Ahead of one of the most anticipated openings of the year, Adam Handling has announced award-winner Adam Simmonds as the Executive Head Chef of Adam Handling Chelsea, the main restaurant in the Belmond Cadogan Hotel, opening this December.
Whilst Handling, as Chef Patron, will be overseeing the food and beverage operations for the entire hotel (the restaurant, bar, Cadogan Tea Lounge, private dining, breakfast, events, and room service), Simmonds (pictured) will take responsibility for the day-to-day running of Adam Handling Chelsea. The chefs will be collaborating daily on the restaurant’s menus and setting the high standards the Adam Handling Group has become known for.
Handling said, ‘I’m really looking forward to working together with Adam – I’ve been following his career for a while now and I love his style of food, it’s very similar to mine. We were having a drink recently and were chatting about working together and realised it would actually work really well.
'Adam’s got great experience and I always say, “if you want to produce the best and be the best, you surround yourself with greatness”. I believe that Adam is going to be a great asset to the Adam Handling Group.’
Simmonds said, ‘I loved the idea of working with Adam and Belmond – they’re two well-known and well-loved companies and I really believe in their vision for the hotel. I’ve been in the industry a long time, in restaurants and hotels, and I think that experience will help to create something special for guests at Adam Handling Chelsea.’
Having spent 29 years in some of the UK’s finest restaurants and hotels, Simmonds brings with him a wealth of experience to enhance the offering at Adam Handling Chelsea.
Simmonds began his career at the iconic Le Gavroche, before going on to perfect his craft at establishments including The Ritz Restaurant, Les Saveurs under Marco Pierre White and later Jean-Cristophe Novelli, L’Escargot, and Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons under Raymond Blanc.
Over the course of his career, Simmonds has worked at establishments with an impressive total of nine Michelin stars, including his time as Head/Executive Chef at The Bath Priory Hotel, Launceston Place, Ynyshir Hall, and Adam Simmonds at Danesfield House, where the restaurant was listed amongst the top 13 UK restaurants.
Other notable achievements for Simmonds include winning Hotel Chef of the Year at the 2011 Cateys Awards, reaching the semi-finals of the British Culinary Federation’s Chef of the Year competition, and being tipped by the Good Food Guide as one of the top ten chefs to watch this decade.
In 2014, Simmonds represented London and the South East on the BBC’s Great British Menu, becoming a finalist where he cooked a course for war veterans in St Paul’s Cathedral on the 70th anniversary of D-Day.
(image: Joakim Blockstrom)