Ritz executive chef John Williams to speak at Arena

John Williams, the executive chef at the newly Michelin-starred Ritz hotel in London, is to speak at the next Arena networking event.

Williams will speak on 8 February 2017 at a dinner hosted at the Ritz itself.

The chef, who is also chairman of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts, has been working at the iconic hotel since 2004.

The son of a fisherman on Tyneside, Williams began his career in London when not yet 17 at the Royal Garden hotel.

By 27, he was premier sous chef with Mario Lesnik at Claridge's in London, before moving on to the Berkeley and then the Ritz.

Hugely respected by his peers, Williams received a warm reaction when the Ritz won a Michelin star in the 2017 edition of the guide earlier this year.

At the time he told The Caterer: "It's the 110th anniversary of the Ritz this year and it's a real accolade and we are just over the moon. It is something that you work for and I believed that we were good enough and I just wondered why [we didn't have one]. And we need a star because if you are a world class hotel, you need to have a star.

"We have been cooking the same, we haven't changed. The Ritz tells us what to cook because of the building and the style. I think it is very important that it remains classical but also that it remains relevant for today's modern diner. But I have got very good people and I have had very good people for a long time. I haven't got the answer [as to why we have won it now] but I have always known that the cooking was good enough so the only thing I can take from it was consistency has got better."

The Arena event will begin with a Champagne reception followed by a three-course dinner accompanied by wine.

The event is limited to 50 guests.

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