The Angel Inn at Hetton appoints new head chef
Bruce D'Aloia, originally from Vermont in the US, has joined the pub, replacing Bruce Elsworth, who has moved to Keelham's Farm Shop HQ in Thornton, near Bradford.
After relocating to the UK in 2011, D'Aloia has worked as a private chef in West Yorkshire. He was previously based on Turks and Caicos in the Caribbean and worked as the private chef to New York-based fashion designer Donna Karan.
D'Aloia has drawn on his classic French and Italian training, as well as influences from Asia and Africa to create new menus for the Angel. His dishes include fork tender oxtail, mustard and herb crusted lamb rack, and silver hake satay.
D'Aloia said: "When I looked into the pedigree of this lovely Dales inn I realised this is exactly where I wanted to be. My food is all about delivering pleasure on a plate, offering appetising and creative choices that include the classics alongside something a bit different to make people sit up and take notice and, most importantly, to come back for more.
"This is the ethos that first made The Angel famous. I'm tapping into a huge pool of talent here in the kitchen and our food is reflecting that."
Pascal Watkins, managing director of the Angel, added: "Bruce is very charismatic as well as an enormously talented chef; the Angel is truly experiencing a renaissance. The feedback is fantastic and for the first time in my memory the number of orders for Angel Moneybags has dipped as diners have been tempted by the new options!"
The moneybags - seafood in pastry with a lobster sauce - was a dish that has been on the menu since Watkins's parents, Denis and Juliet, bought the 15th century pub in 1983 and swiftly established it as one of the UK's leading culinary destinations.
Frequently described as "the godfather of the gastropub", Denis Watkins died in 2004, at the age of 66.
Gastropub pioneer Watkins dies at 66 >>
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