Herbert Berger to hang up his chef whites after 55 years

Chef Herbert Berger has announced plans to retire from the hospitality industry at the age of 70.

He will hang up his chef's whites on 2 August 2023 after a 55-year career which saw him win Michelin stars for three different London restaurants.

Berger told The Caterer it had taken "many hours of careful consideration and deliberation" before he made his decision.

He said: "I had a fabulous and exciting international career ending up in the UK in 1975, which I love and made my home, and having been part of all the amazing changes in hospitality over so many years.

"I was lucky and had the pleasure of working with many of the best people in the world and meeting many wonderful and fascinating clients and people. I have enjoyed some limelight, but my overriding principle has always been to stay in my kitchen, cook for my customers and look after the team and train the next generation."

Berger grew up in a mountain town in Austria and spent five years working in hotels in Switzerland. He arrived in the UK in 1975 and took his first job at Fredericks restaurant in Camden Passage, Islington.

He joined the Connoisseur restaurant in 1978, where he won his first Michelin star, and later won stars for the Grill Room at the Café Royal and 1 Lombard Street in the capital.

In 2012 the chef founded Berger Restaurants Ltd and took over the catering at Innholders' Hall in London.

The Worshipful Company of Innholders is seeking a new partner to operate the catering at Innholders' Hall who will maintain the same standards of cooking and service.