Bryn Williams
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Bryn Dwyfor Williams (born 6 June 1977) is a chef originally from Denbigh,
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
. He is the head chef and sole proprietor of Odette's Restaurant,
Primrose Hill Primrose Hill is a Grade II listed public park located north of Regent's Park in London, England, first opened to the public in 1842.Mills, A., ''Dictionary of London Place Names'', (2001) It was named after the natural hill in the centre of ...
, London. He shot to fame as merely a
sous chef A sous-chef is a chef A chef is a trained professional cook and tradesman who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term ''chef de cuisine'' (), the ...
in 2006 by beating established and well-known chefs to cook the fish course for the Queen's 80th birthday celebrations on the television programme ''
Great British Menu ''Great British Menu'' is a BBC television series in which top British chefs compete for the chance to cook one course of a four-course banquet. Format Series one and two were presented by Jennie Bond, the former BBC Royal correspondent, whe ...
''. He is now widely regarded as one of
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
' best chefs and one of Britain's new crop of "celebrity" chefs. In June 2015 he opened his new bistro, Bryn@Porth Eirias, on the sea shore in the north Wales town of Colwyn Bay. In 2018 he married
Sharleen Spiteri Sharleen Eugene Spiteri (born 7 November 1967) is a Scottish singer and guitarist, best known as the lead singer of the rock band Texas. She has a contralto vocal range. In 2013, Texas's worldwide album sales were counted at 40 million records. ...
, the frontwoman of Scottish band
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
, and the pair have become something of a celebrity couple in their own right. In 2021, they appeared on motoring podcast Fuelling Around to discuss their love of cars as well as their successful careers.


Biography

Bryn Dwyfor Williams was born and raised into a farming family near Denbigh, Wales, with his brothers Gareth and Siôn. His father Eifion, a mechanic, is one of seven children, four of whom became farmers. Gwenda, his mother, is a doctor's receptionist. He received all his education through the Welsh medium before moving on to college. He attended Ysgol Gynradd Twm o'r Nant, Denbigh (Primary) and Ysgol Uwchradd Glan Clwyd, St Asaph (Secondary). Williams lived in Denbigh until he was 18, then moved to London.


Early years

Williams's interest in food began as a young child during a primary school visit to a bakery in Denbigh. Seeing the individual ingredients turned into bread sparked an interest in food and its processes that would stay with him. He later worked at the same bakery as a teenager on Saturday mornings. He also developed a respect for food whilst growing vegetables, fishing and shooting for game on his uncle's farm as a youngster. After leaving high school at the age of 16 he attended Coleg Llandrillo Cymru – studying catering. In 2009 Williams was appointed Skills Ambassador for the college. After leaving college and working in Cafe Nicoise in
Colwyn Bay Colwyn Bay ( cy, Bae Colwyn) is a town, community and seaside resort in Conwy County Borough on the north coast of Wales overlooking the Irish Sea. It lies within the historic county of Denbighshire. Eight neighbouring communities are incorpo ...
, he was encouraged by head chef Carl Swift to take his skills to London. He was taken on by
Marco Pierre White Marco Pierre White (born 11 December 1961) is a British chef, restaurateur, and television personality. He has been dubbed "the first celebrity chef" and the ''enfant terrible'' of the UK restaurant scene. In January 1995, aged 33, White became ...
at the Criterion.


Professional career

After 3 years learning his craft under
Marco Pierre White Marco Pierre White (born 11 December 1961) is a British chef, restaurateur, and television personality. He has been dubbed "the first celebrity chef" and the ''enfant terrible'' of the UK restaurant scene. In January 1995, aged 33, White became ...
at the Criterion, he was sous chef under the tutelage of another culinary legend,
Michel Roux Jr Michel Albert Roux (born 23 May 1960) previously known as Michel Roux Jr., is an English-French two Michelin starred chef. He owns the London restaurant '' Le Gavroche.'' Early life Roux was born at Pembury maternity hospital in Kent, whilst hi ...
at
Le Gavroche Le Gavroche (''The Urchin'') is a restaurant at 43 Upper Brook Street in Mayfair, London. It was opened in 1967 by Michel and Albert Roux at 61 Lower Sloane Street, its premises until 1981. Albert's son Michel Roux Jr is the current chef pat ...
for a further three years. In 2001 he had an opportunity to experience European cuisine at first hand, working at the Patisserie Millet in Paris, which is also where the Roux family honed their skills. In the same year, he went on to work at
Hotel Negresco The Hotel Negresco is a hotel and site of the restaurant ''Le Chantecler'', located on the Promenade des Anglais on the Baie des Anges in Nice, France. It was named after Henri Negresco (1868–1920), who had the palatial hotel constructed in 191 ...
, a two
Michelin-star The Michelin Guides ( ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The Guide awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few establishments. The acquisition or loss of a ...
red restaurant in
Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard dialect, Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department in France. The Nice urban unit, agg ...
. Back in Britain, Williams moved to the Michelin-starred Orrery Restaurant on
Marylebone High Street Marylebone High Street is a shopping street in London, running sub-parallel to Baker Street and terminating at its northern end at the junction with Marylebone Road. Given its secluded location, the street has been described as "the hidden wonde ...
in London, working there for four years under the tutelage of head chef André Garrett. Whilst working at the Orrery he competed for the
Roux Scholarship The Roux Scholarship is a cooking competition for up and coming chefs in the UK. Set up by the brothers Michel and Albert Roux, and now run by their sons Alain Roux and Michel Roux Jr. It was first run in 1984 with Andrew Fairlie being named the ...
, having been encouraged to participate by Garrett who was himself a previous winner of the prestigious award. Williams finished second overall that year.


Odette's

Following his success on the ''
Great British Menu ''Great British Menu'' is a BBC television series in which top British chefs compete for the chance to cook one course of a four-course banquet. Format Series one and two were presented by Jennie Bond, the former BBC Royal correspondent, whe ...
'' television series in 2006, Williams was offered the head chef's position at Odette's, a well-regarded neighbourhood restaurant in
Primrose Hill Primrose Hill is a Grade II listed public park located north of Regent's Park in London, England, first opened to the public in 1842.Mills, A., ''Dictionary of London Place Names'', (2001) It was named after the natural hill in the centre of ...
, London since 1978. The restaurant had recently undergone an expensive refurbishment following its purchase by Vince Power, who was looking for the right name to head-up his latest culinary venture. He bought out the owner and became sole chef-proprietor of Odette's on 1 October 2008. Reviews under Williams have been very good.


Bryn@Porth Eirias

It was announced on 9 September 2013 that Bryn Williams was to open a bistro at a multi-million pounds water sports centre on Colwyn Bay promenade. The announcement was made at the official opening of Porth Eirias by First Minister Carwyn Jones. The bistro opened in June 2015.


Bryn Williams at Somerset House

On 1 March 2018, he opened his third restaurant. The new restaurant and bar at Somerset House,
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
has fruit and vegetables taking centre stage.


Gorsedd Y Beirdd (Gorsedd of Bards)

Every year, people who have made a contribution to Welsh culture or society are chosen as new members for the Eisteddfod Druidic Order. Williams was honoured by the Gorsedd of the Bards at the National Eisteddfod of Wales 2013 festival in his home town of Denbigh.


Media


Television appearances

In 2006, he was a contestant on BBC Two's ''
Great British Menu ''Great British Menu'' is a BBC television series in which top British chefs compete for the chance to cook one course of a four-course banquet. Format Series one and two were presented by Jennie Bond, the former BBC Royal correspondent, whe ...
'', impressing the judges throughout the stages of the competition. Williams interviewed his grandmother about dishes she used to eat as a child before settling on a menu. He beat
Angela Hartnett Angela Maria Hartnett (born September 1968) is an English Michelin-starred chef. A protégée of Gordon Ramsay who became well known by her appearances on British television, she was Chef-Patron at Angela Hartnett at The Connaught in London. Cu ...
in the regional round, and went on to win the public's vote to cook his fish course of 'Turbot with Oxtail' at Queen Elizabeth's 80th-birthday banquet at Mansion House. He retained his crown when he beat
Matt Tebbutt Matt may refer to: *Matt (name), people with the given name ''Matt'' or Matthew, meaning "gift from God", or the surname Matt *In British English, of a surface: having a non-glossy finish, see gloss (material appearance) *Matt, Switzerland, a mu ...
in 2007. He has since become a familiar face on ''
Saturday Kitchen ''Saturday Kitchen Live'' is a British cookery programme, that is broadcast live on BBC One every Saturday between 10.00am and 11.30am produced by Cactus TV. History 2002–2003 After a pilot hosted by Ainsley Harriott on 14 April 2001, the ...
'', also making appearances on ''Something for the Weekend'' and ''
Market Kitchen ''Market Kitchen'' is a British cookery television programme, made by Optomen, that premiered on the Good Food channel in 2007. Presented by Rachel Allen, Amanda Lamb, Matt Tebbutt, Tom Parker Bowles and Matthew Fort, the programme concentr ...
''. Williams's first language is Welsh, and he has appeared in several programmes on the Welsh-language television channel, S4C. He was one of three judges on the very popular Welsh-language cooking competition programme ''Chez / Casa Dudley''; the third series started in Autumn 2008. A six-part series of ''Cegin Bryn (Bryn's Kitchen)'' started on S4C in March 2012. The programme is based on his cookbook ''Bryn's Kitchen'' and features six key ingredients, cooked in 3 different ways whilst also tracking their journey from source to plate. The second series of ''Cegin Bryn'' quickly followed in January 2013. Williams cooked live every day in the GMTV kitchen with
Myleene Klass Myleene Angela Klass (born 6 April 1978) is a British musician, singer, presenter, model and businesswoman. She was a member of the pop group Hear'Say, and later released two solo classical crossover albums in 2003 and 2007. More recently, Klass ...
during the last week of its 17 years as a breakfast television broadcaster on ITV. GMTV came to an end on 3 September 2010.


Radio appearances

On 21 March 2010, Williams appeared on '' Wales on the Menu'' on
BBC Radio Wales BBC Radio Wales is a Welsh radio station owned and operated by BBC Cymru Wales, a division of the BBC. It began broadcasting on 13 November 1978, replacing the 'Radio 4 Wales' opt-out service (previously the Welsh Home Service). Radio Wales b ...
, where food critic Simon Wright challenged the Welsh public to attempt to get their dish on Bryn Williams' top London menu. Williams was impressed enough by 23-year-old student Tom Watts Jones and his complex dish of self-caught Welsh rabbit that he offered him a permanent job as a
commis chef A chef is a trained professional cook and tradesman who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term ''chef de cuisine'' (), the director or head of a ki ...
.


Cookbooks

Williams published his first book, ''Bryn's Kitchen'', in March 2011. His second book, ''For The Love of Veg'', was published in October 2013. His Welsh language cookbook, ''Tir a Môr'', was published in October 2015.


Patronage

Williams is a Patron of Gwledd Conwy Feast, which is Wales' second-largest
food festival A food festival is a festival, that uses food, often produce, as its central theme. These festivals have always been a means of uniting communities through celebrations of harvests and giving thanks for a plentiful growing season. History Food ...
with around 25,000 visitors each year. Cardiff Blues,
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
and
British and Irish Lions The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The Lions are a test side and most often select players who have already played for their national ...
rugby player
Martyn Williams Martyn Elwyn Williams, (born 1 September 1975) is a former Wales and British & Irish Lions international rugby union player. A flanker, he was Wales' most-capped forward with 100 caps until surpassed by Gethin Jenkins on 30 November 2013. He ...
appointed Bryn as one of the 7 Patrons of his Spirit of Wales testimonial year in 2010, to help raise money for vulnerable children and cancer victims. Other Patrons include
Ian Woosnam Ian Harold Woosnam (born 2 March 1958) is a Welsh professional golfer. Nicknamed 'Woosie', Woosnam was one of the "Big Five" generation of European golfers, all born within 12 months of one another, all of whom have won majors, and made Europe ...
,
Ioan Gruffudd Ioan Gruffudd (; (born 6 October 1973) is a Welsh actor. He first came to public attention as Fifth Officer Harold Lowe in ''Titanic'' (1997), and then for his portrayal of Horatio Hornblower in the ''Hornblower (TV series), Hornblower'' seri ...
and
James Dean Bradfield James Dean Bradfield (born 21 February 1969) is a Welsh singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. He is known for being the lead vocalist and guitarist for the Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. Biography Early life B ...
.


References


External links


Odette's Restaurant – Primrose HillBBC's North East guides – Hall of Fame, Bryn Williams

Great British Menu – BBC Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Bryn 1977 births Living people People from Denbigh Welsh-language television presenters Welsh chefs British television chefs