Meet Chef Adam Gray

Adam Gray has worked as an Executive Chef around the world, running Michelin-starred restaurants, working closely with Gary Rhodes, winning awards regularly and most importantly, delighting customers with outstanding food.

But he is also a Dad, who’s extremely keen to pass on his love of food and cooking to his children. Delicious, British food that has been responsibly produced is just as important to him in his kitchen at home as it is to him in his restaurant kitchens. So he’s very pleased to pass on recipes for some of the meals he cooks for his family at home.

Adam Gray grew up in East Haddon, Northamptonshire. He attended Northampton College where he completed a three-year day release City and Guilds Catering Course whilst working full time at The Red Lion in East Haddon, and then at Broomhill Hotel.

Shortly after in 1989, Adam moved to London to embark on his career working for Bruno Loubet in the Michelin starred restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel on Park Lane until 1992. After a short spell in Melbourne, Australia, Adam returned to the UK to work at the world-famous 2 Michelin starred Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons in Oxfordshire for two years.

In 2001, Adam met Gary Rhodes, and was appointed Head Chef at City Rhodes until 2003, where he maintained a Michelin star.

Adam went on to open the new restaurant Rhodes Twenty-Four at Tower 42 in the heart of the city of London. Under his direction the restaurant was awarded the BMW Best New Restaurant in the 2004 spring edition of The Square Meal Guide. In 2005 Rhodes Twenty-Four was awarded a Michelin star and in 2007 Rhodes Twenty-Four also received three AA rosettes.

In 2003 Adam set up the “Adam Gray Chef’s Academy” at Northampton College to offer work experience opportunities to gifted catering and hospitality students. Over its eight-year existence, more than 40 students completed work experience placements at Rhodes Twenty-Four with some securing full-time employment within the kitchen and the restaurant.

In 2007, Adam opened Rhodes Mezzanine restaurant with Gary Rhodes within the Grosvenor House Hotel in Dubai and was appointed as the consultant on all Rhodes Mezzanine menu changes and culinary standards. Rhodes Mezzanine went on to win the Time Out Dubai 2010 Restaurant of the year award and the 2010 Restaurant of the year awarded by the Caterer Middle East. Adam was also the consultant on Gary Rhodes’s second restaurant in Dubai, Rhodes 2010 which went on to win The Best Newcomer in the 2011 BBC Good Food Middle East Awards.

In 2010 Adam became co owner of The Red Lion in his home village of East Haddon and in the summer of 2011 the Shires Cookery School opened within a converted barn in the grounds of The Red Lion. In September 2011 Adam left Rhodes Twenty-Four after maintaining a Michelin star for over ten years to focus on the Red Lion. The Red Lion then went from strength to strength, being included in the 2012 Good Food Guide and being selected as one of the Editor’s choice top ten “country pubs” in the guide. The Red Lion was also awarded a Bib Gourmand in the 2012 and the 2013 UK Michelin Restaurant Guide.

Adam is a member of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts, a Master Craftsman within the Craft Guild of Chefs, an Honorary Patron of The Hope Enterprise Charity and a judge for the Coeliac UK chef of the year competition.

In 2012 he was awarded an Honorary Master of Science degree from Northamptonshire University in recognition of his commitment to training and development within catering and hospitality industry. In June 2013 Adam was awarded an Association of Colleges Gold Award at the House of Commons for his successful career after leaving secondary education.

Adam has a passion for keeping fit, road cycling, competitive open water swimming and he has competed in Tough Mudder, all three Spartan races, gaining him the Spartan Trifecta medal. He has also competed in the Vertical Rush, the tower running race to the top of Tower 42 in the City of London, with his best result placing him 12th out of 900 runners, so, it made perfect sense for him be a monthly features writer for Men’s Fitness magazine for nearly a decade.

In 2013, Adam was appointed Executive Chef of Skylon restaurant, part of the D & D London group of restaurants in the Royal Festival Hall, where he worked until 2015.

Adam then moved on to become the Executive Chef for the Bourne and Hollingsworth group where he oversaw the Bourne and Hollingsworth Buildings restaurant and opened the successful B & H Kitchen cookery school.

Adam was appointed as Executive Chef at the Devonshire Club in January 2018, where he remained until the pandemic hit in mid 2020.

Adam had the privilege to be invited to Sandhurst by the British Field Army, where he met and talked to HRH Prince Harry and many Army Brigadiers about the importance of a healthy balanced diet for military personnel. Adam is fully involved in the Army’s campaign of “Mind, Body and Spirit” and has developed and written the first in a series of healthy cookbooks for military personnel to cook from called “The Healthy Soldier Cookbook, which was then launched at Aldershot to the press and Army, with a great response.

In 2022, Adam was exceptionally proud to be asked to become a Disciple within The Disciples of Escoffier organisation in memory of his great friend and mentor chef Gary Rhodes OBE.