231027 Collection Digital Cover 1 - Flipbook - Page 53
JOHN WILLIAMS MBE
Executive Chef
The Ritz
“I think my body craves uncomplicated tastes,
such as a traditional Sunday roast when I’m
at home – and I hardly ever eat dessert”
John Williams MBE has earned a slew of awards throughout his
career, including, in 2022, the Lifetime Achievement Award at the AA
Hospitality Awards. Although he has held the position of Executive Chef
at The Ritz for almost 20 years, his beginnings in food were humbler,
developing his passion for cooking at home in Tyneside with his mother.
“My father was a fisherman, so fish was a constant from the outset,”
he recalls. “I was one of six children, and my mam cooked for all of
us. Her cooking was very simple – lots of stews and soups – and she
didn’t experiment with recipes; she had her regular dishes.”
Set in her culinary ways she may have been, but John’s mother was
evidently onto a winning formula – so much so that the young Williams
would run one and half miles to and from home at lunchtime to eat her
cooking, rather than countenance school dinners.
“I was very sporty and always hungry, but I hated the smell of school
dinners,” he says. “I always wanted something with more flavour.”
As Executive Chef at The Ritz, John oversees a 60+-strong kitchen
team. He creates the seasonal menus for the Michelin-starred Ritz
Restaurant, as well as overseeing the hotel’s Rivoli Bar, room service
and famed afternoon teas. What qualities are needed to shoulder
such responsibilities, and to manage such numbers of staff?
“Integrity, above all else,” says John. “Humility and the ability to
listen to others are also key, as are leadership skills and the ability
to understand taste.”
As refined as his ability to understand the tastes of his varied and
exacting clientele is, John veers towards simpler dishes when he’s
off duty.
“I think my body craves uncomplicated tastes, such as a traditional
Sunday roast when I’m at home – and I hardly ever eat dessert,”
he says. “For Saturday brunch, we often have eggs scrambled with
Cheddar or Gruyere cheese, with a side of streaky bacon –
absolutely delicious.”
These early principles became the foundation on which John builds his
menus, saying that “all dishes start with a fundamental understanding
of taste and how flavour combinations are married together.”
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