Chef Biographies

Born in Lyons, France, Claude moved to the UK in 1997, with a CV that spans French restaurants such as ‘Raymond Point Carre’, ‘L’Arpege’ and ‘Michel Rostang’ in Paris, as well as ‘La Pyramide’ in Vienne. He settled in Shropshire, where he opened ‘Hibiscus’ in May 2000. After seven years and numerous accolades later, ‘Hibiscus’ moved to London.

Claude’s cooking style is innovative, seasonal, dedicated to supporting British produce and offers an element of surprise.

Claude opened ‘The Fox and Grapes’ pub on Wimbledon Common in early 2011 in collaboration with his brother Cedric. ‘The Fox and Grapes’ seats 80 people and showcases simple British dishes.

‘Hibiscus’ retains two Michelin Stars and features no 43 in the ‘San Pellegrino Worlds 50 Best Restaurants’.

Claudine has an Anglo-French background and trained as a professional chef at the renowned Leiths School of Food and Wine in London. Thereafter, she developed a successful career teaching and demonstrating a wide range of culinary styles and techniques at many cookery schools: Leiths School of Food and Wine, Divertimenti Cookery School and The Cookery School in Little Portland Street. Claudine also worked as a freelance chef for an exclusive London design company and provided catering for private clients.

Claudine has now settled in Wales, with her husband and young family, where she continues to teach at several cookery schools including The Bertinet Kitchen in Bath, The Chef’s Room in Bleanavon, The Cornerhouse Cookery School in Cardiff. By popular demand, she regularly returns to teach at Divertimenti. Claudine has for some time worked closely with a well known celebrity chef, creating and testing recipes for his cookery books and other media publications. She also creates recipes for a popular condiments brand, and works on a freelance basis for a food consultancy company. She is currently in the process of writing her own cookery book.

Celia Brooks Brown’s inventive style of cooking has made her an established name on the cookery shelf. Born in Colorado, USA, she moved to Britain after university. She worked for several years as a private chef for the film director Stanley Kubrick and running her own catering business.

She has written seven cookbooks, including the international bestseller New Vegetarian, and has contributed to many others. She conveys her passion for food in every way possible, through books, journalism, consulting, live demos, and has her own business called “Gastrotours”, conducting tours around London’s foodie hotspots.

Celia wrote a weekly column for The Times online called “Urban Farmer” about her allotment in North London, and a column called “Grow to Eat” for BBC Good Food Magazine. Her latest book, “New Urban Farmer”, was published in March 2010 by Quadrille. She makes regular TV appearances on the UKTV Food channel’s Market Kitchen and the BBC’s Saturday Kitchen.

Find out more at www.celiabrooksbrown.com

Adam Byatt is the Head Chef and proprietor of ‘Trinity’, in Clapham Old Town. In 2008 Trinity was named ‘London Restaurant of the Year’ at the AA Hospitality Awards as well as ‘Best Local Restaurant’ at the ‘Time Out Food and Drink Awards’. ‘Trinity’ currently holds three ‘AA Rosettes’ and in 2010 was rated in the top 10 restaurants in London by Hardens Guide.

Adam has appeared in numerous national and international style, food and drink, and trade publications. He often participates in television and radio programmes, and his regular appearances on BBC’s ‘Saturday Kitchen’ have sealed his reputation as one of Britain’s leading chefs and culinary experts. Adam’s first book ‘How to Eat In’ was published by Random House in April 2010, and has received considerable press and excellent reviews. He is currently working on his second book due to be published in early 2012.

Jenny Chandler discovered her love of Mediterranean food whilst living in Barcelona as part of her university degree course. She went on to train at Leith's School of Food and Wine before embarking upon a decade of cooking and travel.

Jenny spent many years as a chef on an Italian owned yacht and during this time lived in Spain, Italy and France and travelled extensively in the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Later, her time in Australia and America included spells preparing Director's lunches, catering, working in restaurants and feeding large families on their holidays. This has given Jenny an opportunity to gather recipes, techniques and experiences from all over the world.

More recently Jenny worked as a restaurant consultant for a Barcelona-based, Spanish boutique hotel chain. She has written two Spanish cookbooks, The Food of Northern Spain and The Real Taste of Spain and is currently working on a book about pulses.

Nowadays Jenny lives in Bristol and spends most of her time writing and teaching at her own school The Plum Cooking Company in Clifton, The Bertinet Kitchen in Bath, the W.I's Denham College and various London establishments.

Born into a family of cooks in Mexico’s vibrant capital city, Sophia inherited her family’s wholesome and creative approach to food.

Working as a food consultant, Sophia can include the 'New Convent Garden Soup Company' and the Mexican Embassy as former clients. She specialises in Mexican, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines, and has written two books and appeared on both radio and television cookery programs.

Currently living in London, with her English husband, Sophia is kept busy with teaching, cooking demonstrations, working on her second degree and training for half marathons!

Growing up in a small town in Fife, Scotland, William Curley discovered a passion for gastronomy. He trained at Gleneagles Hotel and then worked at many Michelin-starred establishments with the most respected chefs and pâtissiers in the business including Marc Meneau at L'Esperance in France, Pierre Koffman at La Tante Claire, Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons and Marco Pierre White at The Oak Restaurant. He subsequently became Chef Patissier at The Savoy where he met his wife Suzue. 

It was at just 27 that William Curley became the youngest Chef Pâtissier at The Savoy Hotel working with Anton Edelman and leading a team of 21 pastry chefs. William Curley is passionate about chocolate making and his chocolates, pâtisseries and desserts are renowned the world over. 

William and Suzue’s success led to the opening of the first ‘William Curley’ shop in Richmond in 2004 (10 Paved Court, TW9 1LZ). In November 2009, William launched his second venture in Orange Square, Belgravia. The store is ideally situated between Sloane Square and Victoria at 198 Ebury Street, SW1 and is a chocolate lover’s heaven with a simple, Japanese inspired décor that provides the perfect backdrop to a host of exquisite chocolate creations.

Born in Abruzzo, Italy, Francesca studied Italian History and Literature in Rome before embarking on a culinary career which led her to Singapore in 1994 and then New York in 1998.

Author of 'Pasta In A Wok' (Singapore 1994), culinary columnist and president of 'Erba Pepe' (A non-profit organisation for the promotion of Abruzzo culture) Francesca has found many avenues to express her passion for Italian food, language and traditions. Currently based in Milan, Francesca continues to travel all over the world teaching and working as a consultant for the food industry.

William’s love of food began at the age of 8 when his family moved to Norfolk. His exposure to quality ingredients from local farms and suppliers combined with the influence of his grandmother, herself a cook at Yorkshire’s great estates in the 1930’s, significantly contributed to his culinary zeal.

He has worked in some of England’s most influential Michelin-starred hotels and restaurants including Aubergine in Chelsea, and Nook Country House Hotel in Grasmere. In 2009 he joined the luxurious St. James’s Hotel and Club as Executive Chef to launch the hotels ‘Seven Park Place’. In January 2011, just over a year after joining the hotel, William and ‘Seven Park Place’ were awarded a coveted Michelin star.

William’s style of food reflects the seasons, lighter dishes in the summer and a more rustic influence in winter. He enjoys spending time with his family, walking and reading, the theatre and following Liverpool football team.

Maria Elia knew she wanted to be a chef at the tender age of four, citing her father’s Cypriot restaurant as a source of inspiration.

Her progression through the culinary world began within the kitchens of Stephen Terry at ‘Coast’, Ferran Adria at ‘El Bulli’, and Juan-Marie’s ‘Arzak’. These experiences proved invaluable for her first job as head chef at ‘Delfina’ in London, a position Maria held for nearly a decade before moving to ‘The Whitechapel Gallery Dining Room’, a role that garnered her rave reviews, 2AA rosettes, and a Michelin recommendation.

At present, Maria is the executive chef of ‘Joe’s’ in South Kensington, where she continues to whip up imaginative and eclectic creations. Maria’s deceptively simple, multilayered dishes influenced by the cuisine from the Orient to the Occident, has won her many accolades. Her second cookbook, ‘Full of Flavour’, will be released this September by Kyle Books.

Not only has she appeared on numerous television programmes, including BBC’s ‘Saturday Kitchen’, ‘Market Kitchen’ and the recent series ‘Perfect’, but Maria has also contributed to a wide variety of publications from ‘The Guardian’ to ‘BBC Good Food Magazine’, and has been hailed by ‘The Independent’ as one of 10 Female Chefs to watch.

A graduate of Westminster Kingsway College, Gloria brings natural enthusiasm and a thorough knowledge of classical technique to her classes. With a focus on knife skills as well as food provenance and ethics, her inspirational and illuminating tutorials draw on a diverse background of restaurant work, considerable food retail experience and an adventurous gastronomic upbringing.

Gloria was named inaugural RSPCA Freedom Food Chef of the Year in 2009, impressing the judging panel with an innovative four-course menu which showcased her understanding of farming sustainability and welfare, as well as her varied kitchen skills, attention to detail and palate.

When not teaching, Gloria is kept busy in her role as Cookery School Coordinator. In her spare time she researches culinary trends old and new on blogs, websites and in her own extensive library of cookery books.

Rachel Green, TV cook and author, is known as a fervent campaigner for the promotion of seasonal British meat and vegetables. With an ancestry that includes 14 generations of farmers, British produce is a field she is very knowledgeable in and passionate about. From asparagus and peas to game and shallots her exuberant and informative demonstrations are entertaining and well received.

She performs all over the country from Chatsworth Farm Shop to the Royal Show and Game Fair. A regular on both television and radio, she's cooked sausages and flageolet beans on the Alan Titchmarsh Show, prepared breakfast every day for a week for Terry Wogan as part of Farmhouse Breakfast Week and cooked up a storm with hare on Market Kitchen. Her latest book, Sausages! (foreword by Jimmy Doherty) waxes lyrical of the joys and versatility of using this stalwart of the British menu and will be published on 21 April.

Henry Harris is Chef Patron of the award-winning ‘Racine’ in Knightsbridge. His unflagging enthusiasm for traditional French, religiously seasonal and flavour packed menus have firmly established Racine as a neighbourhood favourite for almost a decade.

From a country estate in Northumberland to a lone fisherman in Wales, Harris’s ingredients are only surpassed in provenance, by his creative skills as one of London’s most acclaimed chefs. Before opening ‘Racine’, Henry worked in some of London’s top kitchens including ‘Hiliare’ and ‘Bibendum’ with Simon Hopkinson. In 1992, he was Executive Chef at the opening of Harvey Nichols ‘Fifth Floor Restaurant’ and participated enormously in the overall design and branding of the restaurant.

He released his first cookbook called ‘Harvey Nicholls Fifth Floor Cookbook’ in 1998. His encyclopaedic knowledge of gastronomy has also ensured his demand in writing for various national publications and magazines and he has appeared on BBC’s ‘Saturday Kitchen’.

Atsuko has been sharing her knowledge and techniques of Japanese cooking with a series of courses, which introduces family favourites, alongside Shojin Ryori dishes, a super-healthy vegan cuisine of Buddhist origins, in which she trained professionally.

Her passion for food and her love of teaching transpires in her classes at ‘Atsuko's Kitchen’, which are amongst the most popular in London and now, also, at ‘Divertimenti’. Her classes are informal and hands-on, resembling more of a dinner party with friends than a classroom lesson. Her down-to-earth and unpretentious approach to cuisine combined with her talent to create delicious, simple to prepare, fashionable meals is an ideal way to experience the Japanese philosophy of elegance and simplicity.

Jennifer Joyce is an American born, self-taught chef. Her specialty is teaching people how to create intense flavours and demystifying exotic ingredients.  As a food writer and stylist, she contributes regularly to BBC Olive, BBC Good Food, and M & S Magazine. She was the food editor for New Woman magazine and contributed to   Sainsbury's magazine, Elle Deco and The Telegraph newspaper.

She has presented cookery classes at Divertimenti  for over 5 years offering a wide variety of themes. She is currently working on her 7th book having published titles like Diva Cooking, Small Bites, and The Well Dressed Salad. Along with appearances on NBC's Good Morning America, BBC's Good Food Live and Full on Food, she has presented two series for Taste CFN.

Tom Kerridge is chef patron at the Michelin-starred ‘The Hand & Flowers’ in Marlow, which he opened with his wife Beth in spring 2005. He began his career in Gloucestershire and then moved to London where he gained experience under chefs such as Phillip Britton, Stephen Bull and Gary Rhodes.

A former head chef at the Michelin-starred ‘Adlards’ in Norwich, and senior sous chef at the Michelin-starred ‘Monsieur Max’ in Hampton, Tom has also cooked at some of London’s more recognised restaurants including ‘Odette’s’, ‘Rhodes in the Square’, ‘Stephen Bull’ and ‘The Capital’.

His à la carte menu of robust British and French dishes take advantage of the best available produce. Ingredients are carefully sourced according to season – chicken and pork from Suffolk, beef from the local Hambleden Estate, vegetables from Covent Garden – and local suppliers are used where possible. Signatures include Smoked Haddock and Parmesan Omelette; and Thame pigeon and foie gras “en croûte”.

Tom has won a number of awards, including 3 ‘AA Rosettes’, ‘Craft Guild of Chef’s Pub Restaurant Chef of the Year’, and ‘Restaurant Magazine’s Best Dish’ award for his fish and chips.

Eric Lanlard, Master Pâtissier and twice winner of the prestigious Continental Pâtissier of the Year at the British Baking Awards, has earned an international reputation for superlative cakes.

With clientele including Madonna, Sir Elton John, Elizabeth Hurley, Claudia Schiffer and George Michael, and with a new series, Baking Mad, currently showing on Channel Four, Eric is becoming something of a celebrity himself.

His career began at the respected Le Grand Patisserie, Brittany; where he was voted Best Apprentice Pâtissier and went on to study the craft of Chocolatier with Arens-Scheer in Luxembourg. In 1989, Eric was hand-picked by Albert and Michel Roux and brought to London, where he was quickly promoted to run their entire Patisserie business.

Having opened the wholesale bakery, Laboratoire 2000 in 1995, and aware that there was a demand for inspirational cakes on a bespoke basis, Eric launched Savoir Design in 2000. In May 2007 Eric revamped his businesses and opened – Cake Boy – a retail emporium selling the most delicious and inspiring patisserie and London’s ‘cutest’ cupcakes!

Eric is a committed anglophile and has made England his home. His obsession for quality and craftsmanship at work continues through to his home life where his love for watches, luggage and cars has turned into a hobby.

Isabelle is the first French female Master of Wine.  Born and brought up on a vineyard in the southwest of France, Isabelle Legeron, is the sixth generation of a Cognac producing family. Wine runs in her blood, and thanks to her adventurous spirit, she's always out and about: sniffing, tasting, exploring. Her have-a-go spirit and contagious passion are enlightening and she adores communicating her love of wine. She is an exceptional, award winning wine taster but best of all she doesn’t take herself too seriously. She’s great fun and a breath of fresh air in the all too rarefied world of wine.

Isabelle works regularly with Michelin starred chefs, pairing wine to their food; heads up Wine Lab, a boutique wine tasting company running events for clients in the City; and presents her own wine programme, Journey into Wine, that broadcasts to 117 countries in 15 different languages – you might have seen her recently on BBC Breakfast! She is also a regular judge for wine competitions such as the Decanter Awards and the IWC, and recently became Wine Woman of the Year 2009 in Paris.

Isabelle co-founded the Wine School with us here at Divertimenti back in 2004 and has been leading sell-out courses ever since.

A butcher’s daughter, Marianne Lumb trained as a chef in restaurants including the Michelin-starred ‘Gravetye Manor’, Sussex. Her dynamic and versatile career has led her to cook all over the world, both in restaurants and for some of the world’s most influential families.

In September 2009, Marianne reached the finals of BBC’s ‘MasterChef the Professionals’. The very same month her first book ‘Kitchen Knife Skills’ was published internationally, it has since been translated into 7 languages. Marianne has taught at ‘Leiths School of Food and Wine’ and is currently working for Marks and Spencer as a Food Product Developer.

Alex Mackay is a cook, cookery teacher, cookery writer and a regular on Cookery Television. He was the Guild of Food Writers Cookery Journalist of the Year in 2006 and was runner up in 2007 and 2008. His book, Cooking In Provence, won a World Cookbook Award and was Short-listed for Best First Book by the Guild of Food Writers. He is the Merchant Gourmet Cook, teaches Delia Smith's Food and Wine Workshops at Norwich City Football Club and was the cookery School Director for 3 years at Raymond Blanc's Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons followed by 6 years at his own cookery school Le Baou d’Infer in Provence. Alex’s Cookery School was put in the world top ten by the Sunday Times and Conde Nest Traveler. Alex is a regular on Ready Steady Cook, proud father of two and a patron of the Kids Cookery School.

I moved from New York to London five years ago in order to pursue a culinary career that would allow me to develop my passion for cooking and good food. I completed the ‘Le Grande Diploma’ from Le Cordon Bleu London in 2006 before being appointed head Chef at Café Divertimenti Marylebone. As an instructor at the Divertimenti Cookery School I am able to exercise my enthusiasm for introducing the young and inexperienced to the joys of cooking, with the Cooking with Confidence course and Growing Gourmet programs that I run.

My approach to food is that it should be kept simple, wholesome with a focus on flavours. In addition to my work with Divertimenti, I also undertake commercial and private catering projects that enable me to keep at the forefront of changing tastes and cuisines. I am currently researching material for a series of Children’s recipe books that I hope will give parents a rich source of ideas for involving children in the kitchen, while offering healthy and hearty meals for all the family.

Silvia Nacamulli is a freelance chef, teacher and cookery writer.  Her speciality is Italian-Jewish cooking and is considered an authority on the subject.

Raised in Rome, Silvia came to London in 1998 and began her catering business in 2002 'La Cucina di Silvia'  (Cooking for the soul). She has taught at the Divertimenti Cookery School for the last 6 years. In addition to teaching and catering, Silvia writes about and lectures on the history of Italian Jewish cooking. This includes a monthly column in the food section of the Jewish Chronicle and regular lectures at the New York University in Florence. She is in the process of writing her first cookery book.

Lukas joined ‘Sartoria’ in autumn 2010, after 11 years at the helm of Italian fine dining restaurant, ‘Il Convivio’ in Belgravia. He also worked for three years at the Michelin-starred ‘Parkhotel Wehrle’ in the Black Forest before moving to London to work as Chef de Partie under Marco Pierre White at his three Michelin-starred, ‘The Restaurant’. Lukas is passionate about classic and contemporary Italian cooking and for the finest artisan produce available from all over Italy. He insists on working only with the top importers and will adjust his dishes regularly to respond to the availability of the best seasonal produce.

José was planning to become a dental technician in Spain but realised his love of food was bigger than his love of dentistry and completed one year of catering school in Cáceres before working in a restaurant local to his home town. In 1997 Pizarro moved to Madrid to the award-winning Meson de Doña Filo where he cooked 'nueva cocina’ and began his love affair with fresh, brightly flavoured dishes.

He has worked at some of London’s most prestigious Spanish restaurants including Eyre Brothers, Gaudi, and the critically acclaimed Brindisa Tapas Kitchens. Last year he left Brindisa to open his own sherry bar, ‘José’, and restaurant, ‘Pizarro’, in Bermondsey Street, London. He describes his menu as traditional, honest Spanish food for sharing, with some modern twists along the way.

José has appeared on BBC1’s Saturday Kitchen three times – as well as on UKTVFood’s Market Kitchen - and his first book ‘Seasonal Spanish Food’ was published in autumn 2009 to great critical acclaim.

Last year Pizarro was shortlisted for an IACP award in the US, which recognises the best in cookbook talent. José has a new book coming out in spring 2012.

Originally from Sicily where little boys play football and little girls make pasta, Julie is a warm, quirky and friendly character whose enthusiasm and passion for cooking is certainly infectious. She is a natural communicator and will find hidden talents inside even the most reserved of pupils both young and old.

When Julie is not with us she is busy running Kitchen Secrets her own catering company, specializing in bespoke events and dinner parties. With over 12 years of outside catering under her jovial belt she has cooked for royalty, celebrities and politicians alike, from castles and villas to muddy fields, and with many amusing anecdotes to share.

Julie's cooking has been described by many as delicious and inspirational. However, it is not her talent as a chef that makes her one of our tutors, but her love of good food, fresh ingredients and a whole hearted belief in others' abilities.

Sybille is a French vegetarian, a raw and living food chef, recipe writer and yoga teacher. She was born in Lyon and trained as a traditional chef in a top Parisian cookery school.

She has worked in several restaurants in France and in London; some Michelin star British modern, some traditional French, and has cooked for celebrities in private chalets and homes in Switzerland and London.

As her interest in vegetarian, vegan, and raw and living food kept growing, she started filling the pages of her notebooks with new culinary ideas and focused on creating delicious recipes - full of vitality, nutrients and energy - to complement her enthusiasm for yoga.

Sybille is passionate about sharing her creations and believes healthy food should be exciting, full of flavour and vibrant. ‘It should make you feel good, strong and full of vitality and creativity’, she says.

Alfred Prasad joined Tamarind as Sous Chef in 2001. His flair, innovation and desire to be prominent on the world’s culinary map progressed Alfred to Executive Chef in August 2002.

Tamarind was the first Indian restaurant in the UK and Europe to be awarded a Michelin star which it has now retained for eight consecutive years. Tamarind is one of only five Indian restaurants in the UK and Europe to hold this prestigious award. Alfred’s cuisine is renowned for dishes with panache and verve that explore, create yet retain traditional flavours taking Tamarind to even greater heights.

Alfred graduated from the Institute of Hotel Management, Madras in 1993. After completing his advanced chef training at the ‘Maurya Sheraton’ in Delhi he worked at the legendary ‘Bukhara’ and ‘Dum-Pukht’ restaurants in India. In 1996, Alfred moved to the ‘Sheraton Hotel’ in Madras, where he was Executive Chef at ‘‘Dakshin’ – India's premier south Indian restaurant.

Alfred moved to London in June 1999 and worked as Sous Chef at ‘Veeraswamy’ before joining Tamarind. Today, Alfred has gained industry and public recognition for his cuisine. The Sunday Telegraph says, “The acclaimed chef Alfred Prasad impresses with a boundary pushing modern Indian menu.”

Flavia trained as an interior designer in New York before heading home to London to start her own interior design business. She soon found her long lived passions for food, wine and entertaining were getting in the way of the design world and so decided it was finally time to take this passion more seriously and re-train as a chef at ‘Le Cordon Bleu’.

Having found her true calling she went onto work as a professional chef for ‘Restaurant Associates’ in several of their establishments. Her skills nurtured, she then decided to pass on to others what she had leant by teaching at ‘Leith's School of Food and Wine’, privately and here at ‘The Divertimenti Cookery School’.

When not teaching at Divertimenti she can be found at ‘The Kitchen Experience’, a service she co-founded in 2009 which provides bespoke cookery classes for the home, corporate events and special occasions.

Mark Sargeant grew up in Larkfield, Kent where his first professional kitchen experience was as a part-time cook in the kitchens of the local Larkfield Priory Hotel.

Having subsequently trained at West Kent College and worked at several respected restaurants including the role of Chef de Partie at ‘Read's Restaurant with Rooms’ in Faversham, Sargeant first worked with Gordon Ramsay at ‘Aubergine’ in 1998 before spending three years as Sous Chef at ‘Restaurant Gordon Ramsay’ in Chelsea from 1998 to 2001.

He then opened the highly acclaimed Gordon Ramsay at ‘Claridge's’ where he was Head Chef from 2001 to 2008, earning a Michelin star in 2002 and was instrumental in overseeing the opening of Gordon Ramsay’s pubs. In Nov 2009, after 13 years working under Ramsay, Sargeant resigned and joined the Swan Collection as the creative director yet remains closely associated with Gordon Ramsay Holdings through his continued work on Ramsay's publishing and television work.

In June 2011 Mark opened not one, but two new restaurants in his hometown of Folkestone – ‘Rocksalt’ and ‘The Smokehouse’.

Ben is the Head Chef at ‘Roganic’ in Marylebone, Simon Rogan’s critically acclaimed two year pop up restaurant and winner of Square Meal's ‘Best New Restaurant 2011’ award.

Ben’s training started at the Michelin-starred ‘28+ Restaurant’ in Gothenburg, Sweden and was followed with time spent at the 3 Michelin-starred restaurants ‘Per Se’ in New York and ‘Royal Hospital Road’ in London.

It wasn’t long until he was holding senior positions at ‘L’Autre Pied’, London and ‘Rhodes W1 Restaurant’, both of which were awarded a Michelin Star during his time there.

Ben then took a break from London before his daughter was born and spent 3 months at Shannon Bennett’s critically acclaimed restaurant ‘Vue de Monde’ in Melbourne, Australia.

He has also undertaken long stints at a number of Michelin-starred establishments including the ‘The Fat Duck’, ‘Le Manoir’, ‘Capital Hotel’, London and ‘Bagatelle’ in Oslo, Norway.

Born in the US to Japanese parents, Jun Tanaka has headed up the kitchen at Pearl since its opening in June 2004. During this time, the restaurant has gained an excellent reputation for its modern French cuisine, served in the beautiful surroundings of the historic Pearl Assurance building.

Having started at Le Gavroche at the age of 19, Jun spent the next ten years working with some of London’s best chefs in seven top Michelin star restaurants, where he perfected the art of fine French cuisine.

Prior to Pearl, Jun worked and trained at Le Gavroche, Chez Nico, The Capital, The Square and Les Saveurs. He also worked under Marco Pierre White at both The Restaurant Marco Pierre White and The Oak Room. This refinement and high standard of cooking is now evident throughout the dishes at Pearl, where the menus are changed regularly to incorporate the best seasonal produce and ingredients.

In May 2009, Jun launched his first recipe book, “Simple to Sensational”. The book demonstrates easy, everyday recipes and then shows how these recipes can be transformed into spectacular dinner party dishes in just a few simple steps.

Diane was an artistic director before deciding to change her career path to pursue her fervour for food. After one year of hard training in Paris, she graduated with a French CAP cooking degree, and spent a few months at The École Supérieure de Cuisine Française – Ferrandi, one of France’s leading professional training culinary schools.

After her husband was hired by a bank in London, they crossed the Channel, and Diane put her training to the test by working at Pascal Aussignac’s highly respected Club Gascon. She then decided to tantalise Londoners with the treasures of French pastry and began to sell her own cakes.

Being self employed gave Diane the opportunity to meet people with similar interests, and she soon found herself as a freelance chef assistant for cookery classes, a role that eventually lead to her position as a chef at the Divertimenti Café.

When she’s not in the kitchen, or providing private catering and tuition courses, she can be found on her weblog, Diane’s Kitchen, sharing recipes and her latest culinary discoveries.

Valentine Warner trained as a portrait painter before putting down the brush to focus on a culinary career. Following several years of working in London restaurants under chefs such as Alastair Little and Rose Carrarini he set up his own catering company, Green Pea. A courtship with television followed.

Valentine’s upbringing on a Dorset farm taught him the connection between the natural world and the table. A keen outdoors man, he believes having an understanding of the ingredients and the history of a dish contributes to the plate as much as the cooking itself.

His TV work includes two series for BBC2 What To Eat Now - both accompanied by two books of the same name. He has also contributed to The Times, The Observer, The Telegraph, The Mail and writes regularly for Delicious and Country File magazines. His third book is due to be published this year.

Nicholas Watt is group executive chef of ‘Roka’ and chief operating officer overseeing global expansion for the restaurant. Bringing more than 16 years of experience as chef for an impressive roster of internationally-acclaimed restaurants, Watt developed a prowess for satisfying the appetites of a varied clientele.

From sophisticated foodies and celebrities to those just looking to enjoy a good meal with friends, Watt consistently impresses. Without pretention, he delivers innovative yet accessible cuisine. Watt’s natural culinary genius and attention to detail even beyond the kitchen made him the perfect fit for Rainer Becker, chef proprietor of the London-based ‘Zuma’ and ‘Roka’ restaurants, now both expanding globally.

A New Zealander by birth, Watt moved to London in 2004 to take the position of executive chef at the flagship ‘Roka’. In 2005, a year after opening, the restaurant was named ‘Oriental Restaurant of the Year’ at the ‘Tio Pepe Awards’.

Hailing from Denbigh in North Wales, Bryn Williams learnt to appreciate food and its origins from an early age. He would go shooting and fishing with his father and uncle and worked in his local bakery learning the trade; from this point Bryn knew that cooking was integral to his future.

Bryn headed across the channel for his training, beginning with ‘The Pâtisserie Millet’ in Paris and then the ‘Hotel Negresco’ in Nice. Over the last ten years Bryn has worked in some of the most prestigious kitchens in London and with some of the world’s most stellar chefs. In 1997 he began work under Marco Pierre-White at ‘The Criterion’, went on to work under Michel Roux at ‘Le Gavroche’ for three years, was Senior-Sous at ‘The Orrery’ for four years and went on to open ‘Galvin at Windows’ with Chris Galvin before moving to open ‘Odette’s’ for Vince Power in 2006 and buying the restaurant himself in 2008.

In 2006 Bryn was chosen to compete in the first series of the ‘Great British Menu’ on BBC1. Competing for Wales, Bryn triumphed with his fish course and went on to cook for the Queen’s Birthday Banquet.

Bryn also appears regularly on the BBC’s ‘Saturday Kitchen’, UKTV’s ‘Market Kitchen’, BBC productions and Welsh TV food shows.

Guo Yue was born in the alleys (hutongs) of Beijing, and began cooking and playing the flute at the age of 7, just before the start of the Cultural Revolution. Cooking and music became the passions in his life, at a time when creative freedom and individuality were suppressed by Mao's communism, and he discovered how he could put many layers of meaning and free expression into the folds of a handmade dumpling or the intricate perfume of red-stewed pork. Guo Yue cooks like a musician, with an emphasis on the colours, notes and rhythms that make up his collection of traditional and modern recipes. This is real Chinese cooking at its healthy, creative and entertaining best.

Author of 'Music, Food and Love: A Memoir with Recipes' (Little, Brown), and the award-winning children's book 'Little Leap Forward: A Boy in Beijing' (by Guo Yue and Clare Farrow, Barefoot Books), Guo Yue gives cookery classes and demonstrations all over the world, often combining them with exquisite performances on his bamboo and white jade flutes. His unique approach to Chinese cooking, and his uplifting philosophy that bridges old and new China, have led to appearances on radio and TV, including Midweek and Market Kitchen, and articles in The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian and Observer Food Monthly. As Peter Gabriel wrote: 'I guarantee he delivers in a magical way.'