“There was no romantic epiphany for Gary when it came to becoming a chef as a career. There wasn’t, for example, a childhood cooking moment, sitting on a grandmother’s knee that enamoured him with the process of preparing food.  It was more a case of serendipity that through a school work experience placement, he was sent to spend a week in a hotel.  Each day would see a different department – reception, bar, housekeeping and so on – the last day was spent in the kitchen.  Gary found the kitchen to be the most interesting of all, exhibiting a real team atmosphere, where the chefs were all focused on what they were doing, while still managing to have a good time.

After leaving school in the mid 1990s, Gary joined the Chester Grosvenor as a commis chef before moving to a Gary Rhodes outpost in Manchester.  Some while later, a journey south saw him invest time at Lords of the Manor under John Campbell, before some time later returning to John’s stewardship as sous chef at The Vineyard near Newbury.  In between, Gary was in London with a stint as a chef de partie under Richard Neat at the Oxo Tower and then for two years as a chef de partie for William Drabble at Aubergine.

Most recent prior to Angler, Gary found an eight-year home at the iconic The Square restaurant under Phil Howard.  Indeed, The Square tenure was split by some time spent travelling, the return prompted by a call from Phil (Howard) after the departure of his then head chef, Rob Weston, to La Trompette. Gary returned as head chef alongside Phil at the two Michelin star institution.”

Read more at Fine Dining Guide