Meet our regional finalists 2022

As the regional finalists for the Roux Scholarship 2022 are announced, chairmen Alain Roux and Michel Roux Jr are delighted that a new generation of chefs have taken part and that the finalists have demonstrated a very high level of talent in their applications. This year, 14 of the 18 finalists are new to the competition and they hail from restaurants as far afield as Crieff in Scotland and the Roseland Peninsula in Cornwall. These 18 chefs, and two reserves, were selected from their written recipes that used Dover Sole, brown shrimps and handmade pasta. The recipes were submitted anonymously to the judges, who took part in the Recipe Judging day at Roux at Skindles Brasserie, Taplow, on Monday 1st March. The 18 finalists will compete in two regional finals which will be held simultaneously on Thursday 24th March 2022 at University College Birmingham and University of West London, Ealing.
The judges were impressed by the level of talent exhibited through the recipes. Chairman Alain Roux said: “The successful recipes showed that the chefs had practised enough times to really know their dishes. The recipes were well laid out the preparations were explained well and they showed a lot of confidence. I look forward to seeing the chefs in the kitchen.” While Co-chairman Michel Roux Jr said: “There were some cracking recipes in there and the shortlist shows that chefs from non-Michelin-starred establishments are just as likely to do well in this competition. The Roux Scholarship is for everyone.”
The successful recipes also showed some individual flair, without being too complicated. Judge Angela Hartnett OBE said: “Many of the recipes were very contemporary. Sometimes you see that chefs feel they need to veer towards old school French, but that wasn’t the case. There were lots of different styles and it was good to see different spices being used.” Meanwhile, Clare Smyth MBE enjoyed reading how the chefs had worked with the Dover sole and brown shrimps. She said: “These were beautiful ingredients to work with, there was so much potential. Some chefs didn’t realise that brown shrimps are a prime ingredient, and they could have made more of them.”

Luke Ahearne is Head Chef at the Corrigan Collection, London. He comes from Clonmel in Ireland and learned his trade under Garrett Byrne at Campagne in Kilkenny. In London he has previously worked at The Clove Club and Luca.
Luke is competing at the London regional final.

Kieran Bradley is Junior Sous Chef at The Vineyard Hotel Stockcross, Newbury, and comes from Worthing in West Sussex. He has previously worked under 2020/21 winner Oli Williamson and was inspired to enter after he won.
Kieran is competing at the Birmingham regional final.

Michael Chwu is Senior Chef de Partie at The Kitchin in Edinburgh and has a degree in maths from Imperial College. He fell in love with cooking the summer after he graduated when he was staging in restaurants and then landed a job at The Kitchin.
Michael is competing at the London regional final.

Harry Donnelly is Demi Chef De Partie at The RAF Club in London’s Piccadilly, where he has worked for three years. Harry has previously worked at The Caledonian Club and The Square. He trained at Westminster Kingsway College and was a semi-finalist in the 2020 Royal Academy of Culinary Arts Annual Awards of Excellence.
Harry is competing at the London regional final.

This is the third time Oliver Dovey has competed in the finals. He is Senior Chef De Partie at BaxterStorey in London and was first inspired to cook by his grandfather, who was also a chef. Oliver has previously worked at the House of Commons, at All Senses Gastronomy, Athens, Greece, and at the Shangri-La in the Shard, London.
Oliver is competing at the London regional final.

Luke Emmess is Head Chef at The Wykeham Arms in Winchester and he comes from Portsmouth. In 2016, he won Fullers Young Chef of the Year for which he won 4-day stage in Dubai with Jason Atherton. Luke went on to win Fullers Chef of the Year 2019, having been a finalist in both 2017 and 2018.
Luke is competing at the London regional final.

This is the second time Jonnie has made it to the Roux Scholarship finals, having reached the final six last October. Since then, he has moved back to his native Scotland and is now Junior Sous at The Glenturret Lalique Restaurant, Glenturret Distillery which recently won its first Michelin star.
Jonnie is competing at the Birmingham regional final.

Nico Fitzgerald is Chef Director at Nico Fitzgerald Restaurants and is originally from Gibraltar, where he grew up cooking with his mother and grandmother. This is the first time he has entered the Roux Scholarship, but has previously taken part in Masterchef: The Professionals.
Nico is competing at the London regional final.

Ruth Hansom is Head Chef at The Princess of Shoreditch in London, which recently won Best Newcomer award at Top 50 Gastropubs. She has previously worked at Pomona’s and The Ritz London. Among her many achievements, Ruth was a finalist in the Great British Menu 2020 and won BBC2 Million Pound Menu 2018.
Ruth is competing at the London regional final.

Jake Hassall is Head Chef at Restaurant Martin Wishart in Edinburgh but grew up in Reigate in Surrey. He has previously worked at a number of top restaurants in London and Scotland, including The Strathearn at Gleneagles Hotel. Jake was a finalist in the 2019 Andrew Fairlie Scholarship.
Jake is competing at the Birmingham regional final.

Ioannis is Senior Sous Chef at Hide in London, where Roux Scholar 2018 Martin Carabott is Head Chef. This is the second time he has competed in The Roux Scholarship. Originally from Greece, Ioannis grew up in Germany and he has previously worked at The Ledbury, Elystan Street and L’Autre Pied in London.
Ioannis is competing at the London regional final.

Steven Newton is Sous Chef at Coast Restaurant at Saundersfoot in Pembrokeshire, Wales. He grew up in Portsmouth and has previously worked for Roux Scholar 2001 Steve Drake at his restaurants including Drakes and Sorrel, and for Roux Scholar Adam Smith at Coworth Park.
Steven is competing at the Birmingham regional final.

Kamil Nowak is Senior Sous Chef at The Dysart Petersham, working under Roux Scholar 2010 Kenneth Culhane. Originally from Poland, he has also worked at various London restaurants including The Victory Services Club, La Trompette and Fera at Claridge’s.
Kamil is competing at the London regional final.

George Ormond works as Junior Sous at Murano, under Roux Scholarship judge Angela Hartnett. He has previously worked in a variety of roles including as a chef in luxury ski chalets and at Coast in Saundersfoot, Pembrokeshire.
George is competing at the London regional final.

Adam Pitfield is Chef de Partie at Driftwood Hotel, Trewithian in Cornwall. He was born and bred in Bolton, but as well as gaining experience in various top establishments in the UK he has worked abroad in Australia and as a private chef in a ski chalet in France.
Adam is competing at the Birmingham regional final.

Liam Pride is Sous Chef at Trinity Restaurant in Cambridge, where he was born and grew up. He has worked in a variety of establishments in Cambridge, including the Greene King pub Robin Hood, at Cambridge University and Newmarket Racecourse.
Liam is competing at the Birmingham regional final.

Christos Sidiropoulos is Sous Chef at Flemings Mayfair, London. Originally from Greece, he worked in a variety of establishments all over Greece before coming to the UK where he has previously worked at The Ritz London and Hide in Mayfair, as well as Midsummer House in Cambridge.
Christos is competing at the London regional final.

George Whitelock is a Junior Sous Chef at Angler Restaurant in London. He trained Westminster Kingsway College and helped as a commis at the 2012 Roux Scholarship final. As well as gaining experience in restaurants that include Noble Rot in London and The Elephant, Torquay, he also cooked for competitors in the Athletes Village at the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
George is competing at the London regional final.

George Fisher is a Senior Chef at Restaurant Twenty Two in Cambridge.

Fergus Wilford is Senior Sous Chef at the Savoy Grill by Gordon Ramsay in London. He previously competed in 2018.