He's a Washington chef with one of the culinary world’s most prestigious titles.
Jim Hall is one of just 140 chefs in the country to hold a Master Chef of Great Britain title and now the 37-year-old is set to head up the kitchen of Newcastle restaurant Leila Lily's.
Owners, Malhotra Group plc, have announced that Jim will bring his creative, contemporary take on classic British cuisine to the Grey Street venue in his role as head chef. He joins Leila Lily's from Lumley Castle Hotel in Chester-le-Street and has spent more than 20 years working at hotels and restaurants across the UK including Ramside Hall Hotel and Malmaison in the North East.
Along with leading the team at Leila Lily’s restaurant, Jim will also provide bespoke and tasting menus for Eva Rose, the site’s newly opened private dining space. Customers can expect to find Jim's signature dish - an apple cheesecake dessert – on the a la carte menu alongside a combination of modern British and Asian dishes.
"Newcastle is a wonderfully diverse and multicultural city and our menus will reflect and celebrate that," Jim said.
“So, while customers can enjoy quintessentially British flavours – including the steaks and grills we cook on our Mibrasa charcoal oven – they can also experience Asian tastes and textures along with a range of vegan dishes we believe to be among the best in the city.”
Holders of the Master Chef of Great Britain title are viewed as ambassadors for the industry and also play a part in the training and development of future talent. Along with supporting the young chefs who will be Master Chefs of the future, they are expected to champion British food producers, growers, and manufacturers.
Jim said his new role at Leila Lily’s will give him scope to showcase the “cornucopia of ingredients grown and made in the North East."
Vaz Malhotra, operations director at Malhotra Group plc, said Jim’s leadership marks a new era for the restaurant, which already holds an AA rosette.
“We are delighted to have attracted a head chef of Jim’s calibre,” he said.
“His ethos of championing local food and cooking it with creativity and flair chimes perfectly with ours and his energy, enthusiasm – not to mention his expertise – will be a great asset to us.”
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