Harbour & Jones adds to management team

Contract caterer Harbour & Jones has added to its senior management and chef teams to support its recent expansion.

The company, which took over public catering duties at London landmark St Paul's in January and is celebrating its fifth birthday, has appointed its first operations director to head its latest venture into concession catering.

Charlie Cook was previously operations director at Leith's, part of Compass Group, where he was in charge of cultural venues and historic sites.

He is supported at St Paul's, day-to-day, by new general manager Brian Martin, who was previously general manager at London's Royal Academy of Arts with Milburn's.

Milburn's, owned by Compass Group, previously provided the catering at the 17th century cathedral.

Harbour & Jones has also recruited Gary McKechnie as company chef from financial services provider ABN Amro, which is run by Compass's Restaurant Associates, where he was executive chef for the past four years.

McKechnie will work alongside Kevin Schofield, who joined a year ago, with the newcomer in charge of fine dining and hospitality menu development and Schofield concentrating on the staff restaurants business.

At St Paul's, Harbour & Jones is delivering a best of British menu based on seasonal, locally sourced produce. The offer includes freshly baked scones, St Paul's fruit cakes and Eccles cakes for visitors to the Crypt cafe.

The caterer is also working with St Paul's, which attracts around 900,000 visitors a year, on its events business and has plans for a 60-cover restaurant, which will serve high-tea in the afternoons in the style of the Ritz hotel.

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By Chris Druce

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