Northern Restaurant & Bar 2015 show reveals top chef line-up
A top line up of chefs including Nacho Manzano and Kenny Atkinson (pictured) are to appear at this year's Northern Restaurant & Bar show on 17 and 18 March.
Michael O'Hare, Simon Shaw, and Michael Wignall will also be in the demonstration line-up at the 15th annual event, joining the Michelin-starred Spanish chef Manzano.
Manzano, who runs two-Michelin-starred Casa Marcial and the one-starred La Salgar in Spain, is also executive chef at tapas restaurant group Iberica, which is set to open its first non-London site in Manchester early this year.
Each of the other chefs also has connections to the North: Noma-trained O'Hare now runs Leeds restaurant The Man Behind the Curtain; two-Michelin-starred Wignall from Surrey's the Latymer at Pennyhill Park also oversees the menu at Hotel Football in Manchester; Kenny Atkinson is well known for his most recent venture, the House of Tides in Newcastle; and Simon Shaw is to move his established Yorkshire site El Gato Negro Tapas to Manchester this year.
Chief executive of the Northern Restaurant & Bar show, Thom Hetherington, highlighted that Northern operators were thriving and the region was experiencing a surge in commercial and creative vibrancy.
He said: "The North has always punched above its weight in terms of food and drink, but this seems to have been the year that the rest of the world has woken up to its strength and potential."
As well as chef demonstrations, the show will also feature tastings, talks and product exhibitions as part of Northern Hospitality Week. It will also hold the annual NRB Top 50 Awards and the second NRB Debate after last year's inaugural fixture.
Last year's event included appearances from stellar industry names such as Simon Rogan, Michael Caines, James Martin and co-founder of Living Ventures, Tim Bacon.
Northern Restaurant and Bar show unveils stellar debate line-up >>
