INTERVIEW
HENRY BROSI LUXURY HOSPITALITY MAGAZINE SPEAKS WITH HENRY BROSI, EXECUTIVE CHEF AT FOUR SEASONS HOTEL LONDON AT PARK LANE
Talk us through your current role at the Four Seasons Hotel London and the type of cuisine that is explored My current role is to lead, develop and improve our culinary offerings throughout the hotel - this includes menu development and execution, culinary training & development of my culinary team, which incorporates our events & front-of-house teams, too. I am also heavily involved in sourcing food supplies, supplier visits and in building lasting quality supplier partnerships.
Talk us through your journey into the industry I started out studying Horticulture with the aim to take over our family business of wine making & distilleries, but after graduation I realized that it was not for me. So, my next step was to do an apprenticeship as Patisseur, after which I had to do 18 months of National Service. After that, I took on another apprenticeship as Chef and that’s when it all started.
We have an array of different cuisine styles to offer here, from Italian to modern British, Indian, Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian Cuisines.
I then worked for the next ten years in 2- and 3-Star Michelin Star restaurants in France, Germany and Switzerland - Aubergine, Tantris Munich, Jamine, Auberge de I’III, France, Freddy Girardet Switzerland. Following this, I made the change from Restaurants into Hotels, always keeping a keen eye on Iconic Places including Peninsula Hong Kong, Oriental Bangkok, Waldorf Astoria New York, Badrutts Palace St Moritz, Claridge’s, The Dorchester, and now my position at Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane.
Have you always been passionate about becoming an Executive Chef?
Give us an insight into your daily role
Yes, for me it was a natural thing to do from the start, and my early goal was always to work in iconic places and been able to lead Culinary teams at them.
Usually, I am in around 7am; greeting my teams, checking on our Bakery, going through the fridges, checking the orderings, as well as going through various handovers. After this, I spend some time with my breakfast Chefs and observe the service, checking our fresh food deliveries, too.
Another part of my job is to use my experience and skill in handling and managing the business and financial part for what falls into my direct responsibilities. This includes food costs, recipe development, menu costings, new culinary revenue streams and more.
Luxury Hospitality Magazine
Come 9am, I am attending our virtual hotel morning meeting, then our daily Kitchen morning meeting, then onto the new menus, recipes & costs. By noon, I am on the pass during Lunch Service, and then ordering and recruiting before a kitchen meeting with the afternoon shift, then on to the pass during Dinner Service again. I usually finish my day around 10 pm. How do you feel now that Hospitality is open again? It is great to be open again, as hospitality suffered immensely during these past few years of the pandemic and lockdowns. We are all looking forward to an exciting, busy Christmas and New Year and to a full recovery for everyone. What can we expect on the Christmas/Winter menus? What flavours and ingredients will be present?
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