The Athenaeum Hotel and Residencies has appointed Kevin Fawkes as its new Executive Chef, Fawkes brings a wealth of expertise, acquired over 20 years of hospitality experience.
After completing his studies at Westminster College in London, Fawkes started his culinary career as Sous Chef at famed-five-star hotel, The Savoy, in 2001.
He then went on to work in a whole host of luxury properties around the world including Sir Terrence Conran’s restaurant empire, Rosewood Hotel & Resort in Saudia Arabia, The Nai Harn in Thailand, and flagship of the Soneva Group, Soneva Fushi, in the Maldives.
As well as his impressive cooking skills, Fawkes was also brought onto the Soneva team due to his passion for sustainability, creating a special zero-waste menu. Most recently, Fawkes held the position of Executive Chef at Six Senses Zighy Bay in Oman before making his return to London to take on his new position at prestige Mayfair-located venue, The Athenaeum Hotel and Residences, in September 2024.
On his recent appointment, Fawkes said: “I’m absolutely delighted to be taking on the role of Executive Chef at The Athenaeum Hotel and Residences.
“After many years of cooking around the globe, London has always been a firm favourite of mine so the opportunity to return and work in a venue with such a collaborative and harmonious atmosphere is extremely exciting.”
James Brackley, Food and Beverage Manager at The Athenaeum Hotel and Residences, said: “We’re thrilled to have Kevin join The Athenaeum family, heading up the kitchen team here at the hotel. Bringing with him a copious amount of experience and expertise, we’re looking forward to both continuing and elevating our current F&B offering.”
Along with his day-to-day career, Fawkes has also been involved in a range of chef consultancy projects looking to train kitchen teams and improve overall kitchen strategy in properties such as Le Bouchon Restaurant in Bangkok and Glass Blowing House Restaurant in Plymouth.
He also played a huge role in the Soneva brand, designing and launching the handmade cheese and charcutier studio, a fun and interactive experience for guests, as well as launching the Artisan Butchery and Cheese Making Programme at the venue in 2013 and being part of the concept team for ‘Once Upon a Table’, a culinary theatre experience which showcases some of the biggest names in fine dining. As a testament to his expertise, Fawkes was crowned winner of the Iron Chef Thailand competition in both 2013 and 2015.
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