Clive Howe

I started my career at the Dorchester Hotel under Maître Chef de Cuisine Anton Mosimann, which at that time was the place to work for the emerging modern culinary scene. I rose up through the ranks to the Sous Chef position in charge of the Grill Room Restaurant, specializing in Modern British Cooking, which won many awards. From there, I took my first Head Chef's position in the North West of England, a small country house hotel called Rookery Hall. I was then contacted by the Savoy Group to take on the position of Executive Chef at their country hotel, the 500-year-old Lygon Arms, which was a very special hotel, and at that time, the hotel was owned by the Savoy Group.

I moved back to London to a totally different role, working for the Investment Bank Goldman Sachs, originally as Executive Chef in charge of all Client Dining. The role developed over the 7 years that I worked for the bank into a Global Food Service Manager role, which gave me the opportunity to work on projects and set up dining in their Hong Kong, Singapore, Chicago, and other European offices. This position gave me the opportunity to learn so much more about food and the different cultures from around the world.

My last position was at the Garrick Club, which is a very special place with a vast amount of history and was formed in 1831. The membership is made up of people who love the arts, so there is a huge spectrum, which includes Actors, Musicians, Politicians, Doctors, Legal, and Media professions, so there is a very lively combination. It is an excellent place for young chefs to learn and develop their skills as the food that we produce leans towards Classical and Modern British Cooking. We only used the best seasonal ingredients, and we have suppliers from all over the British Isles; we teach our young chefs about the provenance of food. We take them on visits to these suppliers so they can see for themselves where the food comes from that ends up on our kitchen tables each day.

Today, I am now semi-retired after the last 18 years at the Garrick Club, and I have had many special times and adventures throughout my career, but the Garrick Club tops them all.