Chef and owner, Restaurant Arras.
Born in Beverley, Yorkshire, Adam’s love of food developed early, often through his school holidays he would bake with his mother from a well thumbed “Be-Ro Flour” baking book. It was as an eager four-year-old when helping make a dinner of Stroganoff and severely slicing his little finger that Adam decided that a fun career in cooking was the way to go.
Through school this would continue, and as a 12-year-old in Home Economics class, when others were baking flapjacks, Adam was rolling out his first homemade pasta dough! Having a family that travelled on holidays as a child also helped extend his knowledge of food - Adam was no longer a stranger to the Michelin starred restaurants of France and this whet his appetite even further to own a restaurant.
Adam moved to Singapore when he was eight and was exposed to a mind-blowing culture of food and people, seeing real Asian food. Upon returning to the UK Adam was still adamant that he wanted to be a chef and entered “Sainsbury’s Futurecooks” a forerunner to Young Masterchef, placing highly commended. Before finishing senior school Adam took up a position in a local restaurant washing pots, and was quickly promoted to assist the chef. Adam finished school with excellent grades and his friends were baffled when Adam chose a career in cookery over university; he enrolled in Beverley College of Further Education taking a GNVQ Advanced in Hospitality Management and NVQ II in Cookery concurrently. While at college Adam got work at Rockingham Restaurant, a Michelin guide noted restaurant in East Yorkshire, working for the same employers his mother did twenty years earlier. This was Adam's first taste of cooking fine dining food; the knowledge taken from this restaurant is still used today.
When Adam completed college with distinctions to his name and picking up “Student of the Year”, he set his sights on London. He wrote letters to the top chefs in London and received favourable replies from everyone with a view of employment. For two weeks Adam “staged” with the likes of Tom Aikens, Nico Ladenis and Marco Pierre White. He even turned down a position with Gordon Ramsay at Aubergine. Adam interviewed with the Head Chef of Jean-Christophe Novelli's new restaurant Maison Novelli. After meeting with his fellow Yorkshire man, Richard Guest, Adam took a position in the pastry, and toiled for six months before going into the main kitchen. He worked for a further six months and then decided to travel to Australia after reading Neil Perry’s Rockpool book. Just before going, JC Novelli asked Adam to assist in the opening of his new Normandy venture, Le Moulin de Jean with head chef (and now owner) Jean-Marie L’Enfant. Not to miss a great experience, Adam stayed and helped set up the mill restaurant, working in an all French establishment before returning to the UK some months later.
Adam arrived in Australia, fresh and expecting big things. He took a job at the Two Hat Merrony’s restaurant on Circular Quay and having stayed his quota of the permitted three months, Adam left to travel. Adam returned to the UK in 2000 to get the cooking career on track again.
Adam called Richard Guest, his former Head Chef at Novelli's, who had just taken the reins at the renowned Castle at Taunton. Adam was offered a job which he quickly accepted, and he was drafted into the Castle to join the team. Adam soon rose through the ranks and was promoted to Sous Chef, in a year where the Castle won a Michelin star and Tatler Magazine Best out of London restaurant. Adam stayed for three years, forging a strong professional and personal rapport with Richard Guest. It was here that Adam and Lovaine first met. After deciding on a new challenge, Adam immigrated to Australia to start a new life in 2003.
Adam arrived in Sydney with the hope of finding work with some of the top restaurants. There were slim pickings so Adam took a position as senior Sous Chef at Park Hyatt Sydney under Melbourne-bound Chef Anthony Mussara, and his successor Danny Drinkwater. Adam learned the value of managing a large brigade and large budget and this has stood him in good stead as Restaurant Arras moves forward. Adam stayed until the itch to open his own restaurant got the better of him and in 2005 he left to open Restaurant Arras.
He immediately called on Lovaine to come and join him, in what was to be a difficult journey. Restaurant Arras opened its doors in December 2007.
