Marcus Wareing Restaurants makes two key appointments

Marcus Wareing Restaurants has made two key appointments to the business, with the creation of its first group operations director role, and a new group executive pastry chef.

Chantelle Nicholson will take on the operations director role, alongside her existing post as general manager of the Gilbert Scott. A trained lawyer, Nicholson has worked with Marcus Wareing for almost 10 years.

She began her culinary career under Wareing in 2004 at The Savoy Grill, Nicholson moved to Pétrus in 2006 and stayed with Wareing when the site became Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley. In 2011 she moved from the kitchen into an operations role as she launched and was appointed general manager of Marcus Wareing Restaurants' second site, the Gilbert Scott. She is also a key contributor to Wareing's cookbooks, co-writing Nutmeg and Custard and more recently The Gilbert Scott Book of British Food.

In her new role Nicholson will oversee the operations of both restaurants in the group, covering HR, operations, finance, PR, marketing and food development, as well as looking for opportunities for expansion.

Wareing said: "I have worked with Chantelle for nearly 10 years and nobody knows my business, and how to run it, better. As we grow, the need for continuity across the group is key, whilst also retaining the individual identity of each restaurant. I don't want a head office so it is important for my management to have one person to turn to who knows the business as well as I do. Alongside her business expertise, Chantelle is also a skilled chef. She understands kitchens and how to run them. Chantelle can run my two-Michelin-star kitchen, run the business and oversee the Gilbert Scott. Her value to the group is enormous."

Simon Jenkins will take up the role of group executive pastry chef, having worked with Wareing in 2005-06 at Pétrus. He has over 20 years' experience, working with some of the world's best chefs including Michel Roux Sr, Raymond Blanc, John Campbell and John Burton-Race.

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