About Adam
Adam has over 40 years’ experience, holding a Michelin Star for over a decade working with the late chef Gary Rhodes OBE whilst also gaining a Michelin Bib Gourmand for his own pub in his home county of Northamptonshire.
Adam is passionate about keeping fit, competing in regular open water swim races, cycling, training in martial arts and he has been a nutritional food writer for numerous healthy lifestyle magazines, most recently writing the Healthy Soldier Cookbook for the British Army.
Adam's training includes working for Bruno Loubet at the one Michelin Star restaurant at The Four Seasons in London and then with Raymond Blanc at the two Michelin starred Le Manoir aux Quat Saisons in Oxfordshire. Amongst his many accolades. Adam is a master craftsman within the Craft Guild of Chefs and a member of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts and a Disciple of Escoffier.
Caring deeply about where ingredients he uses come from and whether they are sustainable and ethically sourced, Adam is one of the founding partners of The Ethical Butcher and advocate for Farrington’s Mellow Yellow cold pressed rapeseed oil.
Adam is currently in the process of writing his first book about his difficult journey from washing pots in his local village pub at the age of fourteen to obtaining his first Michelin star in London.
Adam's Experience
2001
Adam met Gary Rhodes, and was appointed Head Chef at City Rhodes until 2003, where he maintained a Michelin star.
Adam went on to open the new restaurant Rhodes Twenty-Four at Tower 42 in the heart of the city of London. Under his direction the restaurant was awarded the BMW Best New Restaurant in the 2004 spring edition of The Square Meal Guide and in 2005 Rhodes Twenty-Four was awarded a Michelin star and in 2007 Rhodes Twenty-Four also received three AA rosettes.
2010
In 2010 Adam became co owner of The Red Lion in his home village of East Haddon and in the summer of 2011 the Shires Cookery School opened within a converted barn in the grounds of The Red Lion. The school offered an extensive range of courses designed to improve culinary skills and techniques. In September 2011 Adam left Rhodes Twenty-Four after maintaining a Michelin star for over ten years to focus on the Red Lion. The Red Lion then went from strength to strength, being included in the 2012 Good Food Guide and being selected as one of the Editors choice top ten “country pubs” in the guide. The Red Lion was also awarded a Bib Gourmand in the 2012 and the 2013 UK Michelin Restaurant Guide.
2012
Adam was awarded an Honorary Master of Science from Northamptonshire University in recognition of his commitment to training and development within catering and hospitality industry. In June 2013 Adam was awarded an Association of Colleges Gold Award at the House of Commons for his successful career after leaving secondary education.
2013
Adam was appointed Executive Chef of Skylon restaurant, part of the D & D London group of restaurants in the Royal Festival Hall, where he worked until 2015.
Adam then moved on to become the Executive Chef for the Bourne and Hollingsworth group where he oversaw the Bourne and Hollingsworth Buildings restaurant and opened the successful B & H Kitchen cookery school.
Adam was then approached by acclaimed two Michelin star chef Phil Howard as a chef consultant for his restaurant Sonny’s Kitchen in Barnes, before being appointed as the Culinary Consultant for Hurley House Hotel in Berkshire.
2018
Adam was appointed as Executive Chef at the Devonshire Club in January 2018.
2019
Adam had the privilege to be invited to Sandhurst by the British Field Army, where he met and talked to HRH Prince Harry about the importance of a healthy balanced diet for military personnel. Adam is now fully involved in the Army’s campaign of “Mind, Body and Spirit” and has now developed the first in a series of healthy cookbooks for military personnel to cook from called The Healthy Soldier Cookbook.
2003
Adam set up the “Adam Gray Chef’s Academy” at Northampton College to offer work experience opportunities to gifted catering and hospitality students. Over its eight-year existence, more than 40 students completed work experience placements at Rhodes Twenty-Four and some securing full-time employment within the kitchen and the restaurant.
2007
Adam opened Rhodes Mezzanine restaurant with Gary Rhodes within the Grosvenor House Hotel in Dubai and was appointed as the consultant on all Rhodes Mezzanine menu changes and culinary standards. Rhodes Mezzanine went on to win the Time Out Dubai 2010 Restaurant of the year award and the 2010 Restaurant of the year awarded by the Caterer Middle East. Adam was also the consultant on Gary Rhodes’s second restaurant in Dubai, Rhodes 2010 which went on to win The Best Newcomer in the 2011 BBC Good Food Middle East Awards.
My Culinary Influences
Very simple really, at an early age my mum influenced me. She was a fantastic cook when we grew up in the 70’s and 80's, always preparing freshly made meals everyday for the family. Looking back, mum’s food was relatively simple, fresh, always very tasty and wholesome. Mum had a fantastic collection of recipes from the Good House Keeping books, other family members and friends that were tried and tested. She would plan out the weekly dinners the week before, so she knew what to buy and how to plan ahead as she worked full time and we didn’t have much money. Mum was fantastic at baking too, we always had a freshly baked fruit cake, tea cake, rock buns and sponges in the cupboard to have with a glass of milk or cup of tea after school, which will always remain me and my sisters fondest memories.
Adam, Bruno Loubet, Shaun Whatling, Dean Cambray 1991
Moving on to my first professional culinary influence it was without a doubt Bruno Loubet who totally transformed my way of thinking and approach to food when I started working for him in the late 80’s. Bruno had a magical gift of transforming humble ingredients at that time such as turnips, swede, cod, haddock, calves liver, lamb neck to name just a few into Michelin starred gastronomic delights. It seemed the more humble the ingredient the better Bruno could elevate it into a culinary masterpiece. Bruno taught me the value of turning simple ingredients into maximum flavour, maximum cost efficiency with exquisite presentation, but also gave me the true foundation for my culinary journey ahead.
My next major career influence was Raymond Blanc OBE, working at Le Manoir aux Quat Saison took my palate to the next level, understanding how flavours change through the process of cooking and chilling, but also the refinement of cooking itself. Having the abundance of seasonal ingredients on your doorstep within the huge gardens in the grounds made me fully appreciate where ingredients come from and their seasonality. I learnt so much working in the kitchen at Le Manoir.
Having been trained by two of the best French chefs in the UK , I had really longed to develop my own modern British style so when I started working for the iconic British chef Gary Rhodes OBE everything seemed to slot into place. We had the same ethos of seasonal British simplicity on a plate and with his vast culinary knowledge we created food that was truly exceptional. Gary was an absolute wealth of knowledge on dish compilation and working alongside him for over a decade truly changed the way I cook today, he was deffinitely the finishing school for my culinary career.
Adam, Pierre Koffmann and Gary Rhodes
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