James Golding

Chef James Golding

The Savoy Hotel first employed James while still just a student on the Specialised Chef course. This course is still run by The Royal Academy of Culinary Arts founded by Albert Roux and Richard Shepherd among others. He won his place at the Savoy as apprentice Anton Edelmann on the back of his enthusiasm and excitement for cooking, as well as for this determination.

Within 4 years he had completed all sections at the Savoy and hand a firm grasp of Classical French cooking. It was at this time Chris Corbin and Jeremy King (now of the Wolseley) were beginning to attain legendary status for the sophisticated elegance of Caprice Holdings; Le Caprice, The Ivy and J Sheekeys. In 1998 James was offered the position of Chef de Partie at Le Caprice working under Mark Hix and later Elliot Ketley.

It was during the next 7 years James’s love for British seasonal produce began to present. Truffles, foie gras and caviar were happily exchanged with elvers, lamb’s kidneys, Dorset cockles and snipe. James stayed at Le Caprice until 2001 when head chef Tim Hughes offered him a new position at the seafood restaurant J Sheekeys. James left J Sheekeys in 2005 on a high note. He had risen to Sous Chef, been a part of restoring the restaurant to its former glory and had learned how to motivate and train the junior members of staff.

Leaving London James accepted the position of Head Chef of the 6th floor fine dining restaurant at Soho House New York. In this “city that never sleeps” James still managed to find the time to take 2 weeks to be involved with the exclusive members’ only Oscar party that Soho House Hollywood hosts annually in Los Angeles, California. It was his experiences in America that finely tempered his modern British style of cuisine.

In 2006 James returned to his home on the south coast as both a seasoned chef and new father. James’s work began to take on inspiration from the region and its unique produce from both forest and sea. James feels the responsibility to promote and protect the traditional foods of the United Kingdom. To James this means seeking out small producers and local butchers in the habit of working sustainably and with passion for their products. Provenance and seasonality are the key ingredients when Chef James Golding builds his menus.

Through his previous position as Chef Director at THE PIG Hotels & Fellow of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts, he has worked to raise interest in where his food comes from and how it’s Raised & tastes. James is now a Fellow and previous chairman of the Royal Academy of culinary arts sustainability committee.

James has recently worked with Prept Foundation as Head of Food Education ,
He Continues television appearances on C4 Sunday brunch and is proud of his relationships with local suppliers and producershe achieves and delivers his vision with respect to the Environment, to taste and to animal welfare.

He trains the next generation of chefs through the courses at Plumpton College and the spec chef apprenticeship programme that has won multiple awards since its launch with Bournemouth and Poole college.

Most recently James has joined the Rockwater group in Hove Branson and sandbanks as group chef director heading up all food and kitchen operations at all three sites.

James has started a monthly supper club event called the Table and still keeps his ties with his Italian roots by visiting their property in Tuscany every couple of months to work with the community there as well as learn historic Italian dishes

Check out his Instagram if you want to see the fun and the journeys he’s been up to at James_Golding_Chef