Tony, pictured above, with student, Nicholas Palmer at the College's Awards Ceremony.

Tony's first professional position was in the kitchens of the Chester Grosvenor. In 1984 he moved to London and joined the staff at the Capital Hotel under head chef, Brian Turner. This was followed by a ground-breaking move to work for five years with Nico Ladenis. Tony started off at Chez Nico in Battersea, later becoming Sous Chef at Simply Nico in Westminster.

At just 25, Tony took over as Head Chef at the South Lodge Hotel in Lower Beeding where the restaurant was awarded the Good Food Guide's Country Restaurant of the year during his three and half years in charge. In 1992, he made his first television appearance in the BBC series 'Hot Chefs'. From 1995 onwards, he featured on 'Ready Steady Cook' and also as a presenter on 'Spice World' and 'The Green Gourmet' on the Carlton Food Channel.

Tony is currently serving up modern British dishes at The Dining Room in Reigate, Surrey where he is Chef Proprietor. He is also the patron of The Ketogenic Diet, intended for children with epilepsy and is a spokesperson for Spirit Pubs as part of his campaign to inspire young people to enter into the catering industry.

 

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