My Life in Hospitality provides a weekly peek into the lives of people who have forged interesting paths into and interesting careers within the hospitality sector.
Each week our featured subjects reveal how they got into the business, the highs and lows of their career to date, a potted CV, and a few personal touches such as the motto that informs their working life.
And, as a sign of the current straitened times, they also reveal their recession-busting tips to Caterer readers.
2010
Gary McKechnie, director of food at contract caterer Harbour & Jones
Olivier Lavigne du Cadet,owner of My Dining Room in Fulham Broadway, London
Laurie Nicol, general manager of the Grand Central hotel in Glasgow
Maria Duddin, general manager of the Brewery in London
Geoffrey Harrison, managing director of Harrison Catering
Harry Miles, head concierge at the London Marriott Grosvenor Square
Anthony Worrall, general manager of the Trafalgar hotel, London
Simon Cottard, executive chef, at Le Café du Marché
Derek Reilly, group executive head chef, Hibernian Aviva, Sodexo
Iain Donald, commercial director of the Individual Restaurant Company
Peter Sweeney, head doorman at London’s Goring hotel
Nick James, director of event caterer Dish
Jonathan Downey, owner and founder of the Match Bar Group
Francis Guildea, general manager of Adnams Hotels
Russell Brown, head chef at the Sienna restaurant in London’s Dorchester hotel
Ludovic Bargibant, restaurant manager at Les Ambassadeurs Club, Park Lane, London
Julie Camm, owner of the Alveston House hotel near Bristol
Alvin Leung, chef-proprietor of Bo Innovation in Hong Kong
Avril Owton, owner of the Cloud hotel, Brockenhurst
Henrik Muehle, managing director, St James’s Hotel and Club, London
Sam Walker, executive chef, Seasoned Events
Nick Vadis, UK and Ireland executive chef, Compass Group
Greg Bultitude, group executive chef, Crerar Hotels
Justin Pinchbeck, hotel director, Lime Wood, the New Forest
Charlie McVeigh, serial entrepreneur and pub and restaurant operator
Michael Weston-Cole, executive head chef, Bowland Village Inns
Madeleine Calon, head concierge at St James’s Hotel and Club, London
Martin Miller, owner of Miller Hotels
Nigel Smith, executive chef, National Museums Liverpool
Lawrence Keogh, head cook at Roast restaurant
Christoph Brooke, managing director of Hillbrooke Hotels
Tudor Hopkins, co-owner of the Place at the Beach, Camber, East Sussex
Rupert Elliott, general manger at Bibury Court
Will Holland, head chef at La Bécasse in Ludlow, Shropshire
Lloyd Mann, director of food at contract caterer Vacherin
Chris Wheeler, executive head chef, Stoke Park Country Club and Resort
Toby Ashworth, managing director and proprietor of the Nare hotel in Cornwall
Brandon Stephens, founder of Tortilla Restaurants
Jamie Barber, owner of Villandry, Hush and Kitchen Italia
2009
Charles Morgan, group operations director, AB Hotels
Richard Bampfield, European Champagne Ambassador 2009
Simon Goggin, director at contract caterer Cooks & Partners
Richard Walton, executive chef and hospitality manager, Harvey Nichols Fourth Floor Café, Leeds
Stewart Lorimer, area general manager, North of Scotland, Hilton Hotels
Terry Laybourne, chef-patron at Jesmond Dene House hotel
Sebastiano Ingalison, head sommelier at Malmaison Aberdeen
Mark Wright, regional executive chef, Compass Stadia Division
Mark Dodson, owner and head chef at the Mason Arms in Devon
Stewart Selbie, general manager at the Turnberry Resort hotel, Ayrshire
Surinder Arora, founder and chairman of Arora International Hotels
Juliette Joffe, founder and director of Giraffe Restaurants
Theresa Maw, general manager, Renaissance Chancery Court hotel, London
Christian Armstrong, head of human resources, Thistle Hotels UK
James Horler, proprietor and executive chairman of Ego Restaurants
Sam Harrison, proprietor of Sam's Brasserie and Bar in Chiswick and Harrison's in Balham
Ciaran Fahy, general manager of London’s Cavendish hotel
Philip Newman Hall, director and general manager of Raymond Blanc's Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons in Oxfordshire
Simon Young, executive chef of the Jumeirah Carlton Tower hotel in Knightsbridge, London
Richard Muir, proprietor, Café Fish, Edinburgh
Philip Corrick, executive chef, Royal Automobile Club
Graeme Nesbitt, resort general manager at Cameron House on Loch Lomond
Manny Sawhney, owner and managing director of the Asperion and Hilltop hotels in Guildford, Surrey
Ken Hom, Oriental chef and honorary OBE
Jale Erentok, managing director of London-based Thai restaurant group Busaba Eathai
Kem Akkari, general manager, the Culloden hotel, Belfast
Laurence Beere, owner, of the Queensberry Hotel, Bath
David Webster, proprietor of Webster Hotels
Kirk Kinsell, president, Europe Middle East & Africa, InterContinental Hotels Group
Jeff Monk, train manager of British Pullman for Orient Express
Tony Kitous, owner of the Pasha, Kenza, and Comptoir Libanais restaurants
John Nugent, chief executive officer of Green & Fortune
Steve Terry, chef-proprietor of the Hardwick in Abergavenny
Chris Barber, food and beverage consultant at Leith's Food Solutions
2008
JP Kavanagh, general manager of the Sheraton Grand Hotel and Spa, Edinburgh
Sir Thomas Ingilby, chairman of Great Inns of Britain and owner of Ripley Castle and the Boar's Head, North Yorkshire