Hotel Café Royal
Hotel Café Royal has appointed Alex Cooper as hotel manager and Jude Rozario as executive chef. Cooper joins from The Berkeley and The Emory, where he served as director of food and beverage and was part of the executive team. He has also held senior roles at The Trafalgar St. James and within Firmdale Hotels, including Haymarket Hotel and Ham Yard Hotel. At Café Royal, he will oversee the hotel’s operational divisions and join its executive committee. Rozario has worked at The Connaught, The Berkeley, Claridge’s, Sea Containers and Broadwick Soho, as well as internationally renowned restaurants Noma in Copenhagen and Eleven Madison Park in New York. He will lead the hotel’s culinary operations and food and beverage kitchens, working alongside Kevin Gratton, who continues to oversee the culinary direction of Café Royal Grill.
Fai Choi
Hakkasan Group has appointed Fai Choi as its UK research and development chef. Choi joins the business with more than a decade of Michelin-starred experience spanning London and Hong Kong. Most recently, he was head chef at Mora in Hong Kong, where the restaurant secured both a Michelin star and Michelin Green star during his tenure. His career also includes roles within Simon Rogan’s restaurant group, including Aulis Hong Kong, as well as Michelin-starred Hide in London. In 2024, he received Michelin’s Young Chef Award. In his new UK-based role, Choi will lead culinary development across Hakkasan and Yauatcha, working closely with CEO Yavuz Pehlivanlar.
John Munro
The Balmoral has appointed John Munro as head chef of its Edinburgh restaurant Number One. Munro steps up from his role as senior sous chef, a position he has held since 2022, working alongside executive chef Paul Hart. His career includes roles at Timberyard, The Black Swan at Oldstead, The Gannet and The Little Chartroom, with his cooking placing an emphasis on sustainability, foraging and close relationships with producers. Munro also became Number One’s head beekeeper in 2024, introducing the restaurant’s first beehive and using its honey in the kitchen. His menus will focus on seasonal Scottish produce, with dishes including pork with wild garlic and hen of the woods, and North Sea halibut with foraged elderflower and British peas.
Simmie Vedi
Cardiff chef Simmie Vedi has joined food safety compliance technology company Leafe. Her new role will see her spearhead customer relations for the food hygiene and compliance management app as the business expands its Bristol-based team from 12 to 22 people. Leafe helps food and catering businesses manage their food safety compliance. Vedi, who represented Wales on Great British Menu in 2023, has previously worked at Pasture and Kin + Ilk and was head chef at the now-closed Bully’s in Pontcanna. She is currently head chef at Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff.
John Sutherland
NoMad London has appointed John Sutherland as general manager. Sutherland returns to the hotel having previously served as director of sales and marketing, leading its commercial strategy from launch. During NoMad London’s inaugural year, he also served as interim general manager while continuing to oversee its commercial function. He rejoins from Park Hyatt London River Thames, where he was director of sales and marketing. Sutherland has more than 17 years’ experience in luxury hospitality.
Ben Taylor
Ben Taylor has been appointed head chef at Black & Green restaurant in Barnt Green. Taylor joins from the now-closed Le Petit Bois in Moseley, Birmingham, where he was chef-patron, and takes over from Darren Meacham, who has stepped into a new role within Black & Green parent company Open Restaurant Group. Taylor ran the two-AA-Rosette Le Petit Bois for three years before closing the restaurant in 2024, citing rising costs that had made the business unsustainable.
Daniele Liberati
Waldorf Astoria London Admiralty Arch has appointed Daniele Liberati as head of bars ahead of the hotel’s opening later this autumn. Liberati has more than 20 years’ experience across luxury hotels, bars and spirits brands, including as head of bar operations at The London Edition and beverage manager at Caprice Holdings. Most recently, he led international brand development for premium spirits brand Samaroli. At Waldorf Astoria, he will oversee the hotel’s bar offering, including Café Boulud and its rooftop terrace, Whiskey & Seaweed in partnership with Clare Smyth, and a signature cocktail bar, details of which have yet to be revealed. Working with food and beverage director Dimi Leivadas, Liberati will lead the development of the hotel’s drinks programme.