No 44 Brasserie, the two AA Rosette restaurant found at The Arden Hotel in Stratford-upon-Avon, has appointed Lee Cresswell as its new Head Chef.
The move marks Cresswell’s first appointment as a Head Chef, having started out in the industry aged just 16.
Cresswell began his career as a Commis Chef at the Evesham Hotel, before moving on to become a Chef de Partie.
He then spent eight years in the Cotswolds, which included roles at Buckland Manor as a Chef de Partie, Dormy House Hotel and Spa in Broadway – part of the Farncombe estate – and its sister hotel The Fish as a Junior Sous Chef, before working his way up to become Sous Chef.
His next role saw him move to his hometown of Stratford working at Michelin-starred, three AA rosette Salt under the stewardship of chef Paul Foster, before returning to The Fish as Senior Sous Chef.
Lee Cresswell commented: “As a local lad I am really pleased to be here at The Arden and take my first step as Head Chef – I feel I am ready for it.
“I have been lucky enough to have had some great mentors along the way and their advice has helped mould me into the chef I am today. I’m really excited to get going and can’t wait to bring new flavours to Stratford.
“Stratford has a growing food scene with so many different cultural offerings – from Indian, Greek, to Chinese – alongside traditional English pubs and cocktail bars.
“There is an emerging fine dining scene right now and we hope to take that up a level here at The Arden with some exciting plans for No 44 Brasserie in the coming months.”
The 45-bed Arden Hotel is a four-star boutique hotel in Stratford-upon-Avon, and is part of the Eden Hotel Collection.
