The Waldorf Hilton, the West End landmark hotel, has appointed new Executive Chef, Karl Richardson, to head up the team of 22 across the hotel’s bars, restaurants and banqueting.
Chef Richardson joins the team with 17 years of experience having worked for over a decade at Hilton properties including Hilton DoubleTree Cambridge, Hilton Green Park and Hilton London Kensington. During this time in both Hilton and Rosette-awarded boutique hotels, he has worked his way up in the restaurant industry from Chef De partie to Head Chef, across banqueting, fine fining, pastry and events for both big and intimate parties.
Starting at just 16 years old, Karl was a young apprentice, gaining experience in multiple Hilton kitchens across all departments before moving onto award-winning restaurant within The Priory Hotel where Richardson contributed towards the two AA Rosettes achieved in his time there. While at The Priory Hotel Richardson worked closely with Chef Paul Foster on developing seasonal menus and sourcing 90 percent of the menu’s ingredients within a 30- mile radius.
Richardson has been tasked by the iconic hotel’s General Manager – Guy Hilton – to relaunch The Waldorf Hilton’s food and beverage offering – ensuring it appeals to both the local London audience, as well as visitors into the Capital.
Richardson has already started to shake up the menus in the hotel’s restaurant, Homage, and the bar menu in Good Godfreys, having developed an exclusive pre-theatre menu which includes delicious options such as organic Scottish salmon and the hotels’ own ‘The Waldorf Eton Mess’. There are plans to continuously update the a la carte menu based on seasonality and quality traditional options which offer a modern twist and Chef Richardson will also be working closely with local suppliers in Covent Garden to source the freshest and best quality ingredients.
His role also sees him lead the banqueting offering in The Waldorf’s meeting and events space, including the popular and glamourous Palm Court which was once the ballroom setting for ‘A Night to Remember’ and accommodates up to 900 when combined with the adjoining Adelphi Suite.
The Waldorf Hilton General Manager, Guy Hilton explains, “We are delighted to announce that we have welcomed Chef Richardson to the Waldorf team; he joins us at an exciting time as the hotel has recently undergone a huge renovation and we’re keen to refresh our food & beverage offering in line with this. Karl has already made a huge impact at The Waldorf, spearheading the F&B revolution we are undertaking in line with key events throughout the calendar year. “
The Waldorf Hilton Executive Chef, Karl Richardson says, “I’ve joined a talented team at The Waldorf and am already enjoying working with them to develop and implement our ambitious plans for the hotel’s restaurant, bar, afternoon tea offering and events. I plan to introduce a full training and apprenticeship scheme (including masterclasses and farm-to-fork experiences) to encourage development of junior members of staff, as well as revolutionise the menus to bring fresh options whilst still maintaining the elegance and history that the hotel offers.”
For more information on the F&B offering at The Waldorf, please visit Homage Restaurant