Boutique Hotelier – August 2019

CHEF ADAM SIMMONDS WAS APPOINTED TO

LEAD THE KITCHEN BRIGADE AT THE CAPITAL

IN APRIL, SO WHAT CHANGES HAS HE MADE SO

FAR? WE CAUGHT UP WITH ADAM TO SEE HOW

HE PLANS TO STRIVE TOWARDS A MICHELIN STAR

AND KEEP HIS TEAM MOTIVATED ALL THE WAY.

I

n April, The Capital Hotel in Knightsbridge appointed

Adam Simmonds as executive chef, bringing the role back

in house after six years working with a consultant.

The five-star, 49-bedroom luxury hotel, which is owned and

operated by Warwick Hotels and Resorts, appointed Simmonds to head

up the hotel’s F&B operation, who joined three months after leaving his

CHEF TALK: ADAM SIMMONDS

AT THE CAPITAL

ON KEEPING CONSISTENCY

position at the new Belmond Cadogan.

Simmonds worked as executive chef

under chef-patron Adam Handling

at the first London property from

Belmond for only five months.

Belmond Cadogan opened in

February following a multi-million

pound renovation project.

Now in his new role at The Capital,

Simmonds will work to ‘ensure the

hotel’s restaurant maintains its

position as one of the finest dining

venues in London’.

He has twice been recognised by

Michelin, having been awarded a star

at Ynyshir Hall in Wales in 2006 and

Danesfield House in Marlow 2010.

Both stars were retained throughout

his tenure at each establishment.

His vision for the menu at The

Capital is a balance of meat, fish and

vegetarian dishes – wholly in line with

The Capital’s legacy of providing a

dining experience beyond expectation.

The Capital and The Levin became

the first London establishments in the

Warwick Hotels and Resorts portfolio

when they were acquired from hotelier

David Levin in 2017.

We grabbed five minutes with Adam,

five weeks into his role at The Capital, to

discover how he plans to make his mark.

What attracted you to the role?

It was the history of the hotel – it’s

known for having great chefs and

look where they have gone now. The

building became a hotel in 1971, so it’s

steeped in history. It’s had accolades

before but hopefully I can build and

exceed some of the reputation that’s

gone before. I’ve been here for five

weeks and started conversations about

the role four weeks prior to that. I had

three different interviews and didn’t

have to cook; they trusted me!

Will you be aiming for a Michelin

star?

Oh yeah. I've had one before twice, so

now it's about adding to that. We need

to get back to where it was before and

hopefully more, and then build on it

from there. With the right team; it's all

about the right team and that makes

30 BOUTIQUE HOTELIER | August 2019

TALK ADAM SIMMONDS