The Wilderness Birmingham promotes Marius Gedminas to head chef and appoints Sonal Clare as GM

The Wilderness Birmingham has promoted sous chef Marius Gedminas to take the helm of the kitchen and appointed Sonal Clare as general manager and head sommelier.

Gedminas takes on the head chef role vacated by MasterChef: The Professionals 2019 winner Stu Deeley.

He previously worked on The Wilderness' 2019 Indian pop-up and will help to put together a new menu in preparation for the restaurant's move to a bigger site later this year.

Chef patron Alex Claridge said: "Marius is not just one of the most creative chefs I've had the pleasure to work with, but more importantly a steadfast friend and believer in what this restaurant stands for. We are both excited to share with our guests new dishes and new ideas – with plenty of surprises to come."

In a week of change for the restaurant it has also appointed Sonal Clare as general manager and head sommelier to develop the wine side of the business.

Clare previously spent a decade as restaurant manager of Michelin-starred Purnell's in Birmingham and won the GQ Sommelier of the Year 2018 award.

Sonal said: "I have been offered an amazing opportunity to work alongside the talented Alex Claridge and his team to help evolve the Wilderness with a particular focus on their wine offering."

Former head chef Stu Deeley will be open his own restaurant this year in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter.