John Williams
SEASON 2, EPISODE 10
In this episode Justine interviews the renowned Chef John Williams of The Ritz, London as he shares his advice for aspiring chefs and so many more pearls of wisdom.
Loved by our royal family, Williams joined The Ritz London as Executive Chef in 2004, bringing three decades of hospitality experience to the venerated kitchens of the legendary Piccadilly hotel.
Taught by his mother to cook, Williams developed his passion for food at an early age, his culinary career began in 1974 with his first position as a Commis Chef in Otterburn. Young Williams soon started work at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington, later becoming their Chef de Cuisine in 1982. In 1986, Williams joined the distinguished Savoy Group of Hotels and Restaurants, during his 18-year tenure, Williams served as Premier Sous Chef at Claridge’s and Maître Chef des Cuisines at The Berkeley, before his move to head up Claridge’s kitchens as Maître Chefs des Cuisines in 1995.
Williams is a man adorned with many awards, being appointed Executive Chairman of The Royal Academy of Culinary Arts in 2004 and awarded the Pierre Taittinger International Award and the Craft Guild of Chefs Award in 2000. In 2005, he became the first British Chef to be conferred with a CMA by the French Government. And in 2008, he received the ultimate accolade when he was awarded as MBE in the New Year’s Honour List by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for his services to hospitality. He is the recipient of a Royal Warrant for Banqueting and Catering Services from His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, making The Ritz the first and only hotel to receive this prestigious accolade. In 2013, Tatler awarded Williams with their Lifetime Achievement Award at their annual Restaurant Awards.
A longstanding favourite with the Royal family, he catered for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s 70th and 80th birthday banquets as well as several private dinners for the Royal family at The Ritz and state functions at Buckingham Palace.
Williams is the Director of the Heptinstall Awards, a trust set up to support young Chefs gain experience oversees. In 2005, he coordinated a charity dinner for 500 people at Twickenham Stadium, bringing together 35 of the top Chefs in the UK, in support of the Help for Heroes charity and he has been a judge three times at the Entente Cordiale Dinner with Chef Michel Bourdin.
Williams identifies his primary objective at The Ritz is to run the best hotel restaurant and the finest banqueting in Great Britain. “I have always had a great love of The Ritz and for its time-honoured traditions. The forward-thinking methods and beliefs of Escoffier, the friend and collaborator of our founder Cesar Ritz, have influenced my career significantly and it is a pleasure and an honour to be part of culinary history at this great hotel”.
Instagram: @theritzlondon and @johnwilliamschef
Website: theritzlondon.com/john-williams and theritzlondon.com/cookbook/
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