, supporting predominately independent hospitality and retail operators throughout Soho.
Follow Smoking Goat on Instagram @smokinggoatbar
David Moore
Founding Director: Pied à Terre
Moore was born in Monaghan and got his first taste of the trade working in his mother’s hotel. Having worked everywhere from The Box Tree in Ilkley to Le Manoir Aux Quat’ Saisons, when Moore opened Pied à Terre in 1991 he achieved almost instant success – the restaurant won its first Michelin star 13 months later and retains it to this day. The restaurant now has a first-floor Chef’s Table and Cookery School and has garnered plaudits for its particularly inventive vegan offering.
Moore is also behind The Devereux pub, which he runs with publican Tony Bennett, just off The Strand.
Follow him on Twitter @davidpied
John Nugent
CEO: Green & Fortune
Having learned his craft as MD of Corrigan Restaurants and at Searcy’s, Dublin-born Nugent was clearly the right man to take over the catering at King’s Place in King’s Cross. There he runs the riverside restaurant, Rotunda, King’s Place Events and the Green & Fortune Cafe. Across town at Sea Containers, he has a restaurant, bars, event and roof terrace spaces and his company is behind the hospitality, conferencing and cafe operation at Central Hall Westminster and the newly opened Rose Court Events space with spectacular views over the river on the South Bank. He’s also a partner with Richard Corrigan and Tony Gibney in Daffodil Mulligan and its downstairs bar, Gibney’s London. Out of town, he’s just launched a new place in Edinburgh, Patina which combines a bakery, restaurant and bar with a music venue.
Follow John on Twitter @_JohnNugent
Ciara O’Shea and Ken Nally
Owners: F. Mondays
Born in Tipperary to a family of butchers (her brother Darragh is also on this list), Ciara is a makeup artist by trade – she’s worked with folk like Madonna and Jaden Smith. But when the pandemic put paid to photoshoots and travelling, she had time to refocus on the grocery and coffee store that she and husband Ken opened in Brixton eight years ago. F Mondays has a stellar reputation in Brixton for being a great place to sit and have a quiet natter with friends over a coffee. Ken is from Wicklow and grew up on his dad’s trout farm in Annamoe, where he learned early about running a business. When it came to opening F Mondays, he had a clear idea of what he wanted it to be – great coffee and delicious simple products like their famous toasted sandwiches. Most recently, they’ve opened a second F Mondays, also in Brixton.
Follow them on Instagram @fmondayscoffee
Mark and Alan Wogan
Directors: Homeslice
The sons of the late, legendary Sir Terry, Alan and Mark Wogan’s pizza business Homeslice, has gone from strength to strength since it moved from street food status in 2013, celebrating its 10 birthday this May. The siblings have also founded plant-based food company Symplicity Foods in partnership with chef Neil Rankin, supplying a number of restaurant groups including Dishoom, Bleecker Burger, Gordon Ramsey, Tom Kerridge, Cubitt House Group and Soho House. This year will see Symplicity move into retail. The duo both bring different talents to the table – Mark used to be executive chef at The Groucho and Alan runs the business side of things for the group.
Follow Mark Wogan on Instagram @markwogan13.
Pubs, bars and cafés
NEW – Colin Maher
Group Bar Manager – JKS Pubs
Dublin-born Colin first got into pub work while studying at UCD, including time spent at the Guinness Storehouse. After college, he went over to NYC working in various sports bars before moving to London where he joined The Rushmore Group, bartending in Redhook and Giant Robot. Next up was eight years as Head Bartender at Hawksmoor followed by his current job which saw him open The Cadogan Arms in Chelsea as assistant bar manager for JKS Restaurants, then the George Public House and Upstairs at The George as Bar Manager. He now looks over all beverage aspects of both pubs as Group Bar Manager.
James Hennebry
Co-founder Rosslyn Coffee
Kilkenny-born James Hennebry began his career in the music industry with Live Nation before swapping his late nights for early mornings and moving into the world of speciality coffee. Having honed his coffee skills in Melbourne, James relocated to London to work with Caravan Coffee Roasters. In 2018, alongside his business partner Mat Russell, James launched Rosslyn in the City of London, a collection of three award-winning speciality coffee shops which are now well-established as being among the most highly regarded and busiest in the world. Over the past twelve months, Rosslyn has been named Best Independent Coffee Shop in Europe while Rosslyn Tower 42 was listed as a finalist for Best New Café in the World.
Follow James on Instagram at @rosslyncoffee.
Gearoid Devaney
Founder: The Black Book
Gearoid left his hometown of Belfast 20 years ago to immerse himself in the world of wine – initially working in the vineyards of Bordeaux and as a sommelier in one, two and three Michelin-starred restaurants in both London and Paris. Now director of Burgundy specialist importer Flint Wines, Gearoid is also co-owner of Cabotte, a Burgundy-centric restaurant in the City and recently opened The Black Book, a wine bar on Frith Street in Soho. One of only 220 Master Sommeliers, and the only Irish one, Gearoid also sits on the Board for the Court of Master Sommeliers, setting exam papers, teaching courses both in Europe and Asia and guiding the next generation of sommeliers through the rigorous exam programme.
Follow Gearoid on Instagram @gearoiddevaney
Cormac Gibney
Bar Manager: Gibney’s London
Born and bred in Dublin, Cormac was literally born into the hospitality industry, specifically above his family pub, Gibney’s of Malahide. Cormac spent his teenage years helping his family in the pub before moving to New York in 2016. Here Cormac expanded his drinks knowledge and mixology skills while working at Pier A Harbour House and CASK. In 2018, he moved back to Ireland where he was appointed Assistant Bar Manager of Gibney’s. In November 2019, Cormac moved to London to become Bar Manager of Daffodil Mulligan, and now Gibney’s London. The launch of Gibney’s London marked the family’s first international outpost since its opening in 1937.
Follow Gibney’s London on Instagram @gibneys.london
Aaron Wall and Ciarán Smith
Owners: Homeboy, The Bottle Cocktail Shop
Ciarán and Aaron, owners of Homeboy Bar in London, have gone from strength to strength since opening their first London bar in 2018. They’ve been nominated for Best New International Cocktail Bar and Top 10 Best International Cocktail Bar Europe and – fighting talk this – say they pour the best pint of Guinness in London. Their latest opening is The Bottle Cocktail Shop in Islington Square which sells their range of 10 bottled cocktails and a curated selection of wines and spirits.
Follow Homeboy on Instagram @homeboybars.
Front of House
NEW – Michael Lynch
Head Butler- Claridge’s
Michael hails from Rathcannon, outside the village of Athlacca in Limerick. He studied at the Rockwell Hotel and Catering School in County Tipperary and first joined Claridge’s hotel in 1976. Homesick for Ireland, he left after three months but realising that he missed the hotel (and a certain North London football club), he returned to London the following year and has been part of the Claridge’s world ever since. For Michael, “Claridge’s is a place where dreams come true. It is more than a job for me. It is a lovely place to work” and he is known for his attention to detail. A firm favourite with guests and staff alike, Michael’s fame spread when he featured in the original ‘Inside Claridge’s’ BBC documentary which aired in 2012, and the more recent ‘The Mayfair Hotel Megabuild’ that was shown earlier this year.
Follow Claridge’s on Instagram at @claridgeshotel
NEW – Olivia MacGowan
Assistant General Manager- Humo
Born in the small seaside village of Enniscrone in Sligo, the daughter of one of the town’s two butchers, Olivia and her siblings were all roped in to help with the local golf club dos at the weekends. So it’s perhaps no surprise every one became involved in hospitality. While studying in Dublin Olivia caught the bug for fine dining while working part-time in Cooke’s Café and then Avoca Café before moving to London 14 years ago. Her first job here was with friends at the Anglesea Arms in Hammersmith, and then she ended up at Portland as part of the opening team, before moving on to open Clipstone. After a stint at Scott’s as a Maitre D, she found she missed being on the restaurant floor and moved to become GM of Scully St. James’ Market. Now she’s part of the launch team for The Creative Restaurant group’s hot new opening Humo.
Follow Olivia on Instagram at @oliviagrew
Richie Corrigan
Managing Director: The Corrigan Collection
From an early age, Richie Corrigan has had hospitality in his blood – working at father Richard Corrigan’s restaurants during his school holidays, doing everything from pot-washing at Lindsay House to being a waiter at Bentley’s. Following a stint as Assistant GM at Corrigan’s Mayfair overseeing the launch of Dickie’s Bar, he moved to Hong Kong where he worked as Restaurant Manager of Belon the year it got its first Michelin star. He’s now working across the whole Corrigan Collection including Corrigan’s Mayfair, Bentley’s Oyster Bar & Grill, Daffodil Mulligan in London and The Park Cafe and Virginia Park Lodge in Ireland
Follow Richie on Instagram @richiecoggs
Conor Daly
General Manager: The George
Greystones-born Conor moved to London after studying at Trinity College, Dublin. Having worked in hospitality throughout school and college the decision to move to London came after a meal at Robin Gill’s The Dairy in Clapham ended up with a job offer to work at the highly rated The Dairy. Next up was two years alongside chef Patrick Powell as manager of Allegra in Stratford. Conor’s now part of top London restaurant group JKS for whom he opened The Cadogan Arms in Chelsea. Right now, his days are spent in Fitzrovia, where he’s working at The George with the key goal of establishing the pub as serving one of the best pints of Guinness in London. To that end, they recently did a collaboration with The Gravediggers in Dublin.
Follow Conor on Instagram @conor_daly_49
Fergal Lee
GM: The Wolseley
Fergal first came to London in 1996 after graduating from the Galway Hotel School in Ireland. He worked within Forte Hotels for several years before joining O’Neill’s Bars as a manager in 1998. Fergal joined J. Sheekey in 2001 and then moved to The Wolseley’s opening team in 2003 as a Head Waiter. Having worked his way up to Restaurant Operations Manager, he opened The Delaunay as Assistant General Manager in 2011 and was appointed General Manager there in January 2013. In December 2018, Fergal returned to Piccadilly and The Wolseley in the role of General Manager. Next up? He’ll be opening The Wolseley City later on this year.
Shane McHugh
Wine Buyer/Group Head Sommelier: Goodman/Zelman Meats/Beast
Roscommon native, Shane, came to London in 2014 after a brief stint in New York and started in wine with a job at Vinoteca, which followed a tour de force working for Jason Atherton, Gordon Ramsay & Adam Handling. In 2019 he headed over to steak restaurant Goodman. He was promoted to buyer in early 2020 and is now overseeing the wine lists, operations and group buying for all six of the Goodman restaurants.
Follow Shane on Instagram @corkageandcraic.
Oisin Rogers
Publican and restaurateur
A publican of 35 years, Sligo-born Oisín is perhaps best known for his long stint at the Guinea Grill, where he turned the venue from a traditional mainstay to a cult destination. Those with a longer memory will recall his time at the Ship Wandsworth, where its crazy parties and top menu made it the place to be. More recently helped set up the Audley – a pub favoured by His Majesty The King – and it is said he is the reason that it now serves the best pint of Guinness in Mayfair.
Fans of the steaks he served at The Guinea will be pleased to learn he is currently planning to open a new pub and restaurant in The West End later this year, partnering with Flatiron’s Charlie Carroll. With a reputation for great hospitality (and knowing seemingly everyone in London) fans will be looking forward to visiting his new place for great steaks and a perfect pint of the black stuff.
Follow Osh on Instagram @mcmoop
Joe Warwick
“Vieille Prune Dispenser” – Bouchon Racine
Joe hails from County Down and has written about restaurants, food, drink and travel. He has worked in print as a restaurant critic and magazine editor, on radio as a reporter for the BBC Radio 4 Food Programme, and on TV once suffered as a judge on Celebrity MasterChef. He was also the author of an article in Restaurant magazine in 2001 which went on to spawn The World’s 50 Best franchise. Where Chefs Eat, his bestselling international restaurant guide and iOS app, first appeared in 2012 and is currently in its 3rd edition. In 2019, he launched The World Restaurant Awards in Paris. Mid-pandemic, after 20 years out of the game, he returned to working FOH and, as Restaurant Manager at Sola in Soho, and was part of team that gained its Michelin Star in 2021. He’s currently helping haul the blackboard and pour from a Jeroboam of Vieille Prune, at the widely acclaimed Bouchon Racine in Farringdon.
You’ll occasionally find him trolling Jay Rayner on Twitter @joewarwick
Behind the scenes
NEW – Shayne Brady
Co-founder and Director of Hospitality- BradyWilliams
Born in County Kildare, Shayne had a passion for art and design from an early age. Having trained in Dublin, he moved to London to pursue a career in interior design where he co-founded the design studio BradyWilliams with his business partner Emily Williams in 2013. While the studio is known for both its residential and hospitality work, in just ten years he has been responsible for the design of some of London’s best-known restaurants including Fischer’s, Bob Bob Ricard Cite and The Maine. Key to his vision is creating an emotional connection to the space with a layered approach to materiality. Having just been awarded Global Restaurant Design 2022 for The Aubrey at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, he’ll next be seen on a guest judge spot for the BBC Interior Design Masters show.
Follow BradyWilliams on Instagram at @bradywilliamshospitality
NEW – Andrew Fowler
Acquisitions Director – edyn and co-founder Locke and Birch
Originally from Dalkey, Andrew has been here in the UK since 2011 working in the hospitality industry. He was co-founder of Urban Villa in 2013 and, two years later, Locke which has proved to be a game-changer in London with their aparthotels featuring interesting bars and restaurants as part of the mix. Andrew then went on to co-found Birch in 2018, a rural lifestyle retreat in Hertfordshire where the food side of things is run by fellow Murphia list chef Robin Gill. Birch have a new hotel about to open this year in Croydon and Andrew is currently instrumental in edyn’s growth in both the UK and Europe.
Follow Locke on Instagram at @lockehotels
Darren McHugh
Operations Manager- MJMK Restaurants
Having studied at University College Dublin and the Smurfit Graduate Business School, Dublin-born Darren now works at boutique restaurant group MJMK overseeing Santiago Lastra’s KOL, Nuno Mendes’ Lisboeta and the upcoming AngloThai with John and Desiree Chantarasak. He previously worked as General Manager of The Ledbury as well as at Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley and Adam Byatt’s Trinity. What’s less well known is that he also used to be an actor and writer working in theatre, film, television and radio.
Follow Darren on Instagram at @darrenlmchugh
Molly Hutchinson
Founder – MIAM Management, Event Director of Meatopia
Born in Dublin, Molly got her first taste of hospitality with a job in the local wine shop. After that, she moved to Taste Festivals where she worked on their roster of global events. In 2018 she set up her own company MIAM Management, a creative culinary agency which represents and manages a growing roster of chefs including Lee Tiernan, Brad Carter and fellow Murphia Lister Robin Gill among others. Molly now produces and directs Meatopia, the annual live-fire celebration in Tobacco Docks. This summer they are celebrating the event’s 10th birthday.
Follow Molly on Instagram @mollyhutchinson
Fiona Leahy
Founder: Fiona Leahy Design
It’s a long way from growing up in Tipperary to creating memorable parties for London’s fashion set but hospitality has always been in Fiona Leahy’s family. As a child, she helped out in her parents’ hotel in Cashel where her father was the chef. After running off to New York where she worked for stylist Patti Wilson, she returned to London in the early 1990s becoming assistant creative director at Garrard. Since then she’s become famous herself for the events she’s thrown for others – not least the wedding of Dita Von Teese and Marilyn Manson at Gurteen Castle in Ireland. Now she’s most likely to be found curating the most exquisite tablescapes at an event in Claridge’s or Daphne’s.
Follow Fiona on Instagram @fionaleahydesign.
Sinead Mallozzi
CEO: sketch
With a background in hotel management – at one point she was the youngest and only female London hotel General Manager – Sinead, who’s from County Clare, moved into events when she created London’s first ice rink whilst working for Somerset House. Now as CEO of the sketch empire in London, including its three-Michelin-starred restaurant, she does charity work for Place2Be, and also for Hospitality Action. During lockdown, she wrote a coffee book on sketch which will be released in April 2023. It’s been all change at Sketch recently with the renowned British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare and architect India Mahdavi transforming the space with a new installation of artworks and interiors.
The producers
NEW: Dee Rettali
Owner – Fortitude Bakehouse
Artisan baker Dee was born in North Cork but has lived and worked in London since the late Eighties, developing award-winning businesses like Patisserie Organic and the Fernandez & Wells group. In 2018 she opened her own bakery, Fortitude Bakehouse, a craft bakery in Bloomsbury where her groundbreaking techniques include using sourdough in cake making and fermenting cake batters for incredible depth of flavour. Dee has just published her first baking book Baking with Fortitude which won the prestigious André Simon award and was shortlisted for the Fortnum & Mason Awards and Food Writers Guild for best new book. The big news for Fortitude is that they’re opening a flagship bakery in central London this summer.
Follow Dee on Instagram @fortitudebakehouse.
James Goggin
Head of Sales: Empirical
James first entered the hospitality world in his hometown in Carlow, working in bars, hotels and clubs from the age of 16. But it was New Zealand where he properly fell in love with the industry, running top bars and winning cocktail competitions. Returning to London, after a short bartending stint at Happiness Forgets in Hoxton he became an ambassador for drinks distributor Maverick Drinks, training up hundreds of bartenders. He judges whisky, cognac and rum for the IWSC, World Drinks Awards and Spirits Masters and is a keen advocate of Irish spirits on the UK bar scene. He now heads up sales at the category-defying Danish distillers Empirical, they are just about to release a new Sorghum-based spirit called Soka!
Follow James on Instagram @barrelagedgoggin
Simon Lamont
Owner: Rocks Oysters
Dublin-born Simon Lamont’s Rocks Oysters has had another busy year establishing itself as a boutique oyster wholesaler and events company, focusing on low-yield independent farms from Britain and Ireland; supplying some of London’s most exciting restaurants. True to its street food roots, they popped up and collaborated at Meatliquor, the National Restaurant Awards, Meatopia & Maison Francois.
You can find them shucking London’s briniest at Canopy Market in Kings Cross every weekend. And they’ve just gone on sale on artisan food website Delli.
Follow him on Instagram @RocksOysters.
Evin O’Riordain
Founder: The Kernel Brewery
Indisputably one of the leaders of London’s modern craft beer scene, Evin arrived in London in 1999 from Waterford. For years he worked at Neal’s Yard Dairy before setting up his own cheese shop at Borough Market. A trip to New York inspired him to start homebrewing which led to opening his brewery in an arch at Druid Street by Maltby Street Market back in 2009. Now he’s producing thousands of barrels a year and Kernel beer is stocked in restaurants all over London from Andrew Edmunds to Hawksmoor. Kernel also has a popular taproom in Bermondsey just a few doors down from their brewery.
Follow them on Instagram @thekernelbrewery
Darragh O’Shea
Owner: O’Shea’s Butchers
Darragh is the 8th generation of his family involved in the meat business, which originated in Tipperary back in 1789. Today, he works with some of the top restaurants in London, supplying the best meat to the restaurant trade as well as serving up to the public at the Apollo Business Park in Bermondsey and online from their new website. The butchers specialise in ethically sourced meat, particularly dry-aged beef, whether from their own farm in Perthshire or other like-minded suppliers in the UK and Ireland.
Follow them on Instagram @osheasbutchers
Steve Ryan
Food Photographer – Founder of Root + Bone and 40FT Brewery and Director at Acme Fire Cult.
Steve Ryan is a food & drink photographer from Kilkenny. He moved to East London in 2010 where he founded 40ft Brewery in Dalston as well as Root + Bone magazine. He is now Managing Director of 40ft Brewery and a Director of new Dalston restaurant Acme Fire Cult with a portfolio of photography clients that include Guinness, Tabasco and Jamie Oliver.
Follow Steve on Instagram @_steveryan_
Media
Jessica Corrigan
Co-Founder: Crab Communications
The middle child of chef and restaurateur Richard Corrigan, Jess entered the London food world through the media angle. In January 2019, she launched her own PR agency, CRAB Communications, with friends Tess Berry and Tom Rogers. Jess and her team work with a range of food businesses and chefs including; Paul Ainsworth, Tommy Banks, Blacklock, Fallow, BiBi and Philip Warren Butchers.
Follow Jessica on Instagram @jesscorrigan1
Diana Henry
Food writer and broadcaster
Born in Northern Ireland, Diana’s been cooking since the tender age of six. In her early career as a TV producer, during which she took a year out to do a Leith’s Diploma Course, she worked on many of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s series. Following parenthood, she started writing about food and is now the author of 12 acclaimed cookery books. Her latest book – From the Oven to the Table – was an instant bestseller. She is currently working on her new book, North, due to be published in 2024 and, as the cookery writer for The Telegraph, shares the most amazing recipes in the paper every week.
Follow Diana on Twitter@dianahenryfood and Instagram @dianahenryfood
Niamh Shields
Food & travel writer and cookbook author – Eat like a girl
A Londoner for over 21 years, Niamh hails originally from Dungarvan in Co Waterford. Originally known for her globetrotting food adventures, you are most likely to find Niamh exploring forests now and foraging near her home and wherever she finds herself. Having retired her award-winning blog Eat Like a Girl after 15 years, Niamh now writes a newsletter, Nourish, in which she shares her recipes and encourages readers to reconnect with nature, each other and their wild selves. Niamh’s first book, Comfort & Spice, was published in 2011. Her second, Bacon the Cookbook is now on sale. Most recently you may have seen her showcasing her food on Channel 4s Sunday Brunch.
Follow Niamh on Instagram @eatlikeagirl or Twitter @eatlikeagirl
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